RPM Afterlife: Corinth's Families
by Lily Hanson
Summary: After the events of RPM, Scott, Sam, Flynn, Hayden, Dani, Greg and Dawn move on with their lives. Growing up and becoming independant isn't an easy job when you're a former Power Ranger. What troubles lie ahead?
1. Homecoming

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers or any of the characters. However, Kaylee, Hayden, Samantha, Gregory, and Daniela belong to me. If you intend on using them in any of your own stories, please ask me first._

_As mentioned in RPM, this is the new fanfiction. It's focus is on the three different couples (Scott/Samantha, Flynn/Hayden, Daniela/Gregiry) and Dawn. Other characters may make cameos from time to time, but the story centers on those seven._

_I really hope you enjoy this next part in the Kaylee Series and Happy New Year!_

* * *

Kaylee stood with tears in her eyes as she watched her two daughters loading up the car. She couldn't believe this day had come. After eighteen years, Hayden Brooks (now Hayden McAllistair), was moving out. Of course, this day was long overdue. After Hayden and Flynn married six months beforehand the couple should have moved out of the Brooks household, but they didn't have the financial security to put a down payment on a house. Hayden wasn't working full time and Flynn's garage was still a new business, even after a year in the works.

"Well, brat, I think that's it," Samantha smiled, handing her sister a pink teddy bear. Hayden grabbed it and held it close to her chest.

"Thanks, Sam," she said.

"No worries," Samantha giggled, "After all, it's all worth it if I get to see mom's _they're getting so old_ face again."

Hayden looked to her mother, who was standing by the doorway with a sad look on her face.

"Did she do the same for you?"

Samantha nodded, "Oh yeah."

Samantha had moved out of her mother's house a few days after she and Scott married. The house Kaylee and Dustin were living in was in no way small, but the family of three needed their own place with a little more privacy, and somewhere in the middle of town. Though Michael had given his blessings to Scott to raise Engel as his own child, and to be her father, he still wanted to be in her life. Samantha couldn't agree more and wanted to live close by so Engel would never miss the opportunity of seeing her real father.

Hayden took a deep breath as she caught sight of her mother once again. She dropped Zwop the bear onto the driveway and bolted over to the door, catching her mother in a hug.

Flynn arrived into the front hallway at that moment to see his wife embracing her mother so passionately. He handed two year old Engel to Scott and smiled.

"Why don't you ever give me goodbye hugs like that?" he smirked, touching Kaylee's shoulder. The mother and daughter parted slightly and Flynn looked to his wife, "It's time to go now, I guess."

Hayden nodded, wiping away a few tears. Kaylee tried to do the same, but she couldn't keep herself from crying. Hayden was her baby girl. She couldn't bring herself to letting Hayden go into the cold cruel world.

"I'll be fine, mom," Hayden laughed, hugging Kaylee once again, "You know I will."

"I just... this means I'm old!" Kaylee joked, resting her head on the doorframe as she cried fake tears, "My babies are all gone."

Christian approached his mother and tugged on her pants, "I'm still here."

Kaylee looked down the four year old, "Right..."

"I'll go wait out in the car," Flynn told Hayden, grabbing the last of his luggage with him. He shook Dustin's hand and hugged Kaylee, "Thanks for hosting the New Year's party. 2029 is off to a great start!"

"Our pleasure," Dustin nodded.

Hayden sighed deeply, "I gotta get going now," she whispered.

"You'll come visit, right?" Christian asked his sister. Hayden picked him up, squeezing him lovingly.

"Of course, baby brother," she said, "And now you'll have three homes. Samantha's, yours and mine. You're welcome to come over anytime. Just, don't tell Flynn I invited you."

Christian placed his finger on his lips and smiled, "Our secret."

"Good," Hayden said. She was about to put her little brother down when he wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her one last powerful hug.

"I miss you, Mayden," he said on the verge of tears. Hayden kissed his cheek.

"I miss you too, buddy. Be a good boy for mom and dad, okay?"

"I will," Christian nodded as Hayden set him down. She looked to her father. Dustin wiped his eyes, trying to hide the tears.

"I love you, daddy," Hayden said, partly because it was the truth, and partly because she knew it would cause the waterworks.

"You little..." Dustin laughed, pulling his daughter in for a hug, "Be careful out there, Hayden."

"You know I will," Hayden nodded, "Anyone tries to hurt your little girl, and she's going to show them why she was choosing as RPM pink."

"Glad to know," Dustin said, "If there's anything you need, you know you can always ask me. You may be leaving the nest, but I'm still your father."

"I know," Hayden smiled, "I guess I'll see you next time we're both in the Garage."

"Do I still get discounts on repairs and upgrades?" Dustin asked.

"I'll talk to the owner," Hayden smirked, "But something tells me persuasion's going to be easy."

"I hope you're not talking about Daniela," Scott chuckled. Hayden's smirk dropped as she glared at her brother in-law.

"Don't you have your own house to go to?" she asked, "Why are you still here?"

"New Year's party, sleeping over, helping you with the move," Scott answered, "Need another reason?"

Hayden gave her father a kiss on the cheek and a loving hug before looking at Scott.

"Now, do I need to say goodbye to you? I mean, you're coming with us to help unload all our shit and help with the furniture once it arrives..."

"C'mon here you little pink devil," Scott said, obviously mocking Hayden's parents as he pulled her into a hug and pretended to cry on her shoulder, "I'm going to miss you so much."

Hayden grinned as her hand disappeared in his hair. Scott felt the unwanted presence and pulled away. He made sure his hair was still in place before glaring at the younger girl.

"Not cool, Hayden," he frowned. Hayden shrugged.

"Not my fault your hair is so weird," she giggled.

Scott grabbed Hayden's bags and took them to the car to give her a little time with her mother.

Dustin grabbed Christian's hand, "Hey, buddy, wanna go see what's on TV?"

Christian bounced with excitement to the TV room and Dustin followed, leaving Kaylee and Hayden alone.

"I'll be fine, mom," Hayden smiled, "You and dad taught me well."

"You're still so young..." Kaylee started, "Are you sure you and Flynn don't want to live her another year? There's plenty of room now that Samantha and Scott are gone..."

"I'm positive, Mom," Hayden nodded, "We're married now. We need a place of our own. And I'm eighteen. Moving out is normal for kids my age."

"But moving out with your husband? Young marriage is a tricky thing, squirt. If you stay here you and Flynn can get advice from Dustin and I and..."

"Mom," Hayden smiled, taking her mother's hand, "We'll be fine. I'll call you when we're all settled in. It'll probably be in a few days."

"Okay," Kaylee nodded, keeping from looking directly at her daughter as the tears started to pour over.

"No... Mom, don't..." Hayden pleaded as she noticed her mother beginning to cry, "You're going to make me cry. Last thing I need is Engel thinking her Aunt is some kind of sad clown..."

"I'm sorry," Kaylee smiled, "But... when your little girl moves away... you'll understand how hard this is."

Hayden looked to the car. Scott just finished buckling Engel inside and Flynn and Samantha were waiting.

"I have to go," Hayden said. She hugged her mother, "I love you. I'll call in a few days, I promise!"

Kaylee kissed her daughter's cheek before sending her off into the real world, "I love you too. Be careful, honey and know you can always come home if you need too."

Hayden turned around as she walked to the car. She waved goodbye to her mother and to her father and brother through the window.

She got into the passenger seat, putting on her seatbelt as Flynn started the car.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

"Ready!" Engel cried out happily.

Samantha reached to the seat in front of her, touching her sister's shoulder, "Hey, brat, it'll get easier. I promise."

"I know," Hayden nodded, wiping her eyes, "But it's still scary."

"Scary?" Flynn laughed, "C'mon lass, you fought Venjix and T15 for two years of your life and this is what's scary?"

Hayden smiled at him, "You were crying like a baby when you were saying goodbye to your dad."

"That was different," Flynn said, "Now my father's all alone."

"He's engaged!"

"Shut up," Flynn laughed.

Hayden rolled her eyes before her sister handed her the pink teddy bear.

"You'll have me looking out for you," Samantha whispered to her, "You don't have to be afraid."

"I know," Hayden nodded.

"Prepare yourself for the grown up world of taxes, bills and torture!" Scott laughed.

"Ice cream!" Engel shouted as the car drove by an ice-cream parlour. She pointed out the window and looked at her step-father pleadingly.

"You just ate a bowl before leaving grandma and grandpa's," Scott frowned, "What do you need more for?"

Engel crossed her arms and pouted. Scott didn't give in.

"No," he told her gently.

Engel turned to her mother, "Ice-cream."

Samantha kissed her daughter, "Scott said no, sweetie. Listen to him for once, will you?"

-----Afterlife-----

"Fuck, it's heavy," Greg frowned, putting the large box down on the pavement and wiping his brow as he took a break from helping Flynn and Hayden move in. He, Dani, Dawn, Scott and Samantha were all pitching in to help the couple with their first home. Of course, it wasn't solely out of the goodness of their hearts. Hayden promised them pizza dinner and a movie night if they stayed until the work was done.

Hayden passed by him, reading the label she put on the box before moving out of her parent's place, "It's the pillows."

Greg turned red as he picked up the box, "What... this? No... I meant... last night's snowfall."

"Sure he did," Dani giggled, passing by the two with a snowball in her hand, "Have either of you seen Engel?"

"Boo!" the two year old giggled, appearing from a mountain of snow.

"Never mind!" Dani called, rushing after her, "I found the little monster!"

"And Greg thinks he has the hard job," Hayden laughed. She stepped inside her house and saw Flynn and Scott were trying to get the beds up to the second story.

"You got it?" Flynn called down to Scott.

"I got it," Scott nodded, but it was obvious his hold was about to slip.

"Are you sure, lad?" Flynn frowned.

"I'm sure!"

Hayden covered her eyes, "Oh boy."

The bed frame slipped from Scott's hands and tumbled down the stairs, bringing the former red Ranger with it. When Hayden opened her eyes, she looked to Flynn and shook her head.

"If you need a new partner, ask Dani," she laughed.

"Why not Greg?" Flynn frowned, jumping down the stairs to help his friend up. Greg finally made it to the house and dropped his box in the main entrance. He was panting heavily. Hayden pat him on the back.

"He's been doing some heavy lifting," she teased.

"Hey, I've carried a total of nine boxes into this house!" Greg called after her defensively, "Not all of them were full of pillows!"

"And add in all two centimetres of snow you had to walk through just to reach the front door," Hayden laughed. "I'll work on the next box. You go see if Sammy needs any help setting up the stereo."

"Finally, a job I can do," Greg smiled.

As Hayden was about to go to the car to get the last of the boxes Engel ran into the house, getting water everywhere on the floor. Hayden grabbed her little arms, holding her from running any further and pulled off her winter coat and boots.

"This is a new house, Angel," Hayden said, "Wait until it's actually lived in before you dirty it up."

Again, Hayden turned to go to the car, but someone got in her way. Dani stormed past her, trying to reach the two year old.

"This kid's the devil!" Dani said to her cousin as she ran by. Hayden laughed, arriving to the car. She grabbed the last box and shut the trunk. When she turned, the delivery man was standing behind her.

"All the stuff's loaded into the house," he said, "Our work is done. You just need to sign right here and we'll be on our way."

Hayden grabbed the forms, signing at the bottom.

"Happy New Year," she told the delivery men as she walked away. They tipped their hats and hopped into the truck, pulling away.

She walked into the house, put her box down and smiled happily. Flynn came down the stairs and wrapped her in his arms.

"That's the last of it," she told him, "Everything we own in now somewhere in this house."

"Take note," Flynn smiled, kissing her deeply, "Today is the first day of the rest of our lives."


	2. Colours

When Flynn woke up the following morning, he rolled over in bed to wrap his arms around his wife. To his surprised, Hayden was already wide awake staring at him.

"I hate you," she said playfully, reaching over to kiss him.

"What's that for?" he asked, "I stuck to my side of the bed, right?"

"Oh yeah," Hayden laughed, sitting up, "But when I woke up this morning I couldn't hear my mother in the kitchen making pancakes and bacon. You know I like waking up to pancakes and bacon."

"And how is that my problem?" Flynn chuckled, "It was your idea to move out."

"I know," Hayden nodded, "You should have said no."

Flynn shook his head as he kissed his wife. He rolled out of bed and began to get ready.

Hayden pulled the covers around herself as she watched her husband.

"Are you going to work?" she asked him. Flynn nodded.

"Aye. Leaving Dani alone in the Garage is a dangerous deal."

Hayden frowned, "Why is that. Sometimes I think she's a better mechanic than you."

"That may be true," Flynn nodded, "But her math definitely needs work."

Hayden hissed, "Yeah..."

"If I leave her for a day we might be in debt," Flynn smiled. He kissed Hayden once more as he threw on a sweater, "I'll pick up some breakfast on my way to the Garage. What are your plans?"

Hayden shrugged, "I don't know. I guess unpacking some of the boxes. Maybe meeting the new neighbours. Actually, I think I'm going to help Dawn at the center."

"Want me to pick up anything for dinner?" Flynn asked, "I haven't got the stove working properly and the inspector warned us about using it."

"Sure," Hayden answered, "But I have no idea what. So surprise me."

"Can do," Flynn nodded, leaving his wife alone in their bedroom as he left for work. Hayden looked around and sighed deeply. Aside from the larger furniture and a few sets of outfits, everything was still packed away in a box.

"What the hell am I going to do with all this shit?" she asked herself. She threw on a robe and searched through the first box, finding nothing but old toys. "Wow... mom was serious when she said she was packing everything."

-----RPM-----

As usual, Scott was up first. Working in the military, especially as head of Eagle Squad, required him to be at work at an ungodly hour. It worked for the better though in his life, because he had a two year old to take care of and she loved waking up before the sun.

"Cookie, Scotty?" Engel asked her step-father, extending her hand out, palm up, as she waited for her request. Scott picked her up as he finished making his coffee.

"Sorry, squirt. No cookies before lunch. You remember the rules."

"Cookie?" Engel persisted again.

Scott knew he wasn't going to win this battle unless he pulled out what he and Samantha loved to call the Cookie-Block.

"Hey, squirt. How about you go make a pretty picture to give to Aunt Gemma and Uncle Gem when they get here?"

Engel's eyes widened and she began to scramble as Scott put her down. She ran to the kitchen table while Scott presented her with crayons and a piece of paper. When Engel was content with colouring, Scott looked to the time.

"Daddy should be here soon to pick you up," he said, "He doesn't have any classes today."

Engel wasn't paying attention, however. She was too busy trying to figure out which crayon would be better to use: red or green.

Scott saw her doing this a lot of the time. For whatever reason, Engel always seemed to struggle when she was presented with the option of a red and green crayon. When he told Samantha and Michael about this, they took her to a specialist to see if maybe she was colour blind. When the results came in, both parents were pleased to hear that Engel was perfectly normal. Scott wasn't surprised to hear this. He hadn't assumed she was colour blind in the slightest. It wasn't just when she was colouring that she struggled with red and green. It was everywhere.

For a two year old she was pretty well advanced. She was talking in almost complete sentences, understood that the world didn't revolve around her and loved including other children in her games as opposed to using a few words per sentence, focusing on herself and preferring to play alone or occasionally with others. This lead Scott to believe that maybe something in her life was already confusing her and it was linked to her inability to choose quickly between red and green.

"Good morning," Samantha smiled, walking into the kitchen as she greeted her husband with a kiss. She walked to Engel and kissed the top of her daughter's head, "Good morning, Angel."

Engel turned to her mother, holding out the crayons, "Help me?"

Samantha looked at the colours for a moment before choosing the red one. Engel pulled the crayons back, looked at them briefly then dropped the green colour for red.

Scott leaned over the counter, "Maybe we should buy her new colours," he said.

"She's fine," Samantha nodded, "She's probably just trying to include us in her colouring."

"Dada!" Engel called, holding her paper up to show Scott the picture. Scott winced when he heard her call him dada, but smiled at the picture.

"It's beautiful, squirt."

Samantha breathed, gently hugging her husband, "She's only two. She doesn't understand that the man living with her and mommy isn't daddy."

"But she's always switching," Scott frowned, "I mean, every once in a while I would understand if it slipped up, but when Mike gave me paternal rights, I promised him I would raise Engel as a step-father or second father. Not as the main father figure in her life."

Samantha blinked, "Sweetie, I barely understood what you just said. You can't expect Engel to go along with your rules just yet."

"Mama," Engel called, holding up the green and red crayons again, "Choose colour. Red green?"

"Green," Samantha answered. Engel returned to colouring while her parents went back to talking.

"I guess if this keeps going I'll talk to her," Scott said, "I just... I find it weird that every time she sees green and red she freezes up."

"Christmas was a bitch," Samantha nodded, "But I'm sure she's okay. She's a smart kid. Whatever this phase is, I'm sure she'll get over."

"Scotty!" Engel called, holding up her picture again, "Still pretty?"

"Extremely beautiful," Scott nodded.

-----RPM-----

Flynn walked into the garage holding a brown paper bag. He spotted Daniela lying under a rather large truck and kicked the bottom of her board gently.

"Guess who," he said.

Daniela rolled out from under the truck and frowned, "Not now, Flynn, I have to finish repairing up the truck. Apparently they want it done by the end of the day."

"How long will it take?" Flynn asked.

"Three..." Daniela returned to working on the truck before rolling out again, "Do I smell breakfast?"

Flynn chuckled as he passed the bag of breakfast food to his co-worker, "Picked it up on my way in. How about you take a break and eat while I continue on this."

"Okay," Daniela smiled, grabbing the bag, "If you insist."

The two Rangers traded places and Flynn rolled under the truck. Daniela took a bite out of her bagel, watching him intently.

"Mother of..."

"I never finished my sentence, did I?" she asked, cutting off the former Blue Ranger, "I was going to say three weeks."

Flynn rolled back out and looked up at Dani, "There's no engine."

"Nope."

"Then what have you been doing for the past five minutes?"

"Waiting for you to bring me breakfast and offer to take over," Daniela shrugged, "Thank you!"

"I'm going to need help!" Flynn called out to her as she skipped to a table to eat, "If they want it done by tonight..."

"I'm on break," Daniela said, flipping up a sign with a clock. She moved the arms to five minutes ahead, "Be back in five minutes."

-----RPM-----

"Stupid tape," Hayden grumbled, slowly peeling a large streamer of tape from her hair, "Aunt Kelly was right about you, you mother fucking piece of..."

"Hayden!"

Hayden looked up, realising she was standing on the doorstep of New Dawn Center, and her cousin was glaring at her.

"Sorry," she chuckled, "Moving's a bitch."

"I can see that," Dawn laughed, helping her cousin, "What are you doing here?"

"I told you," Hayden said, "Moving's a bitch. So I'm here to help you."

"Hayden... I'm moving things into the center," Dawn said.

"After you paint," Hayden nodded, "So let's start breathing in toxic fumes so I can return home high on paint."

Hayden skipped inside the center and Dawn rolled her eyes, shutting the door behind her.

"Are you sure your only genetic disorder is spontaneous regeneration and zwooping?"

"My Aunt dropped my mom on her head when they were babies," Hayden said.

"Is it genetic?"

"I don't know."

"It would explain so much."

-----RPM-----

For Scott, the day was progressing quickly. He had just finished up a meeting with Eagle Squad and was allowed to return home. He was just getting his things ready and changing out of his uniform when two soldiers walked by his door carrying Christmas decorations that had yet to be taken down from the celebration the week before. Red ribbons and green pines.

Scott sighed deeply, remembering his problem with Engel earlier that morning, before Mike came to pick her up. He wasn't sure why her problem with red and green troubled him. He loved her all the same and it wasn't like this would hold her back anytime soon, but he had a nagging feeling that there was something more.

Engel was an Angel. Samantha had warned him that there would be time when she would develop at a faster rate than the other kids her age, and that at other times, she would appear completely normal. On more than one occasion Scott had seen Engel sitting on the couch with a book open on her lap as she stared down at the pages, as if reading. Sometimes, he would notice that she would flip through the pages and her mouth would move along with the words. Other times, it was obvious she was just looking at the pictures.

Samantha had explained that because she was an Angel child with a growing mind, she would occasionally have outburst of adult-like intelligence. To keep Scott calm, she was sure to tell him that it happened to her as a child all while growing up, and once her body started to slow down, her development would return to normal. Scott wasn't too sure when that was going to happen, but he assumed it was around three, maybe four years old.

Meanwhile, that leaved him to wonder if maybe her Angel mind was causing her the problem between the two colours. It seemed like a silly thought, but it was something that troubled Scott whenever it came to mind.

"Hey," Greg smiled, knocking on his former leader's door, "Penny for your thoughts?"

Scott snapped back to reality, "Hey, man. What are you doing here?"

"Visiting the twins," Greg said, "Thought I would stop by and chat. Your dad tells me he gave you the rest of the day off?"

"I was only in to brief the squad on the new technology," Scott nodded, "Meeting went better than planned, so now I have nothing to do in this last hour."

"So, what were you thinking about?" Greg frowned.

"Oh, it's nothing," Scott said, "How's the shop? Business picking up?"

"A little," Greg nodded, "People are starting to trust computer technology again, but don't change the subject."

"What do you know about child development?" Scott asked.

"Absolutely nothing," Greg laughed. "The only thing I could tell you is watch out for temper tantrums."

"Engel's a pretty happy kid."

"I meant from the mother."

"What do you know about a child's ability to obverse her parent's interactions between themselves and with her?"

"I know babies know their mother," Greg said, scratching the back of his neck, "And that it takes a while for them to learn who their father is. But it does happen. Why, is something going on at home?"

"Engel struggles with green and red," Scott shrugged.

"Yeah, Dani's told me," Greg sighed, "Dani once dumped out building blocks for the little brat, and Engel only used the red and green ones. She refused to let Dani take any, and refused to use blue and yellow."

"Really?" Scott asked, "Because whenever I notice it, she's struggling to choose between the two. Just this morning she asked Samantha which one to use to colour."

"I've seen that too," Greg shrugged, "But whatever, I guess. Maybe she's just special."

Scott frowned, "She's an Angel. Of course she's special."

"No, I mean... opposite of me, special."

"Are you calling my step-daughter retarded?"

"Not retarded per-se," Greg said, "But maybe there's something going on in that brain of hers that's holding her back, and it's transmitting itself through the colours red and green and her struggle and obsession with them."

Scott stood in silence for a moment, trying to take in what his friend just said.

"Whatever, man," he breathed, "Fancy lunch?"

"Fancy not saying fancy?" Greg chuckled.

"Is that a yes or no?" Scott laughed, "Because if you don't want to hang I can call Samantha and tell her I'll be able to pick Engel up instead of her."

"How about drive-thru lunch and we go pick up the brat?" Greg offered, "My treat."

-----RPM-----

"What colour?" Hayden asked, holding up two paint cans, "Cedar Edge or Spring Fancy?"

"What?" Dawn turned to her cousin with an odd look

"I know," Hayden frowned, reading the labels, "Why not just call it brown-grey and very light brown?"

Dawn laughed, "Anyone's fine. The wall's going to be covered by a bookshelf anyways."

Hayden shrugged as she put the cans back on the floor and began searching through paint samplers. She held up the pink samples and started to giggle.

"Wanna know my Ranger colour in paint language?"

"Do I have too?" Dawn groaned, dropping her paint brush into the can.

"Pink posey."

"Do you and Flynn need to paint any rooms in the house?" Dawn asked her cousin.

"No."

"Smart man."

Hayden looked at all the different names for colours, "Who the hell has no life and decides to name all the different shades of white? Who walks into a paint store and asks for... a Barely There can of paint. It's stupid. People say white. White!"

Dawn turned to Hayden again, "How long have you been working with the paint?"

"About three hours now."

"Are you feeling ... you know?"

"Nope."

"So you're not high..."

"Sorry," Hayden said, coming over to her cousin. She put the can of paint down and sighed, "Anything else you want me to do."

Dawn nodded, "Think if I order pizza the guys will help me move some furniture in?"

Hayden pointed to the walls, "Their still wet."

"I just need the heavier furniture move from the back rooms into here," she explained, "I'll arrange it all once the paint dries."

"Want me to call the men?"

"Please and thank you," Dawn nodded, "Unless of course you and Flynn have work you need to get done at home."

"The necessary stuff's out of the boxes," Hayden laughed, "We'll be fine for a few weeks."

-----RPM-----

"I called the owner," Flynn said, wiping his hands on a rag, "They've agreed to leave the truck here for a few days so long as the trailer can be picked up tonight. They'll make do with what they have at the factory."

"Cool," Daniela nodded.

"And then I got a call from Hayden and Dawn. They want everyone over to the center to help with moving the furniture in."

Daniela groaned, but Flynn grabbed her arm.

"C'mon, lass."


	3. Peppers and Tomatoes

Engel was sitting on a chair as she walked up the stairs and entered her Aunt Dawn's center. She grinned proudly as she passed by Dawn, waving her little hands.

"HI!"

Dawn chuckled, waving back, "Hi, princess. Is Scotty carrying you into the house?"

"It was the only way I could get her to sit still," Scott nodded. He was carrying the chair into the center and Engel sat on it, enjoying the ride.

Dawn grabbed the two year hold, taking a bit of the weight away for Scott.

"Just set it down in front of the window," she said, "But not against the wall. I don't want to repaint this place again."

"Did Hayden get high on paint fumes?"

"I hope that's what it was," Dawn laughed, setting Engel down.

"Hey, where should we put the toy box?" Flynn and Dani asked as they set the large box down so they could take a small break. Dawn looked around the room for a moment.

"Maybe in the corner," she told them, "Can you manage that?"

"Oh please," Dani shrugged, lifting her side again, "My mom occasionally left for a month when she was racing and it was just dad and me. A lot of the time she left us to do housework. Who do you think helped him with all this heavy lifting?"

"Alright, Flynn, are you fine?"

"Perfect," Flynn nodded, "It's just the corner."

He bent over to pick up his end again, and both mechanics found the toy box was much heavier than when they had walked it into the center. Frowning, they set it down again and opened it up.

"Who lost a baby?" Daniela called, turning to Scott while Flynn grabbed Engel, lifting her into his arms.

"Engel," Scott frowned, shaking his head, "What's gotten into you? Did daddy give you sugar when you were visiting him?"

Engel shook her head, a smile crossing her lips.

"Secret. Shh," she whispered.

"I'll take her," Hayden said, grabbing her from Flynn's arms, "Sammy and I are going to go pick up some groceries. Believe it or not, but when you move into a new house, food doesn't automatically appear in the fridge. C'mon, brat, let's get out of Aunt Dawn's way, and don't touch the walls. I worked hard on that."

"We'll be back in a little while," Samantha assured the others, grabbing her jacket, purse and the stroller.

"Don't walk by the candy aisle," Scott laughed, "Engel's already had a few treats today."

"I wasn't planning on it," Samantha nodded, "But she's shopping with the fun Aunt. I can't promise anything."

The two sisters closed the door behind them as they left. Dani turned away, huffing.

"I thought I was the fun Aunt."

"You can't spell fun," Dawn laughed.

"I can so."

"Give her a little credit," Greg smirked. He was sitting by the computer and hooking it up to the internet. "She beat me at Scrabble last night."

"Really?" Flynn laughed, "How did you do that?"

Daniela pulled a small book out from her bag and placed it in his hands, "Years ago, the Seven Sisters, minus Aunt Kaylee, came up with this beautiful book. Inside, it contains every word Kaylee's ever used that doesn't appear in a regular dictionary."

"The Kaylee-Speak Dictionary," Greg said, "Zwop on its own is worth about eighteen points."

"You know bigger words though," Scott frowned.

"Yes, but do you think he had the tiles to make those big words happen?" Dani smirked.

"Especially when this one was coming up with words like Thingamadoohopper and Awesomest," Greg sighed. "I never should have agreed to those rules."

-----RPM-----

Over at the supermarket, the two sisters and Engel were pushing a cart through the produce aisle. Hayden was looking for vegetables while Samantha was keeping an eye on her daughter. Engel was holding a bag filled with carrots in her hand, refusing to let it go for anyone.

"Here we go," Hayden smiled, placing a big of green peppers in the cart. Engel turned around in her seat, looking at the bag with interest. Finally, she dropped the carrots and reached for the new bag of vegetables. Hayden helped her out by handing her the bag. The cart was too deep for Engel to reach on her own.

"Now I just need tomatoes," Hayden said.

"I'll get them," Samantha smiled, "Just watch Engel for a second."

Hayden nodded, taking Samantha's spot behind the cart. She looked down at her niece who was examining the peppers.

Engel was holding them gently, looking at the strange food her Aunt and Uncle were going to eat. Hayden smiled. She loved watching kids learn about the world on their own. It was interesting to watch their little brains at work.

"You know what that is?" Hayden asked, touching the peppers, "Green pepper."

"Daddy!" Engel smiled, holding out the green peppers.

"Yeah, that's right. They are daddy's favourite colour," Hayden nodded. "Do you know mommy's and my favourite colour?"

"Boo!" Engel giggled.

"Close," Hayden said, kissing her niece on the cheek.

"I'm back," Samantha smiled, putting the tomatoes in the cart. Engel turned around to see what was being dropped in next.

Suddenly, she froze. The smile on her face disappeared as she eyed the newest item. She clutched onto the peppers, holding them close to her little chest, but seemed to be wanting the tomatoes.

Samantha noticed this and lifted the bag up, "Want these, Angel?"

"Be careful with them," Hayden warned her niece.

Engel grabbed the bag of tomatoes while Hayden removed the peppers. Just as the bag of peppers slid out of Engel's hand, the two year old began screaming.

"Whoa, okay," Hayden frowned, handing her niece the bag of peppers back, "Here you go."

Engel grabbed the peppers with both hands, causing her to drop the tomatoes. Thankfully, Hayden was fast enough to catch them before they hit the ground.

Hayden put the tomatoes back in the cart, thinking her niece had chosen the peppers over the tomatoes, when Engel began screaming again. Hayden pulled away.

"She's broken, I didn't do it, I swear!"

Samantha shook her head, "After two years you still don't know what do you when she starts crying?"

The Angle grabbed the tomatoes and handed them to her daughter. Engel stopped screaming and looked at the two items in her hands. Suddenly, she looked up at her mother.

"Mama, choose," she told her.

Samantha thought for a moment, and then pulled the tomatoes away, "You might squish these."

As Samantha dropped the tomatoes back into the cart, Engel watched. A sad and confused look was on her face.

"What's wrong, brat?" Hayden asked her niece softly.

"I'm stuck," Engel whispered. Thinking she meant she was stuck in the cart, Hayden pulled Engel out and set her down on the floor.

"You okay?" she asked. Engel didn't answer. She ran to the side of the cart and held onto it with her little hand. Hayden noticed she placed herself beside the tomatoes and frowned, "You have issues, kid."

"Me like both," Engel explained.

"You've never eaten either," Hayden frowned.

"Me like both!" Engel said, with a little more force as she glared at her Aunt. Hayden just smiled, patting her niece on the head.

"Okay, I trust you," she said, "Now hold onto the cart. We've gotta catch up to mommy and I don't want to lose you."

-----Afterlife-----

Arriving at the cash about a half hour later, the two sisters began to unload the items from the cart. Engel was back in the kid's seat, still holding the peppers and the tomatoes. Samantha took out the last of the items from the basket; all that was left was the vegetables in her daughter's hands.

"Engel, give to mommy please?" Samantha asked, grabbing the two produce items. Engel obliged, happily giving her mother the red and green vegetables, but as soon as she saw her mother hand them away to the cashier, she began to scream.

The cashier quickly ran the items through and gave them back to Hayden. Hayden dropped the items in the seat beside her niece. Engel grabbed them, holding them both close to her chest as she glared at the cashier.

"Mine," she whispered, "Love."

"Well, Scott was right when he was worried about her red and green colour issues," Samantha breathed, looking at her sister.

"My niece is a nutcase," Hayden sighed. She paid the cashier and the two were off to the car. Hayden loaded her stuff in the trunk while Samantha took care of her daughter, "Are you sure you went to see the right specialist?"

"She's not insane," Samantha said, "I think it's a phase."

"Oh, you're right," Hayden nodded, "The phase every two year old goes through. Separation anxiety from vegetables. Because they love them so much."

"She's an angle," Samantha shrugged, "She's a little different."

"Thus special," Hayden smirked, "Proved my point."

"Do you think you and Flynn can take her for the night?" Samantha asked, "Maybe she just wants some attention from someone aside from mommy, daddy and Scott."

"Don't two year old love their mommies?" Hayden looked in the back seat as she adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"Yes, but Engel also adores her Aunt Hayden. Maybe she was clinging onto your vegetables because she wants to spend time with you."

Hayden smiled, "That's such a lie, but okay."

"Just drop me off at my place. I'll give you a bag full of her stuff for the night and you can take her home."

-----RPM-----

"Thanks for the help, guys," Dawn smiled, waving goodbye to her friends after they helped her move into the center. "I really appreciate it."

"Are you sure you don't need us to come back tomorrow when the paint dries?" Dani asked, hopping into her car, "Some of that furniture is pretty heavy, and you're not a hybrid anymore."

"Naw, I'll be fine," she nodded, "Worst come to worst I'll just phone Ziggy."

"Yeah, and anyways we're needed in the garage if we want to finish that truck," Flynn said, "I'll see you all later."

He stepped into his car, driving off back to his house. It wasn't too far away from Dawn's center. By the time he pulled into the driveway, Hayden was getting out of her car with the grocery bags in her hands.

"Need some help?" he asked as he got out of his car and grabbed the bags from the trunk, "Pretty long day at the supermarket."

"We're keeping Engel for the night," Hayden explained, "I dropped Sammy off at her place and picked up Engel's overnight stuff."

"Ah, I see," Flynn nodded, "So why do we have the kid?"

"Samantha's in denial, but I think something's not right in Engel's head," Hayden chuckled, "She's sleeping in the car so mind waiting out here while I put my bags in then come get her? I don't want to leave her alone."

"Not a problem," Flynn said, "And hey, maybe I can help with Engel. I can understand her."

"I understand her too," Hayden called.

"Yeah, but I mean _understand_. Remember my powers?"

"Ranger blue?"

"Other powers."

"Oh, right, you can understand any language," Hayden nodded, "How's that going to help."

"It's worth a shot."

The couple unloaded the groceries, taking turns watching Engel until they could take her inside. Of course, once Engel was out of the car she was awake, ready for a fun night with her Aunt and Uncle.

While Hayden prepared dinner for the three of them, Flynn sat Engel down at the table and pulled out the colouring book and the crayons. Engel happily reached into the box of crayons and pulled out two colours.

Hayden turned away from the stove to grab the salt when she saw Engel staring at the two colours in her hand. Sighing, she looked to Flynn.

"Oh boy."

Flynn turned to Engel, "Which colour are you going to use?"

Engel looked to her Uncle and shrugged, "Want both."

"Then use both," Flynn answered, "Use red for teddy's fur and green for his jacket."

"Can't," Engel explained, "Stuck."

"How so?"

"Me like both," Engel said, "Can't choose favourite."

"Well, which one is prettier?"

"Stuck."

"Can't choose?" Flynn asked her. Engel nodded.

"Me confused," she said, "Which one?"

She held out the crayons for her uncle to choose. Flynn turned to Hayden, looking for help. She could only shrug.

"You're the baby whisperer."

Flynn held the red crayon, "Why do you like this one?" he asked. Maybe if he had Engel figure this out for herself, it would solve all problems. He was well aware of the fact that she always struggled with red and green.

"Mommy likes," Engel said.

"Okay, then why do you like green?"

"Loves me."

"What do you mean?" Flynn asked, "Green loves you?"

Engel put the colours down and looked to her uncle. She pointed to the green crayon, "Dada."

"She did that at the supermarket too," Hayden explained, "She knows Mike's favourite colour is green."

"NO!" Engel shouted. She turned back to her uncle. He understood her, "Dada."

"Green is daddy?" Flynn asked her. Engel nodded and pointed to red, "Scotty."

"And the red is Scotty."

"Love both," she explained, "But stuck."

"Stuck meaning confused," Flynn nodded, "Go on."

"No choose favourite," Engel said.

"I see," Flynn said. He took the colours away from Engel and grabbed her, placing her on his lap, "You know, you're a smart little kid."

"Mind explaining this to me?" Hayden asked. Flynn nodded.

"Engel's got two daddies," he said, "Mike and Scott. But she's only two. I don't think she understands why daddy's not living with her or why daddy's not the man mommy spends all her time with."

Hayden turned off the burner and sat at the kitchen table beside her niece, "Is that what all this red green nonsense is all about, brat?"

Engel nodded.

"Well," Hayden frowned, "Samantha said her mental development would speed up some times, but I didn't think like this."

"Should we talk to her?" Flynn asked his wife, "Is it our place?"

"It's not our place to explain her family to her," Hayden said, "But as Aunt and Uncle it is our place to keep her from this kind of problem. And anyways, Samantha left her with us tonight hoping to figure out Engel's problem. Now that we have, and we've concluded that we can't let this go on, we should work on it right away."

Hayden lifted her niece off Flynn's lap, "C'mon, brat, we're going to help you with your little crisis. But after that, promise me you'll go back to being a normal two year old?"

Engel hugged her Aunt, resting her head on her shoulder. Hayden rubbed her back gently as she and Flynn walked her to the couch.


	4. Walking in a Winter Wonderland

The doorbell rang very early in the morning at the McAllistair house. Luckily for Hayden and Flynn they were already awake and playing with their niece.

As soon as Engel heard the sound of the doorbell, she dropped the blocks she was playing with and ran to answer it. Hayden ran after her, not wanting her two year old niece to answer the door to a stranger.

Engel struggled with the doorknob until her Aunt helped her to open it. The two year old swung the door open wide, almost throwing herself against the wall with it as she did.

"Mama!" she cheered, running to her mother and hugging her legs. Samantha picked her daughter up and stepped into her sister's house.

"Hey, how was the night?" she asked.

"Pretty good," Hayden nodded, "We talked for a little bit, the three of us then Engel went right to sleep. No crying, no asking about mommy or Scotty. Nothing. She just curled up in the little bed we made for her and slept soundly until six o'clock.

"Good," Samantha smiled. She set her daughter down and the two year old returned to the living room to play with the blocks and her uncle again. Samantha shut the door behind her and looked to her sister. "What did you talk about?"

"Flynn spoke to her," Hayden explained as she led her sister to the kitchen to make some coffee, "She told him she was confused."

"About red and green, right?"

"Well, not exactly," Hayden said, "You see, she knows her colours, really well actually. Right now she's telling Flynn why you're not supposed to put red and green too close together unless it's Christmas."

"So then what was the problem?"

"Well, you see, Engel's parents are you and Mike. That's what she knows. Naturally she knows you're her mother. There's no confusion about that. And I guess she figured out who her father was the same way every infant does. He's always the other person who's with mommy and he's the one taking care of her, in this case I mean Engel, and loving her unconditionally."

"That was Mike," Samantha nodded.

"Yeah, so that's what Engel remembers. Dada is Mike. But now there's a new man taking that role, and she's seeing less of dada. Now this new man, Scotty, is always with mommy and he's always at home to take care of her, Engel. In Engel eyes, Scott is now her dada. What's confusing her is that Mike's still in her life and he's still playing the father role, while at the same time Scott's being the true father right now by caring for her every day. And you're not helping matters."

Samantha frowned, "I'm not?"

"All those times Engel asked you to choose between red and green, she wasn't asking you to choose which colour you wanted her to use. She was asking you which one you were choosing as her father. Because you're her mother, you're really the only constant in her life. She's looking to you for help when she's confused. Now, remember, Engel knows Mike is her dada. Nothing can change that for her unless you say otherwise. By choosing red, you are."

Samantha dropped into her seat, sighing deeply, "Wow... that's some brain she's got up there. But if I'm telling her otherwise, why doesn't she just believe me?"

Hayden smirked, "Scott doesn't let her call him dada, right? He says he's not her dada and doesn't want to confuse her. So after you pick red, what usually happens?"

"I don't know," Samantha frowned, "She colours with red?"

"She told Flynn that she tries calling Scott dada. She trusts your answer, but she wants to see if dada will accept the role of father. Now Engel may be just a kid, but she's not an idiot. She sees Scott's face when she calls him dada. She knows he's not accepting it. So now mommy's choice for dada doesn't want to take that role. If mommy's choice was wrong, then who is dada? Thus, her confusion."

Samantha stared blankly at her cousin, "You got all this after one night with my daughter?"

"Flynn's really good with his power," Hayden nodded. She placed the cup of coffee before her sister, "I know you may want to talk with her and clarify everything, but I wanted to ask you if I could keep Engel until after lunch."

"I guess so," Samantha said, "But why?"

"Well, she's having daddy issues. I figured I would take her to talk with someone who went through some of the same situations. She's only two, but as you heard, she's a freaking genius at understanding the world around her."

"I hate to say it, but I can't wait until her development slows and she's a normal child," Samantha chuckled, "Who are you going to take her to see?"

"Dawn," Hayden answered. "Her parents went through a divorce and I know my dad really stepped in for Dawn and kinda took on a fatherly role for her, even though her father was still in her life. If anyone would be able to relate to Engel, it would be her."

"Sounds good to me," Samantha said, "That might give me time to think of what I'm going to tell my little thinker. Thanks so much for doing this, Hayden."

"Don't thank me," Hayden smirked, "Flynn did all the talking last night. I just sat there and looked pretty."

Samantha handed the coffee mug back to her sister as she prepared to leave. She called to the other room, "Thanks so much, Flynn. I'll be back later today for the little Freud."

-----Afterlife-----

Just as Hayden promised, she took her niece to visit Dawn. To make matters a lot easier for everyone, Dawn and Hayden decided to take Engel for a walk through the park. After the T15 attacks, everything in the city had been destroyed. Many people both worked and volunteered many hours to rebuild the city so it could be functioning again. One of the places they worked on was the park. It was now a beautiful place. Nature had definitely claimed this part of the city. In summer the grass was green and the flowers were in full bloom in the flower bed. In winter, it was blanketed in beautiful white snow. Snowmen and snow forts could be seen everywhere. The trees were covered in snow and ice. It looked like a Winter Wonderland.

Engel hopped in the snow and dropped on her back, making a snow Angel. When she was done, she lifted her hands up so her Aunts could pull her out without ruining the angel art. Dawn did so, holding Engel up so she could look at her creation.

"Me!" Engel smiled, pointing to the snow, "I made me!"

"Yes you did," Dawn nodded, "It's very pretty."

"You make a Mangel?" Engel asked. Dawn laughed, putting the two year old back on her feet before falling back in the snow. She spread her arms and legs to make the angel, and then looked to her cousin.

"Lift me up, princess," she teased. Hayden shook her eyes, exchanging a glance with her niece, before throwing a snowball at Dawn. The brunette jumped up from the ground and shook the snow off herself.

"Cold, cold," she said.

Engel laughed, following her Aunt Dawn through the snowy field, until she hit a pine tree. She stopped and looked up at the majestic tree, wearing the confused look on her face. Because Christmas had just passed, and it was still the winter season, the city had yet to take down the decorations. The green pine trees were still decorated to be Christmas trees, and most ornaments were red.

Dawn turned back, kneeling beside the two year old as Hayden caught up slowly. She kept her distance from the two so they could discuss privately.

"What's going on with you, shrimp?" Dawn asked, hugging her niece close. Engel pointed to the tree.

"Stuck," she said.

Dawn nodded. She understood Engel only because Hayden had explained earlier about Engel's confusion.

"You know, for a little while, I had two daddies," Dawn said, "My real daddy and my uncle."

"I one dada," Engel said, "But no no who dada is. Mommy say red, but green dada."

"How about I solve this problem for you here and now," Dawn smirked. Engel looked at her funny. "You're a very special little girl. You have a mommy who loves you and aunts and uncles who would move mountains for you."

"No move mountains," Engel stated, "Heavy."

Dawn laughed, "It's just a saying, shrimp. Look, because you're such a special little girl, you deserve everything life has to offer. A real home, a real family and a normal life. But Mommy and Daddy can't offer that like every other mommy and daddy can."

"Red dada?" Engel asked.

"No, green is dada," Dawn explained, "Green will always be dada. That'll never change."

"Mommy choose red," Engel said.

Dawn sighed, "There are some things I could tell you, but you wouldn't understand. Mommy and daddy love you very much, but they don't live together. Mommy loves Scotty. He's a step-dada."

Engel frowned. She didn't understand this term. She was only two. There was only mommy, daddy, aunts and uncles. There was no such thing as step-daddy.

"This means that Scotty isn't your real daddy, but he and mommy love each other," Dawn explained, "He's a little like a daddy, but he's not your real daddy."

"Green dada," Engel nodded, "Red Scotty."

"Exactly," Dawn smiled, "Scotty's not your real daddy. But it's okay to see him as a daddy. He's going to be in your life for a very long time, and he's going to act like a daddy. That's why I say you have two daddies."

Engel frowned, again she didn't understand. There was only one mommy and one daddy. Two daddies was an insane idea.

"Scotty is more than an uncle," Dawn said, "He's different from Uncle Flynn or Uncle Greg, but he's not the daddy who you know. He's not a green dada. He's a Scotty dada."

Engel giggled, "Scotty no dada? Scotty 'portant?"

"Very important," Dawn nodded, "He'll be in your life and mommy's life for a very long time. You'll understand when you're older though, okay?"

"No," Engel frowned. Dawn simply smiled, poking her niece's nose.

"Yes you will. So no more confusion, okay? Green is dada. Red is Scotty. That will never change."

"Aunt Tawn?" Engel asked, bending over and picking up a handful of snow. She threw it at her Aunt's face, "Me win snowwall fight. That never change."

Dawn spit out the water from her mouth and frowned, "One day I'll beat you," she laughed. She reached for her own handful of snow, but Engel was sneaky. Just as Dawn was about to through it – gently of course – Engel ran behind Hayden's leg and took cover, causing the snow to hit Hayden.

"You little sneak," Hayden frowned, grabbing her niece and holding her up in the air, "You think that was funny?"

Engel nodded, giggling as her wet mittens dropped on her Aunt's face. Hayden put the young child down as the water dripped down her neck and into her shirt.

"Oh, this isn't fun anymore," she said, "Let's go back home."

-----Afterlife-----

Seeing as she wasn't with Engel, Samantha decided to take the long way home. Scott wouldn't be missing her because he was still at work, and Samantha loved to see Corinth city in the winter time. However, on this walk something felt off. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Of course, being the Angel daughter of the city's commander usually meant that someone was occasionally glancing at her, but this didn't feel like the casual _look it's the Brooks girl_ watch, it felt more like a dangerous watch.

Finally she decided to look over her shoulder and she spotted an older man suddenly skid to a halt and leaned against the wall of a store, pretending like he was waiting for someone else. She shook her head and continued her walk, only to suddenly look over her shoulder again. The man had moved. Now he was sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus.

Samantha turned around and walked over to him, "Excuse me, do I know you?"

The man looked up and Samantha saw his face was hidden by a scarf. She found this to be slightly suspicious. The weather was cold because it was winter, but it wasn't below freezing at this point in time. The scarf seemed a little excessive.

"You don't know me," the man said.

"Have you been following me?"

He nodded, "I'm sorry, it's just you look so much like your mother."

"How do you know my mother?" Samantha asked. She knew it was a bit of a stupid question. Everyone in the city knew her family.

"We go way back," the man said, "I actually don't know her as well as my brother did."

"Old friends?" Samantha said, "That's nice... I think. Well what's your name, maybe my mom will remember you."

"She wouldn't," the man answered, "And my brother's name no longer matters. He's passed."

"I'm sorry," Samantha said, "Was it Venjix?"

"No," the man said, "It wasn't Venjix. It was someone else."

"Well, I'm very sorry," Samantha nodded. She looked at her wrist, seeing the time. "Look, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you... I guess."

"Have fun, Samantha," the man said, waving as Samantha took off as a faster speed than normal. Truth be told, Samantha had nowhere to go, she just needed an excuse to get away from the man. Though she was pretending to be friendly, she wanted to figure out his intentions. It was strange how he didn't want his name to be mentioned, nor would be give away too much information about himself, and yet he knew so much about her, even her name. Most people didn't know she was Samantha, often mistaking her for Hayden, or even Summer when she used to live in the city.

Samantha cut through a parking lot and made it home quickly. Locking the doors and swearing not to leave until Engel needed to be picked up from Hayden's house.

"What a strange man," she mumbled to herself.


	5. Braveheart

After dropping off Engel at Samantha and Scott's house, Hayden took off down the street on her way back home. She closed up her jacket to keep the cold from nipping at her chest and throat and pulled her hat down slightly. As she did, she bumped into an older man, about her mother's age.

He fell one way, she fell the other, both landing on their butts.

"Sorry," Hayden said gently, getting to her feet quickly and offering her hand to help the man up. "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," the man nodded, accepting the hand. He brushed the snow off and looked at Hayden. She couldn't see much of his face, but she noticed his lips twist into a sick smirk, "It's only snow. It'll dry."

"I'll be more careful," Hayden said. She tried to walk past the man but he grabbed her arm gently.

"You're the Ranger, aren't you?" he asked, "Pink was your colour, right?"

Hayden nodded, "Yeah."

"You're Kaylee's kid."

"Yep."

The man smirked, "I thought so. I just ran into your sister not too long ago."

"That's great," Hayden answered nervously. She checked her watch, "Oh, shoot. My husband's expecting me home in five minutes. I've got to go. Sorry again for running into you."

As Hayden bolted down the street, the man shook his head and laughed.

"Those girls need to be more organized with time."

-----Afterlife-----

Flynn and Dani were finishing up the repairs on the truck. Flynn was lying under the large vehicle, working on the engine, while Dani was finishing up the paperwork. The company who owned the truck was supposed to pick it up in a few short hours.

"Dani, can you pass me a rag?" Flynn asked, rolling out from under the truck and sitting up on his board.

"It's on the hanger," Dani said, pointing to a small hook hanging off the counter.

"I know. Can you toss it over?"

"Working," Dani laughed, lifting her pen to prove her point.

"It'll be two seconds of your time," Flynn groaned, "And my back's getting stiff."

"Walk it off," Dani suggested. Flynn sighed loudly as he got to his feet. He walked to the hook which was right beside the red head, and grabbed the rag. As he did, he nudged her slightly, causing her hand to slip on the paper and leave a long mark on the checklist.

"You jerk," Daniela huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. She glanced up at Flynn. He smirked down at her as he wiped the oil off his hands.

"Sorry," he said, "It's hard to walk after lying on a board for three hours. I've got to get used to walking a straight line."

Suddenly a man stepped into the garage, hiding away from the cold as he walked over to the counter where Dani was working.

"Mr. Klivis," Daniela beamed, "Good news, your truck is ready!"

Daniela quickly turned to Flynn and whispered, "Is it ready?"

Flynn nodded and laughed, handing the keys to the customer, "It's ready to go."

"Great," Mr. Klivis smiled, taking the keys, "After Tenaya 15 destroyed the city, we lost so many transport trucks. This baby was the last one that needed repairs, but definitely the most important."

"What's it used for?" Dani asked. She handed the papers over to Mr. Klivis for him to sign.

"Medical transport," he answered, "It's a hospital on wheels."

"An ambulance?" Flynn frowned. He turned and eyed the massive truck behind him. Even without the trailer it was still fairly large, "You mean this is one massive ambulance?"

Mr. Klivis chuckled, "I guess you could call it that," he said, "But it's equipped with pretty much everything you can find in a hospital. When the ambulance isn't enough, the city's going to send this big boy out to save lives. It can contain up to six patients and provide them with extensive medical care on the spot, instead of transporting them back to the hospital before they can be helped."

"That's why it needed power," Daniela nodded, "Everything inside the trailer will be charged by what's in the truck."

Klivis nodded, "Yep. You provided it with an engine powerful enough to pull the heavy trailer. Now we'll just be looking for someone who can program the systems. This isn't easy."

Daniela and Flynn exchanged looks, "We know someone."

"Who?" Klivis asked.

"Gregory Hartford," Daniela said. She pulled out a business card, "He's a freaking genius, especially when it comes to computers. If you're going to trust anybody with this job, it should be Greg."

Well," Klivis smiled. He took the card from Dani and tucked it in his shirt, "I'll consider the option and give him a call if the boss agrees."

Daniela smirked, happy to have helped her boyfriend, while Flynn led Mr. Klivis to the garage so he could take his truck back to the company. Klivis hopped in and Flynn opened the doors to let him out.

Just before the truck started rolling, a small puppy scampered his way into the garage and bolted under the counter, curling up by Daniela's feet.

Flynn waved Mr. Klivis goodbye and his and Dani's first costumer left the shop, satisfied.

Flynn clapped his hands together happily as he returned to the counter, "I would call that a success."

"Me too," Daniela nodded, "We both just made money, my hands aren't dirty and I got to drive you crazy while doing it!"

"Ha-ha," Flynn laughed sarcastically, "I'm going to go get cleaned up then I'll clean up the Garage."

"Awesome," Daniela said, "I'll file the paperwork and lock up."

Flynn nodded, "See you tomorrow, then."

He went off to the showers while Daniela walked to the front of the store. She shut off the lights and locked the doors. Grabbing the papers, she went to the filing cabinet and placed the documents where they belonged.

She didn't notice as the little puppy came out of hiding to search the room. He looked left, then right. He saw Daniela, but she didn't see him. Taking advantage of this, he hurried down the hall where he saw the other human leaving, letting out a small bark.

Daniela heard the bark and lifted her head from the drawer. She looked around, but saw nothing.

"Oh my god," she frowned, "Uncle Mack's right... I am a psychotic little spark."

Flynn was about to step into the washroom when he saw a retriever puppy dart past him and head straight for the toilet. The puppy jumped up to the rim, ready to like the water. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the toilet cover was down, and the puppy hit his nose.

He whimpered slightly, confused as to why the magic water bowl wasn't allowing him a drink. He hopped up on the toilet and began to tap it with his paw.

Flynn looked down the hall to see if there was someone with the puppy, but he was alone. He looked back at the dog, trying to get a drink of water.

He chuckled as he walked to the sink and turned on the tap. The puppy heard this and looked over. As if by magic, there was water coming out of it. He wagged his little tail happily and bounced up to the counter. He snout under the tap and began drinking.

"What are you doing in here?" Flynn asked the dog. When he was sure he had enough to drink, he lifted him off the counter and set him down. As he washed his hands, the dog bounced on his leg. He was panting happily and his tail was wagging. Obviously the dog was thankful for Flynn's help.

Flynn crouched down to pet the puppy, but the little creature beat him to the punch. He jumped for Flynn's face and began to lick it. Flynn pulled away before the affection became too serious and searched for a tag. Finding none, he frowned.

"Who do you belong too?" he asked, "Surely a cute puppy like you wouldn't be a stray."

The dog barked, liking Flynn's face.

"You are a stray," Flynn frowned, "How long have you been out in the cold?"

The dog barked again.

"Well, then," Flynn said grabbing the puppy in his arms, lifting him gently, "I'm sure the wife won't mind a cute little buddy like you."

The dog barked happily, nestling into the arms of his master. Flynn's face softened as he looked down at the ball of fur. He had grown attached. He just needed to talk to Hayden and discuss if they were ready for a pet, especially a young one. After all, it's not like it would be hard. Flynn could understand any language, from English to French, to Latin and beyond. Even an animal's cry could be translated into words for him. It wouldn't be complicated to understand the animal's needs.

He tucked Braveheart (he had given the small puppy a name) under his arm and smiled as he headed home).

-----Afterlife-----

Unlocking the door, Flynn stepped into his home. He set the dog down gently.

Suddenly, from the top of the steps he heard a hiss.

"Who is this?" a tiny voice whispered as a small figure stepped down the stairs. Her eyes shone brightly in the shadows, "My mortal enemy has set foot in my domain. This means war!"

The puppy noticed the figure and smiled, bouncing up the stairs to greet his new friend. This caused the figure to bolt down the stairs and into the light to keep her distance from the dog.

"BACK! Back, I say!" Karly sat, holding up her paw and showing the dog her claws. This didn't bother Braveheart as he scurried over to the cat, licking her face. Karly pulled away, wiping the drool off as she hissed. "He fights dirty. I'll need to elaborate a better plan."

"Calm down, Karls," Hayden giggled, stepping into the front hall, "It's just a dog."

The Pink Ranger looked to her husband, "Why do you have a dog?"

Flynn's face softened as he tried to look as cute as possible for his wife, "He ran into the Garage after work and he has no home. We have to take Braveheart in!"

"You named him?" Hayden sighed. Flynn frowned.

"No..."

"Yes, so the dog just so happens to be called Braveheart, and he runs into the only Scottish man left on the planet."

"Yes..." Flynn rolled his eyes, diverting them away from Hayden, "But to be fair, his odds were better than that. I'm not the only..."

Hayden frowned.

"Okay, I named him," Flynn sighed, "But he's just so... so..."

"Cute and adorable?" Hayden asked. She turned to the puppy and smiled. He was trying to befriend Karly, who seemed to want nothing to do with the dog. She was trying to keep him away. However, being an innocent puppy, he didn't understand that he was intruding on the cat's domain. All he wanted was another friend his size to play with. "Look, we'll keep him for a little while and see how it works out."

"How can in not?" Flynn frowned.

"Well, there is Karly..."

"Doesn't she live with your folks?"

"Kinda," Hayden nodded, "But she's still kinda my cat and I love her to death. She'll be coming over a lot now and this is her domain."

"She'll learn to share," Flynn insisted.

"I will not!" Karly cried, hopping up on the railing to avoid the dog, "This smelly mutt insists and smelling my butt, and frankly I believe that is rude and inappropriate. I suggest you remove him from my sight before I dispose of him myself."

Hayden looked to Flynn, "That's not a good sign."

Flynn sighed, "I know... but, can we try it?"

Hayden nodded, "Okay, but it'll be your job to convince the cat."

-----Afterlife-----

After running into Hayden, the hooded man returned home. After years of intense planning he was finally going to get his revenge, and no brother in-law was going to stand in the way.

Dropping his keys in a bowl by the door, he turned into his living rooms. The curtains were closed, as always, discouraging light from flooding the room, as well as neighbours from peeking in. Turning on the lamp, he made his way to a large table. Near the back, close to the wall, there was a framed picture of Kaylee. It was rather old and frayed at the tips. During the Venjix attacks, it was the one thing he hung onto. It was his inspiration.

In the picture, Kaylee was slightly pregnant. However, any cheer on her face from the situation was dulled by the fear and panic that made him smirk to this very day. That was the day he almost got revenge.

Now, he was going to do it right. She had stolen something precious from him. He was going to do the same.


	6. His Revenge

He needed a plan. He needed it to be something great. There could be no flaws at all, unlike last time he had attempted revenge. Last time he had underestimated the brother in-law.

This time he was going to be sure that everything was well calculated. Nothing was going to happen that wouldn't surprise him. Kaylee was going to feel his pain through the loss of her daughters, Samantha and Hayden.

He already knew of Scott's ties in the military. He had to make sure that wouldn't interfere with his revenge, because Scott was Samantha's husband. If he tried something against Samantha, Scott would get involved.

To keep Scott off his back, he was going to distract the Eagle Squad for a few days. At least until after his mission was a success.

Flynn was a problem as well. He was married to Hayden. Like Scott, if something happened to his wife, he would get involved, and he couldn't have that. Not only was Flynn one of the strongest members of the former RPM Rangers, but he was also very passionate when it came to protecting his family.

To keep him away, he was planning on sending a very broken car to the garage. It would definitely distract both Flynn and Dani for quite some time, and if he offered enough pay for a job well done, he would be able to motive the two mechanics to working long hours, leaving Hayden at home alone.

No one else would need to know of Hayden and Samantha's location for a few days. The two girls didn't live with their parents anymore. A few missed phone calls wouldn't immediately alert anyone of danger, but just in case, he was going to forge a note from the two girls. If someone, like Kaylee, Dustin or Dawn, did come over to check up on either girl, they would find a note telling them they had gone to the store and out for dinner, giving him enough time to hide the bodies.

He chuckled. Nothing was going to go wrong this time.

-----Afterlife-----

"It's brilliant," Karly whispered to herself. She was tucked away under the bed, watching as Braveheart slept. "He won't suspect a thing."

Slowly, Karly made her way towards the edge of the bed. Her claws were dug into the carpet as she prepared to go in for the kill. No mutt trespassed into her domain.

"Karls? Where are you?" Hayden called, opening the door and stepping into the room. Karly panicked, jumping out from under the bed and turning to her master.

"Quiet, human!" she snapped, "Can't you see I'm out to kill?"

Hayden rolled her eyes as she picked up the cat, "I know you don't like Braveheart, but he makes Flynn happy. You wouldn't want Flynn to not be happy, right?"

"I thought you were supposed to be the thing to make him happy, not some dog he picked up off the streets who still smells of fleas and dog food."

Hayden nodded, "You make a good point, but no killing the dog. Promise?"

"You're not my master," Karly frowned, "A dog may believe you rule the household, but cats are never fooled!"

"If I see so much as a scratch on him, you won't be fed for three days."

Karly looked up at the blonde, "But... you... that's unethical! You can't starve me!"

"Hey, you will have committed murder."

"Survival of the fittest. I must defend my land and my subjects from this monster before he grows bigger and stupider. Otherwise I'll never get rid of him."

Hayden sighed, "Whatever."

The Pink Ranger left the room, making no progress on the cat. Once downstairs she saw Flynn and Scott were sitting in the TV room watching the sports highlights. Because their jobs sometimes required them to work overtime, both men were constantly forced to catch the highlights instead of the games themselves.

Shaking her head at the boys' display of testosterone as the ref seemed to make an unfair call for Corinth's team, (making the highlights because it won the game for NewTech) Hayden went to the kitchen and grabbed a can of dog food, and a can of cat food.

Suddenly, she heard tiny steps coming down the stairs. Smirking, she placed the cans closer to the can opener. Two little heads poked around the corner slowly. As she pulled the cans away, the heads retreated back into the wall.

"I know you two are there," Hayden called, "You might as well come in."

Suddenly, Braveheart and Karly bolted into the room. Of course, because Karly was superior to Braveheart, she found it fit to jump on his head to make the leap onto the counter. The little puppy was surprised at the sudden weight on his head and lost focus. He tried to come to a stop by pulling out his claws and digging into the floor, but the tiles only made him slip and slid into the counter.

Hayden frowned as she turned to the cat but Karly was too busy staring at the can of cat food.

"Open mine first, human," she said.

"After you apologize to the dog," Hayden said, pulling the can away from the cat.

"For what?" Karly asked. She looked down and saw the dog hiding his nose in his paws, "You only said I wouldn't be fed if you found a scratch on the dog. Inspect him if you would like, but there won't be a scratch on him. Now feed me!"

Hearing the crash from the kitchen, Flynn and Scott came in to check it out. Flynn noticed his poor dog was in pain and Karly was sitting on the counter like a queen.

Hayden crossed her arms, "Still think you can teach Karly to learn to live with Braveheart? It's been over a week and she still trying to kill him."

"I haven't tried yet," Karly corrected her master, "I've put in an attempt, which would have succeeded had you not interfered. That is not trying, that is interrupted success. Now feed me!"

"At least she hasn't killed him yet," Flynn smiled, lifting the dog onto the counter. "How long will Karly be staying with us anyways?"

"Christian's going through some phases," Hayden frowned, "He likes dressing her up as a villain and using his paintball gun to destroy the enemy."

"I remember those games," Flynn frowned as his hand moved to his butt, "Stay as long as you want, Karls."

"That was my intention," Karly said, "Now someone feed me!"

"Okay, okay," Hayden frowned, opening the can of food and dumping it into the bowl for Karly.

"You know," Scott chuckled, "In Ancient Egypt cats were treated as gods. I don't think they've forgotten that."

Hayden grinned, poking Karly in the side, "That may be true, but god spelled backwards is dog. Get used to it."

Karly looked up from her bowl, "You're only as powerful as your intelligence level. Low intelligence, low power. Dog's don't have levels."

"Alright, Miss Smartie pants. You open the can opener next time."

-----Afterlife-----

He had already planted the bomb in the wastelands. Once the military saw the device out there, they would send out Scott and his Eagle Squad to diffuse it and return it. Eagle Squad were always the only ones to go out into the wastelands because it was a team made up of former Project Ranger members. If anyone knew how to survive in the wastelands it would be the leader of the Power Rangers and the Boom-twins.

Now he was on his way to the Garage in his beat up car. He had to push it there, because it wasn't working. He had taken out everything inside, leaving only the skeleton and the shell. To replace the parts alone would take a few days, considering how small Dani and Flynn's garage was and how little help they were getting, but he was also going to demand for a few upgrades to the car. He was aware Flynn wasn't working today, but he was positive that once Dani saw the workload ahead of her, she would call for help.

"Hi, welcome to Dani and Flynn's... what the hell is that?" Dani greeted her customer when she saw him pushing metal on wheels into her garage.

"It broke down yesterday," he answered, stopping the car in front of the counter. Dani inspected it, gently running her hand over the rusted vehicle.

"Are you wondering why?" she asked sarcastically, "How old is this thing?"

"It was a graduation gift," he said. "Grade eight."

Dani frowned, "Eight?"

"I was held back," he chuckled, "Think you can fix it up?"

"Dude, I don't think they make these kinds of car parts anymore," Dani sighed."

"Well, if possible I was hoping you could modernize it," he said, "You know, make it look like something from 2004, but have the power of a car from 2029."

Dani knocked on the shell and heard a funny noise, "It'll be expensive. Are you sure you just don't want to buy a new car."

"I'm ready to offer a million dollars to every employee who works on this car," he said, tossing his wallet down on the counter, "So long as you follow my demands."

"Which will be?" Dani asked.

"It has to run smoothly, and it's got to be done by the time I come back to pick it up," he answered, "If I arrive, and it's not done, I'll deduct 100 grand from your pay."

Daniela looked inside the wallet, finding a great deal of money. She looked up at the customer, "How did you get all this money?"

"Savings," he said, "Unlike other rich people, I didn't keep my money in investments. After my brother passed he left me with the inheritance. There was quite a bit of money left over after we dealt with all the issues, and I owned everything of his. Knowing I would need money, I sold it all and saved that money. Then there's the money from my job..."

"What do you do?" Daniela asked.

"Marketing management," he replied, "It's not easy, but it's what I was born to do."

Daniela nodded, handing over a few forms, "Sign here."

She found him slightly suspicious, but there were many people in Corinth and Newtech who were still filthy rich even after the Venjix attacks. Maybe he was one of them.

He signed the papers and took his wallet back, "Take care of that car. It means the world to me."

Before he left, Daniela asked him one more question, "How did it this little thing get into the city?"

"I drove it."

-----Afterlife-----

Back at the McAllistair household, the phone had been ringing for a few minutes. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was destined to go unanswered because Braveheart had it in his mouth and was running around the house.

"Give it back you dumb dog!" Karly shouted. She decided to help her humans in the battle for the phone, because it meant she could attack the dumb dog without getting in much trouble. She wasn't stupid. She was going to take this opportunity as it knocked. "Humans need the device for communication! They're useless otherwise!"

"Who thought adopting a cat was a good idea?" Flynn growled, finally catching the dog's collar. He grabbed the phone and pulled it out of Braveheart's mouth.

"Surprisingly, it was Aunt Tori's," Hayden said as she caught her breathe, "After today, I've got to agree it wasn't her smartest moment."

Flynn nodded as he answered the phone, "Hello?"

"_Colonel Truman just called here for Scott. There's something in the wastelands and he and the Boom-Twins need to check it out immediately."_

"Scott, it's your wife," Flynn shouted, tossing the phone to his friend. While Samantha passed on the news to Scott, Flynn's cell phone began to ring. He groaned as he answered.

"_Flynn, I need your help! Some sketchy dude just walked in and offered us both a million dollars to fix up his car."_

"Great," Flynn smiled, realising it was Dani, "I'll be in tomorrow to..."

"_I'll buy you lunch for the next week if you come in now and help me!"_

"Aren't you the one always bragging about how good you are at repairing cars?"

"_I don't think this is a real car! There's nothing under the hood! It looks like a blown up 3-D model."_

"Okay, okay," Flynn nodded, "I'll be right over. And I'm bringing the dog. I think he can use a break from Karly."

"_You know... if that cute little pup is a handful..."_

"He's mine!"

Flynn hung up and smiled, "I've got to go to work. A customer's offering a huge deal if we fix up his car and Dani can't do it alone."

"That'll be good for the Garage," Hayden nodded.

"I guess that's why Dani's freaking out," Flynn chuckled, "She's finally realising I'm the better mechanic."

"That or she got her head stuck somewhere again," Hayden smiled, "Phone me if you're going to be late, but I might be out helping Dawn with some last minute stuff before her center opens. If you don't reach me..."

"Leave a message on the machine and you'll hear it when you get home," Flynn finished for his wife, "I know."

-----Afterlife-----

He sat outside on a bench in the Brooks girls' neighbourhood, waiting until he saw both the husbands of his targets leave for their respective jobs. Only then would he begin his plan of revenge.

A red car drove down the street and he recognised it as Scott's car. He watched as it turned towards the Commander center, going over the speed limit slightly because it was an emergency car. He knew Scott didn't have to worry about getting pulled over. Everyone in the city knew his licence plate number and knew he worked in the military. If he was speeding, it was for their protection.

Not too long after, he saw a blue hummer drive in the same direction, but once it hit the stop sign, it continued straight. Flynn was headed towards the Garage.

Now, both Samantha and Hayden were at home alone. Pulling out a small knife, he smirked. His finger traced the edge of it, feeling the sharpness of the blade. He knew how to kill the Angel. Hayden, however, was going to be a problem because she could heal; but he had already figured that out.

He tucked the knife back into his jacket. He wasn't going to use it. It was the same knife Blake had stabbed him with years ago when he kidnapped Kaylee. If he used it, and had to run away before he could hide it, they would definitely be able to trace the crime back to him.

He had something different in mind.

As he walked, a bird flew over his head and suddenly dropped to the sidewalk, wheezing heavily, as if lacking oxygen. He smirked and continued on his way.


	7. Suffocation

While Scott and Flynn were off on business, Greg was just getting home after an exciting day at work. He had just been asked by a Mr. Klivis to work on one of the most high-tech computers in Corinth City. Obviously he had agreed to do so.

Tossing the keys in the bowl by the front door, Greg kicked off his shoes while humming a happy tune. This big job was going to do miracles for the city, and he was going to be responsible for it. After having a hand in unleashing the virus that destroyed the world, Greg was going to be the person who created the technology that would save countless lives.

He picked up the phone and dialled the number for the Garage. He knew Daniela was supposed to be at work and was hoping to catch her before it got too crazy.

"_Hey, you've reached the super-awesome Daniela Marks. I'm not answering my phone right now and it might be because I really don't like you. Think about for a moment and then hang up. Chances are that you're wrong."_

Greg chuckled, "Well, then, NASCAR, I was just calling to let you know I have a great opportunity lined up. I guess you're really busy right now so call me when you're done... Unless, you know, you really don't like me."

Greg hung up the phone and looked around. He really wanted to share the news with someone. This was a big deal. However, all his friends were at work right now or in NewTech City and at work.

He decided if there was anyone available to talk, it would be Dawn. He center wasn't open yet, even with all the hard work everyone was putting into it. He figured she would listen to him if he offered to lend a hand.

Grabbing the keys, he stepped out the door in the direction of the Center.

-----Afterlife-----

Seeing as their husbands were out of the house for the day, Samantha and Hayden decided they would go help out their cousin with her center (unaware Greg had the same idea). Samantha took Engel with her, not wanting to leave Engel with a babysitter.

They were already busy filling toy boxes up with toys and setting up a filing system when Greg arrived. He set his bag down at the door and tilted his head slightly.

"You know, I would say great minds think alike, but..."

"Shut up and tell me what comes after 'H'," Hayden frowned, "Engel's been singing the alphabet all wrong for the past two hours and now her version is stuck in my head."

"'I'," Greg chuckled, "And thank you for proving my point."

"You're welc- Hey! I am not stupid!" Hayden frowned, tossing an empty folder at the Gold Ranger. Engel's hand flew over her mouth as it dropped open.

"Uh-oh!" she called, pointing to her Aunt, "You said bad word!"

Hayden knelt down beside her niece, "Honey, it's not a bad word it's..."

"I telling!" Engel shouted, covering her ears as she ran over to her mother. Hayden rolled her eyes and returned to work. Greg chuckled and helped her with the filling.

"At least she's only telling Samantha," he said, "Last time Dani and I took care of her, my parents were over. I accidentally said stupid and she ran right to my mom."

"What did she say?" Hayden chuckled.

"For Engel's sake, she played along," Greg explained, "She stood there, glaring at me and tapping her foot on the ground. Then Engel proposed I 'wash mouth with snoke'."

"Snoke?"

"I didn't know what it was either... until Engel gave me a bar of soap."

"Ew," Hayden frowned, trying to suppress a laugh at Greg's unfortunate luck, "I guess you learned to never say stupid in front of her."

"Yeah, and Dani," Greg said, "She saw the whole thing. Now every time I accidentally imply that she's not the brightest person she makes me do it."

"I once told Dani she was stupid," Dawn said, coming into the room, twirling the keys to the Center around her finger, "She tried to light me on fire."

"I'll talk to Aunt Ronny about getting her check out for mental illnesses," Hayden laughed. She placed the last file in the drawer and turned to Dawn, "All done here. Anything else you need us to do?"

Dawn looked around. The center was close to finished. All the furniture was in place, the paint on the walls was dry, the files were set up and ready for use. All she had to do was wait for opening day.

"Not really," she shrugged, "But if you want, you can go set the sign outside up."

Hayden nodded, "Awesome."

She grabbed her jacket and the sign that was resting beside the front door and left. Greg turned to Dawn with a bright smile now that there was time to talk.

"Guess what!"

"You just realised Pluto isn't a planet?" Dawn teased. Greg frowned as Dawn ruffled his hair.

"No. I knew that long before I started school. This really big medicine company man visited me at the store yesterday. He offered me a job to programme the systems for a hospital on wheels. It's going to be the most advanced piece of technology in the world, and he's going to pay me a fortune to do so! Once that's done with, my reputation will be awesome and my computer store will really start flying."

"That's great, Greg," Dawn smiled, hugging her friend as she congratulated him, "But I have some bad news. The world is only two cities big. It's easy to be the best in the world right now."

Greg frowned, playfully punching the brunette in the arm, "Shut up."

"I'm happy for you," Dawn smiled, "How about, when Samantha and Hayden are done with the sign and toy box, we go out and celebrate? Hayden's treat?"

"Awesome," Greg nodded.

Samantha was crossing the last toy off her list and closing the box when her daughter tugged on her shirt.

"Aunt Mayden said stupid!"

Samantha muttered something under her breath as she turned to her daughter. She lifted the two year old up and smiled.

"Engel, how many times do I have to tell you? Only little girls and boys are not allowed to say stupid."

"Aunt Mayden little girl," Engel said, "She little sister."

"Right," Samantha smiled, "I'll talk to her later, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise," Samantha put the Angel down on her feet, letting the little girl run off to play. As she stood back up she caught sight of her sister out the window. Hayden was setting up the sign on the front lawn before suddenly grabbing her neck. The sign beside her dropped to the ground, and Hayden made no attempt to catch it.

Stepping by Dawn and Greg, Samantha opened the window and called out to her sister, "Mayday, are you okay?"

Hayden didn't respond. Instead, she dropped to her knees. One hand stayed by her neck while the other was used to keep Hayden from falling over completely.

Samantha wasn't sure if Hayden had been eating anything, but she didn't want to chance it. She ran outside to her sister and knelt down beside her.

"Hayden, are you choking?" she asked. Hayden shook her head and she moved in closer. Samantha touched her sister's arm, obviously worried. "Hayden, look at me."

Hayden looked up. The first thing Samantha noticed was that her lips were blue. When she listened closely, she could hear a small whistling noise.

Suddenly, Hayden dropped to the ground, landing face down in the snow. Samantha grabbed her sister, rolling her over as Dawn and Greg ran outside.

"Hayden... can you hear me?" Samantha shouted, tapping her sister's cheek gently to try and wake her. She still wasn't breathing.

"Mommy," Engel said, grabbing her mother's hand as she pointed to a man who was standing across the street. Samantha's eyes followed until they landed on the man. His arm was outstretched in Hayden's direction and he seemed to be grasping onto thin air, as if suffocating her from afar.

Samantha grabbed her daughter and placed her in Dawn's hands before taking off down the street. The man saw her coming and took off, turning the corner into an alley.

Knowing nothing about medicine, Greg didn't even attempt to revive Hayden. He pulled out his phone and called for an ambulance.

Dawn didn't feel comfortable letting Samantha run off on her own. The older Brooks sister was very protective of her sister, and if she felt that man had done something to hurt Hayden, Samantha would lose it completely and do anything to seek revenge. Dawn did want the man who hurt Hayden to pay dearly, but she was afraid Samantha would go about it in the wrong way and end up hurting herself as well.

"Take the kid," Dawn said, handing Engel to Greg before she too took off.

Samantha cut the corner; quickly catching up to the man she believed tried to kill her sister. She was only a few steps behind him when she sprouted her wings and dove forward, grabbing the man around the waist and sending both herself and the man into a fence.

The man pushed off before hitting the fence too hard, but Samantha hadn't thought that far ahead. She slammed her head into the grated barrier, splitting her brow just above the left eye. She dropped to the ground and shook it off. Right now it was the least of her concern.

As the man picked himself up, Samantha flapped her wings to create a large gust of wind. He was blown back down the ground as the Angel hovered over him.

"What the fuck did you do to my sister?"

The man chuckled, "I'm the bringer of death. Even your immortal sister isn't safe against me."

Samantha grabbed the man's arm, pulling him up before bringing her knee up and hitting him in the stomach. The man growled in pain before flicking his wrist. Samantha suddenly found herself pinned to the fence, unable to move or breathe.

The man stepped forward, "Your mother killed my brother," he said, "Now it's my turn."

Samantha could breathe again as she dropped to the ground.

"You want to kill your brother too?" she frowned.

"Shut up!" the man screamed and suddenly Samantha began to feel dizzy. He smirked as he watched, waiting for just the right moment. He was killing her. She didn't know it, but he had the power to take life in any way. Suffocation was just one of them.

He walked over to her, grabbing a box so he could sit down beside her. He brushed her hair out of her face.

"You wouldn't remember me, Samantha," he whispered softly, sitting by the Angel's side as the dizziness became too much and she threw up. "I tried to kill your mother and sister way back when."

"What do you want with us now?" Samantha asked, glaring up at the man. She felt too weak to do anything. She couldn't stop him if he tried to hurt her.

"I spent a few years in hiding. Did my research. I'm out for revenge."

The man stood up and grabbed Samantha's arm, bringing her with him. He grabbed her neck with his free hand and smiled.

"This will be sweet. Both daughters in one..."

All Samantha saw was his head snap to one side and he dropped. She almost fell with him, but someone caught her.

"Stupid fuck-tard," Dawn muttered, holding her cousin up. "Greg's already called for an ambulance. Let's get you back so the paramedics can check you out."

Dawn went to take a step forward when Samantha began to sway. She kept her grip on her cousin tight, insuring the blonde wasn't about to tumble.

"Whoa, hey..." Dawn said, gently trying to hold Samantha up, "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel good," Samantha whispered.

"I can smell that," Dawn nodded. She placed her cousin on the ground and pulled out her phone.

"Greg, when the ambulance gets there, tell them they need to find me and Samantha."

Back at the Center, Greg put his phone away after getting the information from Dawn and passing it onto some of the paramedics. There weren't many of them, so only one ran off to find Samantha.

Engel held her uncle's hand, worried for her Aunt. She pulled down on it to grab his attention.

"Aunt Mayden have booboo?" she asked. Greg picked her up in his arms.

"Big booboo," he nodded, "But the doctors will make her all better. I promise."

"No make promise," Engel said, "Not sure of outcome."

Greg squeezed her gently, "Right... I'm sorry..."

"Why mommy leave?" Engel asked, "She come back?"

Greg shrugged. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell the two year old that her mother was going to be joining her Aunt in the hospital. It was bad enough Engel knew her Aunt was sick.

"Uncle Greg," Engel said, pinching her uncle's cheek when he didn't answer.

"Ow, Engel..."

"Where mommy?"

"C'mon," Greg said, "We'll go phone Scotty and Uncle Flynn."

"Scotty outside," Engel whispered, "Can't phone."

Outside meant that he was outside of the dome. Scott had been sent with Gem and Gemma to investigate something the military picked up in the systems. Unaware of what it was, they needed Scott and the twins to check it out in case it was an enemy to the city. Little did anyone know; the man who had just attacked Samantha and Hayden had planted that signal in the wastes.

"We'll find a way," Greg smiled, "I'm a genius, remember?"

-----RPM-----

"Mommy, what's homicide?" Christian asked as he stepped into the kitchen, finding his mother in the kitchen making dinner.

"A word you shouldn't even know yet," Kaylee frowned, "Where did you hear it?"

"Daddy left the TV on when he fell asleep," Christian explained, "The news started and they went on and on about a homicide attempt against Hayden and Sammy."

The knife Kaylee was holding dropped out of her hand as she froze up. Christian looked at his mother.

"It's not something good, is it?" the four year old asked. Kaylee grabbed him, putting on the barstool as she went into the other room. She punched Dustin in the arm, waking him from his nap as she turned up the volume on the TV.

"Pay attention, will you," she said.

Dustin sat up on the couch as Kaylee slowly dropped down. He rubbed his eyes as he looked to the screen.

"Is that Dawn's center?" he asked.

"Christian mentioned homicide," Kaylee explained.

"What?" Dustin frowned, suddenly alert, "Who the hell hurt Dawn?"

"No one," Kaylee shushed him.

"Thank g-"

"Someone tried to hurt our girls," Kaylee breathed as she turned to her husband with tears in her eyes as a picture of Hayden and Samantha being loaded into the ambulance was on the TV screen. Dustin grabbed his wife gently, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

"They'll be fine," he whispered.

Christian walked into the room and looked to his parents. He knew something wasn't right by the way his mother was crying. Dustin waved him over.

Christian hopped up on his father's lap, "Does homicide mean they died?"

"Close, buddy," Dustin nodded.

"Who wants to kill my sisters?" he frowned.

"Someone very mean," Dustin said.

Kaylee touched her son's arm, "I don't know who this man is, and I don't know what he's after. Maybe it's best if you stay with Aunt Tori for a few days. I don't want him coming after you."

"But I wanna help," Christian whined, "They're my sisters."

"Sorry, buddy," Dustin frowned, "You're mother's right. It's not safe for you here. Go call Aunt Tori and tell her you need to stay with her for a few days."

Christian slid off his father's lap, muttering a few choice words his uncles taught him as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom so he could pack his stuff.

Kaylee walked to the front door and pulled Dustin's coat out from the closet. She tossed it to him.

"Go to the hospital," she said, "I'll take Christian to Tor's."

"Are you sure?" Dustin asked, "I know you usually take care of the girls. That's really not my strong point."

"Positive," Kaylee nodded, "I'll drop him off at my sister's."

"You're going to talk to her, aren't you?" Dustin frowned.

"Who the hell would do this?" Kaylee asked, "The girls don't have any enemies! No one would want to kill them!"

"What about that jerk head Kyle?" Dustin frowned.

"He got his closure, remember?" Kaylee said, "It wouldn't be him."

"Well, maybe this guy's not going after them," Dustin shrugged as he put his coat on, "Maybe he's going after you. It's like a villain rulebook. Don't target your enemy, target her children."

"Why couldn't you have enemies?"

"I have Marah."

"No, I have Marah," Kaylee frowned, "She's the bitch who thought she could take you from me."

"Get over it," Dustin chuckled, "In the end we're together and in love."

"I'm a woman," Kaylee said, "We don't just 'get over it'."

"You don't really think someone's out to get the girls because of me, do you?" Kaylee asked her husband after a small moment of silence between the two.

"It wouldn't be the first time it's happened to someone," Dustin shrugged, "Remember, it's a villain thing. I should know; I was a villain. If someone on the good team did you wrong, you did your best to hurt them. Sometimes that meant killing them and sometimes that meant robbing them of the same thing you robbed them of. Take... Jordan's brother for example. You killed Jordan, so he went after you and tried to kill Hayden while you were pregnant her. That way you lost your daughter, just like he lost his brother."

"I guess," Kaylee nodded.

Dustin walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. He held her close and whispered.

"We'll figure this out, okay? After all, no one's ever messed with the girls without having to deal with your wrath. Believe me, after twenty-one years of marriage, I know you're wrath is never fun and exciting."

"Go to the hospital," Kaylee laughed softly, pulling away from her husband and pointing to the door.

"See, like right now," Dustin smiled, "I'm so going to get it when this is done, aren't I?"

"Just go," Kaylee nodded, "I'll deal with you later."

Dustin smiled to his wife as he left to go take care of his daughters, hoping they hadn't been too roughed up.


	8. Hint: Backwards

"Out of my way, puny doctors," Karly shouted, gracefully making her way through the waves of doctors as she hopped out of Daniela's arms, "I have a human to check up on!"

"Karls," Daniela groaned before a doctor grabbed the cat, lifting her up before she could get past the doors.

"No pets allowed," the doctor said, handing the cat back to Dani, "Hospital rules."

"Stupid humans," Karly frowned, "My human's in there."

The doctor glared at the cat, then looked at Dani. She was standing beside Flynn who was holding Braveheart on a leash and a bouquet of flowers in his hand. After getting the call from Greg about his wife and sister in-law, he and Dani skipped work to check up on them.

"Doctor, I know it's the rules, but we can't leave these two outside," Daniela said, keeping her grip on Karly tight so the cat wouldn't jump out, "If we do, she might kill the dog."

"Keep them at home."

"I can't," Flynn sighed, "That won't solve the cat kill dog problem."

"Not my fault you brought home that stinky mutt," Karly muttered. "Now let me go! I want to see my human and her sister!"

"No," Dani frowned, "Karls, you have to stay at the entrance with me. Flynn's going to go in... Fuck."

"Humans are so stupid," Karly snickered as she escaped Daniela's arms and ran across the waiting room, hoping to find her human. All she could see was a bunch of numbered doors. Sighing deeply, Karly realised this wasn't going to be easy.

"_Doctor Marks to room 107."_

"Stupid human's father!" Karly smirked, "He's in charge of mutants. Now what is a 107?"

Karly walked the halls slowly, trying to see if she could figure out written language. It was hard enough to understand their primitive language in speech form. Written was a total mess. It was like they took the alphabet song little humans learned, and scattered the letters everywhere. Never mind the odd shapes that somehow told humans their total at the pet-store when purchasing the cat bed Karly refused to sleep on.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from a distance. Aware she wasn't allowed inside the hospital because she was a cat and carried diseases (stupid humans thought _she_ was the one carrying the disease), she scurried under a cart that had been abandoned and waited for the human to pass.

To her surprise, it was David. He walked inside one of the rooms. The door closed slowly behind him, giving the cat enough time to make it inside.

She looked up at the bed and saw David fixing up something (most likely a human contraption) on her human. It didn't look comfortable at all which upset Karly.

"Let my human go, Sock Human Lover!" Karly shouted, bouncing onto David's leg and letting her claws dig into his skin.

"OW!" David screamed, shaking the cat off. "Karly, what the hell?"

"You're hurting my human," Karly stated, jumping up in the bed and sitting at Hayden's feet. "I must protect her from you."

"I'm not hurting her," David sighed, "I'm allowing her to breathe. Whoever attacked her really did a number on her powers. He's removed almost all the oxygen from her body. Without it she can't heal."

"Then insert oxygen," Karly said, "Not some weird tube."

"This tube is giving her oxygen," David explained. He grabbed the cat and took her off the bed, "Now what are you doing here? It's unsanitary for a cat..."

"Because I'm the one with the disease, right?" Karly asked, "A perfectly healthy cat, inside a hospital of sick patients, and I'm the threat to human health."

"Well, when you put it that way..." David sighed. "Just get out. Hayden will be fine. I promise."

"If so, then I demand permission to remain with her until she wakes up."

"Karly..."

"I said demand!" Karly shouted, "Not remove yourself from this room unless you would like me to do so. If I can take on the mutt, I can surely handle you."

"Karly, you can't stay..."

"My human's a healer," Karly stated, "Whatever disease you think I'll bring to her poses no threat..."

"She's got no oxygen in her blood," David said, "Without oxygen the blood cells are not doing the job they were created to do. No oxygen's going to her brain, because there is none! She's not healing. She's in a coma!"

"What..." David heard a voice from behind. He recognised it and sighed, turning slowly to face the husband of his patient.

"Flynn..."

"Ouch," Karly said, "That's quite the blow. I'm going to nap now. Keep your panic to a minimum."

"She's not healing?" Flynn frowned, the flowers falling out of his hand.

"We're doing all we can," David explained, "But whatever happened to her sucked the oxygen right out of her body. Cells need oxygen to function, as does the brain. If it isn't supplied, anyone can die."

"But Hayden's a healer," Flynn said, "She'll make it out, right?"

"I hope so," David nodded, "But like I said, her cells don't work without oxygen. The way she heals is through her blood cells. That's why she needs to bleed to heal. Have you ever seen her hurt herself and not bleed, only to worsen it just to bleed?"

Flynn nodded slowly, "It's the cells that are mutated, isn't it?" he asked, "And if they don't work..."

"We've re-inflated her lungs," David said. "That was the easy part. But now we've got to focus on her oxygen levels."

"What about Samantha?" Flynn asked, "Can't she kiss it better? You know, like when we were frozen?"

"She's suffered similar injuries though not as critical, but she's received a bad blow to the head. Until she's better she's confined to bed."

"But Hayden needs..."

"Samantha isn't able to stand without passing out," David explained, "I'm sorry Flynn. You'll just have to wait."

"No!" Flynn shouted, "It's not fair!"

"Maybe it'll help if you leave," Karly suggested to the doctor, raising her head slightly, "You're only frustrating him."

David nodded. He tapped the Scot on the shoulder sympathetically as Flynn stepped aside to let him leave. David closed the door behind him, leaving Flynn some privacy.

Picking up the flowers, Flynn made his way to Hayden's beside.

"I thought you would at least be awake by now," he whispered, placing the flowers in an empty vase. "Whoever hurt you really must have done a number on you."

Karly looked to Flynn, then down at her human. She lowered her head in respect as she let him speak. She was a very outspoken cat, very satirical as well. But she knew there was a time when she needed to let the humans be.

"Get better soon," Flynn breathed, taking Hayden's hand in his, "I'll wait for you. I'll walk the dog every day, feed the cat and make sure she doesn't kill him. The house will be clean, everything will be in order... just don't leave me."

He squeezed her hand gently before turning to Karly, "Maybe you shouldn't be in here."

"I have already explained to the doctor. I am not the biggest threat to human health!"

"But you've probably got something hiding in that fur," Flynn explained, "And Hayden's a healer. Her immune system's never had to work. If she gets sick now, while her powers aren't working, we might both lose her."

Karly looked down at her human. She had watched Hayden her entire life. No one (aside from Kaylee) meant more to her than Hayden did. Realising it was best if for once, she didn't try to protect her family, Karly hopped off the bed.

"I'll protect you some other way," Karly told her human, "No one messes with my group of stupids and gets away with it!"

She hopped up on the window sill and pushed the window open wide enough for her to get out. She jumped onto a tree branch and slowly made her way down. If anyone could track the man who hurt her family, it would be her.

Flynn wanted to stay with his wife a little longer, until he heard a loud cry coming from the hallway. He squeezed Hayden's hand again before getting up to check it out.

"MOMMY!" Engel screamed as Scott removed her from the room beside Hayden, where Samantha was resting. Engel was squirming, trying to get her step-father to release her. Scott tried to hold on tight, until Engel grabbed his hand and bit down hard. Scott let go and Engel tried to run into Samantha's room.

Knowing it was best to keep Engel from seeing her injured mother Flynn quickly grabbed the young girl and lifted her up. Engel protested loudly, causing some nurses to turn their heads.

"Engel, calm down," Flynn whispered, rubbing the child's back, "She'll be fine."

"MOMMY!" Engel shouted again.

Scott was shaking his hand as he took his step-daughter from her uncle. The two men didn't look each other in the eyes but both managed to tell the other it was time to head back into the waiting room.

Once in the other room, Scott and Flynn sank down in two chairs. Engel slid off Scott's lap and tried to run for the doors, until a blonde woman grabbed her and lifted her into her arms. Engel protested again, this time by making herself as heavy and difficult to hold as possible. The blonde woman manoeuvred the dead weight in her arms, until Engel was resting her head on her shoulder. The woman began to slowly rub the child's back soothingly as she turned to face the others. Scott breathed a sigh of relief.

"Summer," he smiled, "Thank god."

"As soon as I heard it was both Sammy and Hayden who were hurt, I knew I had to come," Summer nodded, "And I brought Dillon, though he may not be much help."

"So what happened?" Dillon asked, returning from the vending machine with a snack in hand. He bit off a piece of the chocolate bar as he looked at his friends.

"We don't know," Dawn said, "One minute the five of us were at the center, fixing it up for tomorrow, then all of a sudden Samantha runs out to Hayden. Next thing any of us know, Samantha's running after some creep and Hayden's pretty much dead in Greg's arms."

"Who's the creep?" Summer asked. She was swaying slightly, and Engel's little whimpers could be heard over Summer's shoulder. Scott lowered his head in shame. He was supposed to be able to take care of her when Samantha couldn't. It was his job. But at the moment Engel wanted to be in the arms of her mother and she needed to be told everything was okay. Scott didn't have a mother's touch. He was a man after all. When Engel needed him most, he couldn't help her.

"We don't know," Greg answered, "Dawn didn't bother check. She snapped his neck though."

"But when police checked the alley, there was no body," Flynn said, "If she snapped his neck, he would be dead."

Scott frowned, "Now I'm really panicking. He's still out there."

While the humans were talking, Karly snuck back into the hospital and found Braveheart sitting right by the front entrance. She untied his leash and looked up at him.

"I love my human more than I hate you," she whispered to him, "Help me find who hurt her, and I promise I'll try harder to kill you."

Braveheart's tail was wagging rapidly as he licked the cat, utterly unaware that she wasn't letting him off the hook. Then again, he wasn't even aware there was a hook to be on.

"Good mutt," Karly whispered. She let his leash drop out of her mouth. With a bark, Braveheart took off.

Dani heard the little puppy bark and turned to see both the cat and dog running away. Not wanting them to get lost, or hurt, she chose to follow them.

Braveheart let Karly and Dani back to the alley where the attacker had last been seen with Samantha. He followed his noise as it picked up something out of the ordinary. Suddenly he walked right into a crate.

"Silly dog," Daniela chuckled, pulling the puppy back and lifting the crate up. Underneath it was a little note that the policemen had missed while searching the area.

"_part your struggles more in result only will wrong me prove to Trying. time you're wasting you're, me find to where wondering you're If._

"_me to everything meant He. mine destroyed she as just, target intended my of life the destroy will I, Now. strategically attack my out planned I, again mistake same the make to Refusing. opponent my underestimated I when terribly ended attempt first My. brother my of murder the for revenge my seek to here, death of bringer the I'm."_

Karly blinked repeatedly as Daniela read the note out loud.

"I realise you're the stupid human," Karly started, "But you also seem to have a reading problem."

Daniela looked back at the paper, "No, that's what it says. Whoever left this wrote it in some kind of code. He doesn't want us to figure this out."

"That much is obvious," Karly said, rolling her eyes. "What kind of murderer wants to be caught?"

"The kind who thinks this is a game," Daniela answered. She grabbed Braveheart's leash and picked up the cat. "We're taking this back to Aunt Kaylee."

"Why?" Karly asked.

"Because, if anyone can get into the head of a murderer, it would be us."

"Of course," Karly nodded, "But you do remember both your murders were accidents."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Karly sighed, "My human is protective of her kittens. If you show her this, she may snap."

"I know," Dani nodded, "But it'll give us time to look it over. Maybe we can crack the code."

"I'll go inform the other humans," Karly said, hopping out of Daniela's arms, "It'll take a lot of stupid to figure this one out."

"Not stupid!" Daniela shouted after the cat, making the dog bark. "He agrees with me."

"I told him I would try harder to kill him if he helped me. He's stupider than all humans on the planet combined!"

Daniela and the dog exchanged looked before she pat him on the head, "Don't worry, you'll get by on your looks."


	9. Bringer of Death

"_part your on struggles more in result only will wrong me prove to Trying. time your wasting you're, me find to where wondering you're If._

"_me to everything meant He. mine destroyed she as just, target intended my of life the destroy will I, Now. strategically attack my out planned I, again mistake same the make to Refusing. opponent my underestimated I when terribly ended attempt first My. brother my of murder the for revenge my seek to here, death of bringer the I'm."_

"I. Don't. GET IT!" Kaylee shouted, tossing the note, as well as all other papers off the table in frustration after failing to decode the message. She, Dustin and the others had been working on it for hours with no progress.

"I can't be that hard," Greg frowned, picking the note off from the floor before it was lost.

"Calm down, honey," Dustin said softly, coming beside his wife to comfort her. He was just as worried about his daughters but knew getting frustrated over this wouldn't help in anyway.

"May we're looking at this all wrong," Dillon sighed, "Maybe it's not a code, maybe he's just stupid."

Dani hit him on the arm, No being a smartass."

"I wasn't. How is saying this guy's stupid a smartass move?"

"It's obvious."

Summer walked down from the stairs with Engel in her arms. The two year old had just woken up from her nap and was ready to be with people again. However, when she looked around the room, her spirits dampened. Her mother wasn't home like she always was.

"MOMMY!" Engel shouted, right in Summer's ear, causing the yellow Ranger to jump. Dawn grabbed the upset child, rocking her soothingly to take her mind off her troubles.

Just like Samantha would have done, Dawn began to sing to the Angel. Her voice wasn't the best (singing wasn't a talent from Dustin's side of the family), but it did catch Engel's attention.

"Z, Y, X, W, V, U..." Engel sang, joining her Aunt in the alphabet song. Dawn chuckled slightly shaking her head.

"No, sweetie, you start with A."

Engel frowned, "No. Kitty teach me!"

Kaylee turned to Karly and sighed deeply, "What's the matter with you. First Hayden, now Engel?"

While the others tried to correct Engel, taking their minds off the note, Greg stared down at it. There had to be something he was missing.

Checking the first line (because you started at the beginning, not the end), he read it over.

_part your on struggles more in result only will wrong me prove to Trying._

He frowned. The first letter of the sentence wasn't capitalized. He wasn't going to question it, knowing that sometimes when writing in English people didn't bother with capitalisation, however, the last letter of the sentence was. There had to be a reason for it.

As he continued analysing, he noticed every sentence was like that. First word was lower case, and the final word was always capitalized.

He furrowed his brow as a thought occurred. However, before speaking out, he looked at the note again, and it hit him.

It was written from the right, not the left like in the English language.

He decided to read everything backwards. Everything else in this note was.

"I'm the bringer of death, here to seek my revenge for the murder of my brother," he read aloud.

Everyone turned to him. Daniela put her hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"You don't have a brother," she said.

"No, the letter!" he cried out, handing her the note. "Read it backwards."

Daniela looked down.

"I'm the bringer of death, here to seek my revenge for the murder of my brother. My first attempt ended terribly when I underestimated my opponent. Refusing to make the same mistake again, I planned out my attack strategically. Now, I will destroy the life of my intended target, just as she destroyed mine. He meant everything to me. If you're wondering where to find me, you're wasting your time. Trying to prove me wrong will only result in more struggles on your part."

Daniela took a deep breath, "Know what I think...?"

"That jackass!" Kaylee screamed.

"Who is it?" Dustin asked her.

"'Revenge for the murder of my brother', 'first attempt ended terribly', 'destroy the life of my intended target, just as she destroyed mine', it's Drake!"

"Drake?"

"Jordan's little brother!"

"That jackass!" Dustin agreed.

"He went after my girls," Kaylee frowned, "Nobody does that. I'm going to murder that son of a bitch!"

Kaylee stormed off towards the door, but Dani grabbed her, holding her back.

"No, that got you in this mess in the first place!" she said.

"Who's Jordan?" Summer asked, "What the hell did you do to piss him off?"

"I murdered his brother," Kaylee sighed. The Rangers gasped. They couldn't believe the mentor who fought long and hard to save Corinth city and who led them to victory was a murderer.

"Aunt Kaylee..."

"Before you say anything, you need to know, it was a onetime thing. The bastard teamed up with Thrax and turned into a mutant."

"There's more than that," Dustin said. He looked to the group, "Jordan was Tori's old boyfriend."

"What did he do?" Dillon asked, "Kaylee hates Blake, but he's still alive. This dude must have done something terrible."

"Cheated and abused Tori," Kaylee said.

"So you killed him?" Summer asked.

"Yes?"

Summer looked at her Aunt, horrified. Kaylee and Kira had always been close, and because of that Kaylee had been a big part of her life. Even before she "adopted" Summer for two years, Summer always say Kaylee as a second mother. She looked up to the former Green Ranger just like she did Kira.

Suddenly that all changed.

Kaylee sighed, "Sum..."

"If you tell Hayden any of this..." Summer threatened as tears began to fill her eyes. She didn't finish her sentence, unable to threaten to kill her Aunt, even if it was an empty threat. It wasn't appropriate. Instead, she grabbed her jacket and stormed off.

"Sunshine," Dillon called after his wife, chasing after her. Kaylee turned to Dustin. He sighed deeply and shrugged, not knowing how to help.

"She'll get over it," Dani assured her Aunt, "I did."

"But you also committed murder," Dawn frowned. "It's easier to accept when you've been down that road."

"But Summer's going home," Dani smiled, "Aunt Kira will know something's wrong, and she'll force it out. Then she'll explain everything, right Aunt K?"

"I hope so," Kaylee nodded.

"We won't focus on that," Flynn said, "We have to find this guy and figure out what the hell he did to our wives!"

Scott nodded, "He sent the two healers to the hospital. He's dangerous and needs to be taken out."

"Question is: how do we take him out?" Greg asked.

"Well, he's the bringer of death," Dani said, "Well, self-proclaimed. Maybe that has something to do with the way he tried to kill Sam and Hayden?"

"He was standing across the street when Hayden was hit," Greg recalled, looking to Dawn to make sure his facts were straight. She nodded.

"Hayden went down quickly, and all I saw before he ran off was his arm up like this."

Dustin hopped out of his seat.

"It's like the force!" he smiled, "You know, Star Wars!"

Flynn frowned, "That's a little last century, man."

"It was good," Dustin pouted, falling back into his seat.

"So, I guess you two are trying to say he has powers," Kaylee said.

"Bringer of death," Dani pondered, "It's a codename."

"Not more codes," Scott whined.

"A super villain name. Don't those usually have something to do with whatever powers the villains have?"

"So he brings death?" Greg asked. "How do you fight against death?"

"I would say send in the healer," Dani shrugged, "But that's a total fail."

"I'll take him!" Karly cried heroically, jumping up on the table.

"No way," Kaylee frowned, "I'm not losing my daughters and my cat."

"Send in the dog," Karly shrugged, "It'll be no loss."

Flynn growled at the cat, "One more comment like that and I'm kicking you out."

"Drake, right?" Scott asked, "He wants to go after you, Kaylee. But he wants to do to you like you to him. He wants you to lose what you value most. So anyone of us has a target on our backs, except you."

"Right," Dani nodded, "If he kills you now, especially before Hayden and Samantha are officially dead, it'll be no more fun for him. You can't be hurt anymore because dead people don't feel!"

"So I go in?" Kaylee asked. "It sounds like a plan."

"And Dani should go too," Dustin smirked, "She's too fast for him to see. And you can't kill what you can't see."

"I killed an ant once," Dawn said, "I didn't see it under my foot and it went splat."

"Yeah, but ants aren't speed demons," Daniela grinned, "I can totally kick this guy's ass."

Karly hopped off the table, "Great, so to kill the guy trying to murder, you humans are going to send in the two murders from our side. That sounds like a lot of psychos in one place for me. Someone's going to wind up dead."

"Karly's right," Scott frowned, "We'll need who can keep Kaylee from going off the deep end, but who doesn't care enough about Samantha or Hayden to make a big issue for revenge..."

Flynn smirked.

-----RPM-----

"How did I wind up back here?" Dillon grumbled, standing beside Daniela and Kaylee in the middle of the plaza. The city had been cleared so they could bring out Drake. Civilians were inside their homes, cars were towed off the streets and stores were closed. No one was going to be outside.

"Because you don't like anyone but Summer," Dani giggled, nudging her friend in the ribs.

"Speaking of, she needs me right now..." Dillon tried to pull away, but Dani grabbed him and bit his arm. "OW! What was that for?"

Dani shrugged, "You've got to learn not to run off sometime. I figure corporal punishment would work best on you."

"Quiet," Kaylee hushed, "I hear something."

The two Rangers stopped talking and listened closely as the wind picked up.

Suddenly a small mouse scurried through the snow, trying to run away from a looming figure behind it. A hand reached down, grabbing it by the tail and lifting it up.

"Put the rodent down," Kaylee growled menacingly as Drake came into view.

"It's the circle of life," Drake shrugged, "It'll die anyway."

Daniela took off quickly, zooming by Drake as his other hand slowly went to touch the mouse. She grabbed the small creature from his hands before he killed it, but his hand touched her shoulder.

Dani tripped, rolling in the snow until she stopped on her back. She opened her hands, letting the mouse run free while she touched her shoulder. It was hot and tender to the touch.

"You burned my shoulder," she hissed. "You were going to roast that little innocent mouse to death!"

Drake shrugged, "It's nothing compared to what I did to your cousins."

Dillon turned to Kaylee, "You mean this is the guy who hurt the girls?"

"Understand why we pulled you away from Summer?" Kaylee nodded.

"Doesn't explain why Dani bit me," Dillon grumbled, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder.

Drake chuckled as Daniela got back to her feet and joined her Aunt and Dillon.

"So, Kaylee, is this your little rag team you assembled to try and beat me?" he asked, "Well, I guess you just lost two more lives."

Drake lifted his hand towards Dillon, but Daniela pushed him down and ran at light-speed towards him. She jumped up, swinging her leg around and connecting with his arm, knocking it away before he could hurt Dillon. He reached to grab her, but she was too fast, making it back to Kaylee before he had the time to blink.

Drake cracked his knuckles while Dani caught her breath, "Interesting. It seems the little one will pose a threat."

"Not little," Dani frowned, "You're just filled with shit! And I can easily put you out of your misery and reunite you with your brother!"

Drake chuckled, "I warn you three now, this fight won't be easy for you. By the time I'm done here, you'll all wish you were dead."

"I really wish he weren't human," Kaylee muttered, "Then I could Zwop inside him and blow him up..."

Drake stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest, "I dare you to try and defeat me."


	10. Retro's Back

Drake stepped over to Kaylee, Daniela and Dillon. All three were lying on the ground, nursing various injuries and struggling for breath.

"That was fun," he said, "but I think it's time we end this now."

He knelt down before Kaylee. He had seen her suffer enough. Now that she was at his mercy, he was going to take his chance and avenge his brother.

"This one's for you, Jordan," he smirked, his hand slowly reaching out to grab Kaylee's face.

Suddenly, a loud scream pierced through the air as visible, yellow sound waves hit Drake, knocking him on his back. Kaylee, Dani and Dillon covered their ears and hid their heads in their arms to protect their ears from damage.

Drake lifted himself up, getting to his feet as quickly as he could to look around. The city was still very empty aside from his victims on the ground.

Before he was hit again, Drake rushed down to grab Kaylee. He grabbed her arm was about to pull her up when he saw a large shadow speed by. He looked up to the artificial skies and frowned.

"What the hell?"

Because Drake was busy with Kaylee, Daniela and Dillon took this time to get back to their feet. Finding a lamp post not too far away, the two injured Rangers leaned against it for support. They weren't going to be much help to Kaylee anymore, no matter where they stood.

Kaylee tried pulling out of Drake's grasp while he was still distracted, but the simple tug alerted him that she was trying to get away and he twisted her arm behind her back. Kaylee was forced to the ground as a slight whimper escaped her lips.

"What's going on?" Drake asked her, his face hovering just over her shoulder.

"I know nothing more than you," Kaylee answered honestly.

Drake pulled Kaylee back to her feet, turning to lead her somewhere safer for his plan. Just as he did, he spotted a Black Ranger and a White Ranger standing behind him. He recognised them both from years ago. One was the Black Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger, who was all over Angel Grove in the early 1990s, and the other was the first ever White Power Ranger, also in Angel Grove in the '90s.

He hissed as he glared down at Kaylee.

"Friends of yours?"

Kaylee shrugged, "I would hope so. Knowing Ranger luck, they may have been turned evil and will choose to join you."

The Black Ranger sighed deeply, "Ribbit."

"Oh my GOD!" Kaylee cried out joyfully, "I do know them!"

Drake growled, tightening his hold on Kaylee, causing her to whimper once more in pain.

"Do you have to do that?" she asked.

"I'll finish you now!" he screamed, throwing Kaylee on the hard cement ground and pinning his knee in her stomach. He tried again to grab her face, but a strong gust of wind blew him over as a Pink, Green, Blue and Yellow Ranger ran onto the scene. Pink and Yellow went to help Kaylee while Blue ran in front of her protectively.

"Touch my sister again and _I_ will murder you!" she threatened.

Turning to Dani, Dillon asked, "Who are they?"

Dani was grinning from ear to ear as she turned to the current Black Ranger.

"Meet the Retros," she said, "Adam, Tommy, Tori, Kira, Xander and Kelly."

"There's no use," Tommy told Drake as he tried again to go for Kaylee, "What are the odds that you can handle all of us?"

"I've killed her daughters," Drake shrugged, "I've done enough."

He turned to Kaylee as she was helped to her feet by Kelly, "But I promise you, Kaylee. I will come back for you."

"Kiss my ass," Kaylee snapped.

In a flash of light, Drake was gone.

-----Afterlife-----

"... Summer came home in tears after you told her what you did," Kira explained to Kaylee as they were lead into the old Garage. The others were waiting for the Retros, Kaylee, Dani and Dillon there, obviously eager to meet another team. Of course, they knew most of the Rangers; it was the history behind the team that fascinated Scott, Flynn, Greg and Dawn. "As soon as she told me Jordan's brother was back, I called these guys."

"Yeah, we beat Jordan, how hard can it be to beat his little brother?" Adam shrugged, taking a seat on the couch.

"I beat Jordan..." Kaylee corrected, "to death..., but that's not the point."

"The point is, you need a full team that can help you deal with this creep," Kelly said.

"I would hardly consider this a full team without Bridge," Kaylee frowned, noticing the Red ranger was missing, "Where is he?"

"Back at SPD," Kira explained, "I left him to explain things to Summer and Sam Jr. He was there when it happened."

"Summer was pretty torn up about it," Adam told Kaylee. Since the first Evacuations, he had been residing in NewTech city. He kept in contact with Kira, offering to lend a hand to the newest SPD team while they were still battling Morgana, but staying out of sight for the most part. When Kira called him to help fight Drake, he met up with her at the SPD headquarters and caught a glimpse of Summer. He saw the tear stains on her cheeks and could hear her as she tried to hold back a few sobs, something he had never seen a Ford girl doing. "What did you tell her?"

"I don't know," Kaylee sighed, "It just kinda came out. I guess it was a lot of shock for her."

"What do you mean?" Kira asked.

"Well, I had to tell these guys and Summer that I murdered someone," Kaylee said, "But when they asked why I was so pissed off about him, I had to tell them the truth."

Kaylee looked to Tori sadly, "I'm sorry. But I couldn't keep this from them any longer."

"It's fine," Tori nodded, "It's better they know the truth in this situation."

"Summer will get over it," Kira smiled, "We shouldn't worry about her. We've got to focus on..."

"Drake?" Tommy finished, "Where did he come from?"

"Out of nowhere," Dawn said, speaking up for the current Rangers finally, "It was a surprise attack."

"How did he get you guys?" Kelly asked.

"We were at my center," Dawn explained, telling the Retros how Drake managed to take down both Hayden and Samantha.

"Where were you guys?" Tommy asked, looking to Flynn and Scott, the two husbands.

"I was at the garage," Flynn explained, "The night before Dani got a huge job we both needed to work..."

There was a faint buzz coming from Daniela's phone. Everyone fell silent as she picked it up.

"Hello?... Now? But it's only been... No it's not ready. Yeah, 100 grand, go ahead, I have bigger fish to fry. I'll call you when it's done. Bye."

Dani hung up and turned to Flynn, "I know you don't wanna work on that hunk of junk, but the owner just called to pick it up."

Tommy frowned, exchanging looks with Kaylee. Both had been in the Ranger business long enough to know that maybe this wasn't just coincidence.

"I was out on a mission," Scott said, "But it was a wild goose chase. There was nothing within 100 feet of the signal's location."

"So, with the husbands away, the wives go down?" Adam asked, "Seems like great timing on Drake's part."

"And what are the odds that Scott gets a fake mission, Flynn gets a huge job, and Drake attacks all at once?" Kelly frowned.

"Something doesn't smell right," Kaylee nodded, "And this time, it's not lucky socks."

"Do you think he's behind this?" Greg asked his mentor. Kaylee turned to him.

"What would you have done if he did what he did to Dani?"

"We wouldn't be worrying about him right now," Greg growled.

"His powers too," Tori added, "All citizens were checked for powers. We fell through the cracks because of you, Kayl. But Drake definitely wouldn't have! If he had powers coming into Corinth, we would have know long before now."

Kaylee nodded, "And there's border patrol running 24/7. No one comes back in without a Ranger suit or badge, or without a full radiation scan. If his came up positive, he wouldn't be walking the streets now. He would be in a hospital."

"And no Ranger badges ever went missing," Scott said.

"And this guy's taken out one Ranger and a very pissed off Angel," Dawn said, "When I was still Tenaya, Samantha got angry at me and I was shaking in my boots. If anything could top her, it could easily handle a few guards and sneak back into the city."

"When I was out in the wastes we did find something where the signal was located," Scott reached into his pocket and pulled out a pencil.

"Whoo," Dillon frowned, "A pencil! Now we can make pretty unicorns."

Daniela reached into her own pocket and pulled out the note written by Drake. Before she had made nothing of the dirt and water on it, after all she did find it on the ground, but now she was suspicious.

"Braveheart!" she whistled as the little puppy dashed into the room. However, instead of coming over to her, the small dog saw a group of new people. He started bouncing happily, trying to meet all of them at once.

Karly stepped in behind Braveheart and sighed, "Dumb dog."

Braveheart finally began to settle when Daniela grabbed his collar. Flynn knelt down before the dog and took the note from Dani. He held it in front of Braveheart's face and explained what he wanted the dog to do. Braveheart barked, and Flynn knew he understood. The dog smelt the paper then Flynn held the pencil before the dog's nose.

Braveheart barked happily, wagging his tail.

"There's a match," Flynn nodded, "Its faint, but Braveheart's positive the two items hold a similar smell."

"So that proved that dick-head was in the Wastes," Kaylee smirked, "And got his powers!"

"What are his powers?" Kelly asked.

"He's the bringer of death," Greg shrugged, "Our best bet is that he controls death. Like Grim Reaper, I guess."

"How do you stop the man who can easily kill you?" Adam asked.

Kaylee grinned, "I already know how to do that," she said, "I just need Hayden to wake up. Until then, the Retros will hold Drake off. There's no way we're letting him get his way."

"What do we do?" Scott asked.

"Enjoy retirement," Kaylee shrugged, "Go see your unconscious wife in the hospital."

-----Afterlife-----

Dustin was in Samantha's room, refusing to leave after a nurse told him they believed she would be waking soon. She had already awakened a few times before, but passed out again quickly every time. She was never awake for more than a minute or so at the most.

Dustin sat by her bedside, holding her hand gently. He watched her eyes move under their lids. She was very responsive at the moment, moving her fingers slowly to grasp his hand with hers and shifting at the call of her name. Any moment now she would wake.

"Sammy?" Dustin tried as her grip felt stronger, and suddenly her eyes fluttered open. "Samantha!"

The Angel took a deep breath, bolting upright in her bed and holding her head. She was breathing heavily. Dustin gently set her back down and stood over her.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked her.

"No," Samantha frowned, "But I guess it's better than where I thought I was."

"What happened?"

Slowly, Samantha sat up. Dustin adjusted the pillows behind her to support her back, "There was some creeper..."

"The cat phoned," Dustin nodded. Samantha turned to him with an odd expression, "You get used to it. Just wait until Karly starts talking to telemarketers."

"Who was that guy?" Samantha asked her father. "I was no match for him."

"He's Jordan's brother," Dustin explained, "You wouldn't know him. It happened a little before you were conceived."

"What happened?" Samantha asked.

"Talk to your mother about it," Dustin said, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I ran a marathon," Samantha answered, "Last I remember, he was taking my breath away... literally. It was like I was dying on the inside."

Samantha's eyes widened, "Hayden!"

Dustin squeezed her hand, "Don't worry about her. You need to..."

"What happened to her?" Samantha asked.

"She's in the room next to you," Dustin said. "Samantha, seriously..."

Samantha jumped out of bed, successfully making it a few feet until she dropped. Dustin was by her side to catch her. He carried her back to the bed and laid her down.

"You'll help her after you've rested," Dustin whispered. "Hayden will be fine for one more night."

"I can't feel my head," Samantha moaned as the room spun around her.

"I know," Dusitn nodded. He kissed her on the forehead. "Just rest up. We're taking care of everything. Your mother's trying to take down Drake, the doctors are watching you and your sister carefully, and Mike came by here earlier to take Engel to his place."

"Engel!" Samantha said, bolting upright again. Dustin forced her down.

"She'll be relieved to see mommy's okay," Dustin said, "She was very upset and panicked around here. But Mike's a great father. I'm sure she's fine."

Samantha dropped her head into her pillow and groaned loudly. She hated being so helpless. She knew all she had to do was kiss her sister and Hayden would be fine. She knew her little girl was probably devastated that she had seen her mother in such condition, and she knew that if given the chance, she could help her own mother in taking down the man who attacked her, but she wasn't allowed.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at her father.

"How bad is it?" she asked him.

"I haven't spoken to your mother in almost a day," Dustin sighed, "And you know just as well as I do, that it's got to be something terribly important if it pulls your mother away from her family."

"I have to help," she whispered.

"You're sick," Dustin told her, "Just rest up for a few hours, then you can help Hayden and join the others."

"I can't rest," Samantha whined, "I don't want to be here."

Dustin kissed her forehead again, "You're just like your mother," he said, "Go to bed; you can go play with your friends later."

Samantha yawned loudly, "But I need to help them."

"In a few hours, I promise."


	11. Drake's Justice

Karly strolled into the garage with the phone in her mouth. She made her was over to Kaylee casually and hopped up on her human's head. She dropped the phone so it hit the bridge of Kaylee's nose as it fell into her hands.

"Did you call Dustin?" Kaylee asked, rubbing her nose as she looked up at her cat.

"I did," Karly nodded, "Angel human is awake and the two Scotts just arrived."

"Two Scotts?" Dani frowned.

"A Scot and Scott," Karly shrugged.

Kelly approached her little sister and put her hand on her shoulder. She had long since known of the attacks on Hayden and Samantha and could understand if Kaylee wanted to drop everything to go visit her daughters.

"If you want to go I'm sure we can run things here for a few hours," she said gently.

Kaylee nodded, "Could you please?"

"Our pleasure," Adam nodded, "Go see your daughters."

Kaylee grabbed Karly, placing her in Kelly hands. She grabbed her old RPM jacket and left the garage in a hurry.

Tommy looked to Dillon, "You might as well head home as well," he told the black Ranger, "There's no sense in keeping more Rangers around than necessary when Drake's out to kill everyone close to Kaylee."

"Oh, but Dani can stay," Dani whined as Dillon got up to leave. He would much rather be at home comforting his wife anyways. He loved the RPM team to death (Summer made him realise that soon after they had gotten married), but he loved Summer a lot more, and it hurt him to know she was taking the news of Jordan's murder very hard.

Dani continued to whine as Dillon left the building, "Because we don't care about Dani. She can die for all we care..."

"Dani, you're an important part of the team," Tommy smirked, "Your powers are going to help us."

"Ohh, I'm listening," Dani giggled.

"To be honest, you were really the only one in that battle against Drake who stood a chance. Dillon and Kaylee went down soon after they started, but you stuck through it. Going in first; falling last."

"It's 'cause I kick ass," Daniela nodded.

"Actually, it's because Drake couldn't touch you with his super speed," Adam chuckled.

"But he can kill what he doesn't touch," Daniela frowned, "How else would he have managed to kill Hayden?"

"We don't know," Tori shrugged, "But we'll figure out the full extent of his powers."

"Then when we do we'll figure out a plan to take him down," Tommy finished.

"Without killing him!" Daniela added strongly. "I don't care if he's the most threatening man on the planet or if he can take out Rita, Lothor, Mesogog and all those other evil villains. No more killing!"

Kelly nodded, "We promise, we won't kill him."

-----Afterlife-----

Kaylee arrived Samantha's room door just as Scott was walking out. He was wiping away the tears from his eyes before bumping into Kaylee. He looked up at his mother in-law sadly. He didn't have to say a word for Kaylee to understand.

"Scared you were going to lose her?" she asked him. He nodded.

"I know it was never a threat," Scott said, "But I'm so relieved she's okay. I kept imagining what would happen if it had been worse. What would I do with Engel?"

"She would probably go to Mike," Kaylee frowned. Scott looked up sadly.

"I don't want her too."

Kaylee looked at her daughter's door longingly before pulling Scott to a nearby bench. She sat him down and frowned.

"Are you saying you want her to stay with you?"

"I don't know," Scott said, "I respect Mike, and I know he's her true father, but I love that little girl. If Samantha were to die, she would be the only living memory I could hold onto."

"She's not exactly yours though," Kaylee said.

"That's why I was scared," Scott said. "I'm scared that if I lose Samantha, I'll lose everything. I love her so much..."

Kaylee wrapped her arms around her son in-law, "Look, it's all over now. Everything's going to go back to normal. I promise. Engel will have all three parents and Samantha's going to be fine."

Scott nodded, kissing his mother in-law on the cheek, "Thanks."

"Anytime, kid," Kaylee smiled. "Flynn and Dustin are waiting in the car if you want to go back to the garage with them."

Scott nodded and left Kaylee so she could be alone with her daughter. She opened the door slowly and looked inside. Samantha was sleeping on her side, facing the window. Kaylee was careful to shut the door quietly as she approached the bed.

"Sammy?"

Samantha rolled over, "I don't want to sleep," she muttered, "I need to help the others."

"A few more hours," Kaylee chuckled.

"Want to know what happened?" Samantha asked her mother as she sat up. She was an Angel; it was natural for her to want to help people when they needed it, especially her family. If she couldn't help her sister, at least she could help take out the person who hurt her.

"He beat you," Kaylee nodded, "I don't need to know anymore."

"He was taking the life out of me," Samantha said, "I was dying on the inside. I don't know how he did it, but it was working."

Kaylee leaned in closer. So far she knew that he had the power to control death, but they didn't know his full extend. Help from one of his victims would surely further the investigation.

"Taking the life out of you?" Kaylee asked, "Literally or figuratively?"

"I don't know," Samantha said, "I couldn't breathe. I was outside, fresh air all around me, and I couldn't breathe. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker. Nothing was helping. I couldn't take a big breathe..."

"Your uncle could do something like that," Kaylee whispered, "But it's the Dark powers. Air Ninjas can control all air around them. They can pull just the oxygen away if they want their opponent to suffocate. If any Ninja uses that trick, they're expelled."

"But he's not a ninja," Samantha told her mother.

"I know," Kaylee nodded, "But I'm telling you what must have been going on. We know Drake's the bringer of death. He can touch someone and make them die."

"Well, it's more than just by touch," Samantha frowned.

Kaylee smiled at her daughter, "Thanks for the info sweetie."

"Do you know how to take him down?" Samantha asked.

"I do, but I'll need Hayden's help," Kaylee sighed. "Unfortunately she's in a coma."

Samantha's eyes nearly popped out of her head as he mother told her this. She knew her sister was in a bad condition, but they hadn't told her the full extent of Hayden's state.

"WHAT!"

Kaylee frowned, "Your father didn't tell you?"

"NO!"

"Drake pulled all the oxygen out of her body. A coma was the best case scenario."

"I have to go," Samantha said, pushing herself up. Kaylee placed her hand on her daughter's chest.

"She'll be fine," Kaylee smiled, "Believe me, if she wasn't I would already be in there."

Samantha dropped her head back on her pillow and groaned loudly. She was getting very frustrated with her parents. She wanted to help, she knew she could, but they weren't letting her leave the bed.

Kaylee could see the frustration and decided to crawl into the bed with her daughter. She pulled Samantha into her arms. One hand was playing with her daughter's neat blonde curls while the other held her little girl's hand.

Softly, in her ear, Kaylee whispered the lyrics to a song she had written long ago. She had written it after hearing about her miscarriage. It was a tribute to her dead daughter, and still was to this day. It was a gentle song that could, even now when Samantha was a grown woman, calm her; much like a timeless lullaby for the girl.

"_It feels like you're living in lies,_

_When you're told of a love that dies._

_To never see that shinning face,_

_No chance for a warm embrace._

_It wasn't supposed to happen like this,_

_Without the chance for a goodbye kiss._

_If you can hear me from above,_

_You'll never be forgotten,_

_And always loved."_

Samantha took a deep breath. Her head was resting on her mother's chest, rising and falling as Kaylee breathed. She could hear her mother's heartbeat beating gently.

Kaylee kissed the top of her forehead and whispered, "Everything will be okay."

Samantha nodded, "I know."

-----Afterlife-----

Kira was in the kitchen, making dinner for the Retros, Dani, Scott, Flynn, Greg, Dawn and Dustin when Daniela sat down on a barstool.

"You know, Drake's only out to get Kaylee. I don't see why you guys are here. It's not like he's going to attack the city."

Kira turned away from the stove for a moment to look at her niece.

"Actually, he might," Kira said, "He probably thinks he's happy with only Hayden and Samantha's blood on his hands, but really, he'll never be satisfied until Kaylee suffered, just like Jordan did."

"So?" Dani frowned.

"So, when Kaylee refuses to fit him, he'll try to draw her out. Best way to draw out a hero, is by attack what they're trying to protect. He's already taken out her daughters. Only thing left is the city."

"So once he's ready to face all of you, he'll try to draw Aunt Kaylee out?"

Kira nodded before dipping the spoon into the pot on the stove. She blew on it and offered it to Dani.

"How does it taste?"

"Really awesome," Dani grinned, stealing the spoon from her Aunt to lick it clean. Kira chuckled, grabbing another spoon from the drawer.

"Good."

"What is it?" Dani asked.

"I'm afraid that if I tell you, you're going to change your mind," Kira smirked, "Go tell everyone dinner's going to be ready in..."

Kira was interrupted by the alarms going off. Everyone rushed into the room to see what the trouble was.

Flynn brought up a few pictures on the monitors, sighing deeply as Drake's face came into view. He held a small child in his hands and was shouting to the skies. The Rangers couldn't hear him though, because the sound was muted.

"He's playing dirty," Greg growled.

Dani looked to Kira, "Wow, when you're right, you're really right."

Kira nodded slowly, "I wish I wasn't."

"C'mon team," Tommy called, taking a few steps back as he and the other retros formed a line. "Ready?"

"Sadly, yes," Xander sighed.

"It's Morphin' Time!"

"Ninja Storm, Ranger form!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

"Magical Source, Mystic force!"

-----Afterlife-----

The retros arrived in the city to find it bare. Unlike what was shown on the monitors, there were no people running away in fear.

Instead, their lifeless corpse rested on the ground.

The retros stood in complete horror and shock as Drake laughed maniacally.

"That was fun," he chuckled, "I can't wait for the real deal. Taking out Kaylee's friends and family will be sweet victory."

"You killed them!" Tori shouted, her boot touching the body of the little boy Drake had been holding.

"Your little sister killed my brother..."

"You took innocent lives!" Tori spat back. "Jordan was already a monster! She did what she had to do!"

"She murdered my brother and she never paid for it!" Drake cried loudly, and suddenly the other six Rangers dropped to their knees. Tori looked at them in horror, realising that Drake was somehow using his powers on them.

"Stop it!" she shouted as water burst from her body, spraying the maniac. Drake was caught off-guard and knocked off his feet. His powers failed for a moment, pulling the other retros out of their suffering. Tori helped them back to their feet, keeping her eyes on Drake. She now understood that for his powers to work, he needed to be focused.

She was a Sensei. She knew all about focus and power.

While the others caught their breath, Tori glared at her ex-boyfriend's little brother.

"You really need to get over this," she growled, "Jordan's not coming back."

"Don't you think I realised that?" Drake hissed, "After twenty-two years, I know I'll never see him again."

"Ready, Rangers?" Tommy shouted.

Kira screamed loudly, the sound waves hitting Drake only as the others rushed into battle. Drake covered his ears from the noise and glared at Kira.

He clenched his right fist and suddenly her screaming stopped. She dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Without the threat of her sonic scream, Drake managed to barely avoid Tommy and Adam's attack, jumping back just in time to watch them connect with each other. His hands flew up in the air and the Black and White Rangers felt the air rising with them. Suddenly, they couldn't breathe. Their vision faded to black as they dropped.

-----Afterlife-----

Kaylee closed Samantha's door behind her before a nurse ran into her.

"Miss Brooks, you have to do something!" the nurse shouted desperately, "There's a psychotic man attacking the city and the Rangers dropping like flies."

Kaylee didn't have time to question it before the nurse pulled her over to a window. From the window, Kaylee could barely make out the battle going on in the center of the city, but with the amount of dark energy in the skies, Kaylee could see that the Rangers were definitely loosing. Only a faint pink figure was still standing in the battle. Naturally, because Kelly's power consisted of air, she was harder to suffocate than the others, and suffocation seemed to be the only way Drake killed his victims.

It was a good idea on his part. Suffocation wasn't an easy death and left the victim in a state of total despair and helplessness. Kaylee had to admire his determination. However, he was a villain. And no matter how determined he was for justice, he needed to be stopped.

"Page Dr. Marks and Dr. Watanabe," Kaylee shouted as she bolted for Hayden's room. The nurse nodded, finding the nearest phone and calling for her two bosses.

Leanne and David quickly found Kaylee with the still unconscious Hayden.

"What is it?" Leanne asked.

"The city's in trouble," Kaylee said, "I can't wait for Samantha to recover. If she can't come to Hayden then Hayden's coming to her."

"How?" Leanne frowned, but David was already getting the picture. Carefully, he lifted Hayden and carried her to the door. Kaylee looked to Leanne and smirked.

"Like that."

David laid Hayden next to Samantha on the bed, confusing the elder sister, but she didn't say anything. She took the chance and kissed her baby sister on the cheek. She didn't care about any new plan; she was going to help her sister.

Hayden gasped, her eyes opening quickly as she bolted upright. David caught her before she launched herself off the bed.

Kaylee turned to Leanne, "Make sure Hayden's fine to go into battle in five minutes."

Leanne looked to her little sister, "Are you kidding me! Even at her healing rate..."

"I said five minutes!" Kaylee shouted, "Drake's finally lost it."

The mother approached her daughter, "Here's what I want you to do."

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden was still very weak as she stepped into the center of the room. She turned back to the heavy metallic door where her mother was standing on the other side.

"I love you," Kaylee whispered.

"I love you too," Hayden nodded, "Close the door. I can do it. I know I can."

Hesitantly, Kaylee shut the door and locked it. She set the combo to be used one more time before it would break forever and the door would never open again.

"Hayden, can you hear me?" Kaylee asked, speaking into a communicator.

"_Loud and clear."_

"Good. So when you bring Drake back inside, I'll come in and get you as fast as I can, got it?"

"_Yeah. And if he attacks me, I'll hold him off."_

"I shouldn't be long," Kaylee said, "I'll be right here waiting for you. I'll set the code, you'll run in. I'll lock behind you so he doesn't get out."

"_And I'll zwoop."_

"While I zwop," Kaylee chuckled, "Remember, what he looks like."

"_His face is burned into my memory."_

"Good," Kaylee nodded, "Go for it, sweetie."

Kaylee pressed her ear to the door, listening for a faint sound from the room.

Suddenly, there was a loud clank against the door.

"WHERE AM I?" Hayden shouted. "Let me out!"

-----Afterlife-----

Drake kicked Kelly in the stomach, forcing her on her back as he knelt down next to her. He grabbed her throat in his hand and squeezed it.

"Looks like I'm doing this the old fashion way," he smirked.

Kelly grabbed his hand, trying to get him to let go, but it was useless. Her energy was slowly dropping. She powered down and her eye began to roll up.

Suddenly he let go of her throat and pulled away. His eyes were wide as he looked around in horror. Kelly coughed, but made it to her feet. She grabbed Drake's wrist, throwing him down.

Drake landed on his back and looked up at Kelly.

"Aunt Kel! Stop, it's me!"


	12. Stolen Identity

Kelly paused for a moment, looking down at Drake's face. She then looked around at the chaos, seeing her friends' fallen forms on the ground.

Drake sat up, touching Kelly's leg gently. However, Kelly felt a sharp pain. Thinking he was trying to betray her, she pulled away, morphing instantly.

"You son of a bitch," she growled.

Drake pulled his hands back and looked at them in horror, "No... It didn't happen right," he said.

Kelly charged forward, leaving Drake only enough time to jump out of the way. He rolled on the ground as Kelly turned back to him. By the look on the Pink Ranger's face, Drake could tell she wasn't going to stop.

He knew she was probably upset about everything that happened. Already someone attacked two of her nieces, sworn revenge against her sister and killed another two. He would have done the same.

But he needed a way to convince her he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Aunt Kelly, its Hayden!" he shouted, turning back to the Pink Ranger, only to receive a fist in his gut. He doubled over in pain, landing on his knees. Kelly didn't stop there, spinning her leg around, connecting with his head. Drake fell to the ground, curled up in pain as Kelly hung over him.

"You're married to Uncle RJ and have one daughter, Hannah!" Drake tried, hoping Kelly would believe him.

"Leave my family out of this," Kelly growled.

"You only have one child because when giving birth to Hannah, she had the cord wrapped around her neck and wasn't breathing. You were so scared you lost her, like my mom lost Sammy..."

"Shut up!" Kelly yelled, kneeling next to her enemy and grabbing his collar.

"The doctors even told you it wasn't looking good. You were really scared."

Kelly dropped Drake on the pavement and pressed her fist into his chest as she powered down.

"You don't like tape because it always gets stuck onto you!" Drake tried again, "One night, some robber tied you up with tape and took all the money in Storm Chargers."

"Are you trying to join your brother?" Kelly growled.

"On your 33rd birthday I gave you a small rock on a chain," Drake said, catching Kelly's attention, "It was the rock we found together the week before. You and Uncle RJ were taking care of me for those three weeks before my mom was on tour and my dad had a big racing competition and couldn't be home."

Kelly looked down at Drake, almost begging him to continue this time. Drake smiled.

"I was missing my parents so you had taken my out into the forest and we played there for hours, just you and me. I forgot all about my parents not being alone because I was having so much fun. In the middle of our game of hide and seek, when I was the hider, I found that same rock on the necklace you're wearing now, along with the one Hannah made you. I ran out of my awesome hiding spot and my cute little five year old self offered you the rock. When I gave it to you, I told you I loved you."

Drake looked up at Kelly, hoping there was some sign on belief on her face.

"It was the first time any of the nieces or nephews told any of the Aunts or Uncles they loved them," Hayden explained, "We were all still too young to understand that we could hold those feelings. When I gave you the necklace, everyone thought it was sweet that I made something, but you started crying. When everyone looked away, you whispered to me that you loved me too. No one but us knows what that necklace is really from, and you know Drake couldn't have gotten this information because he didn't come close to me to get it out."

Kelly pulled away from Drake. He sat up and looked to Kelly.

"Aunt Kel, it's me, Hayden."

Kelly nodded and smiled, before suddenly dropping. Hayden shrieked before catching a glimpse of a wound on Kelly's leg.

"Don't worry, Hayden!" Daniela called, hopping over one of the bodies. Scott, Flynn, Greg and Dawn were right behind her, "Aunt Kayl called us and told us what happened."

Flynn ran straight for his wife, but stopped short of grabbing her and kissing her. She was currently a man.

"I don't know what to do," he frowned.

Hayden, inside Drake's body, chuckled, "Don't worry. Once I'm back in my own body, we'll say hi."

Flynn nodded.

Daniela was overlooking the bodies with the other Rangers, "They aren't dead, yet. Mayday, do you think you can heal them?"

Hayden looked down at her hands, then at the scar on her Aunt's legs, "I don't know. Something went wrong. Usually I keep my healing powers when I Zwoop."

Scott frowned, turning away from the fallen Retros, "Will you still be able to Zwoop back into your own body?"

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Hayden nodded, "I'm sure Drake's dying to have his death powers back, and between you and me, it's not easy to kill when all you can do is heal."

"Go find Aunt Kaylee," Dawn told her cousin, "Trade back bodies with those guys. We'll make sure everyone survives this."

Hayden nodded, turning away from her family and running towards the outskirts of the city, where her mother and her body were waiting for her in the Vault.

-----Afterlife-----

"Mom!" Hayden called, running up the stairs, finding her mother standing outside the door to the Vault. Kaylee stepped back out of instinct as the man ran over to her.

Hayden stopped before the door, "Open it. I don't want to be a man anymore."

"I'm with you on that one," Kaylee nodded, punching in the code. Just before she slammed on the access button, Hayden grabbed her arm.

"You remember what the inside looks like, right?" she asked.

"Of course I do," Kaylee nodded. "Remember, you have to act fast. Get in there, get your body back. I'll join you as soon as I can."

The door opened slowly, and Hayden wormed her way inside before Drake could escape. She shut the door quickly and heard it locking. There was a loud snap at the end, indicating the lock was broken. Never again would the door open for anybody.

Drake looked up at the door, horror written on his face, "Hayden?"

"Want your body back?" Hayden asked him.

"Hayden, no, you don't get it... it's me, Mom."

Hayden stopped, growling loudly, "FUCK!"

_Zwop!_

"Well, well," Kaylee chuckled, appearing inside the vault, "It seems no one is where their supposed to be. Little Hayden's in my body, Kaylee is in Hayden's body, and I'm in Kaylee's body."

"What did you do?" Hayden growled, clenching her fists as she glared at Drake inside her mother's body.

"I didn't do anything," Drake laughed, "When you switched bodies with me, your powers didn't tag along. It's a sick twist of fate that kept me in power."

Drake looked around the vault, "Want to know what the best part of this is?" he asked, "Now, both of you can die, and no one will hear your screams."

"You can't kill us," Kaylee frowned, "Hayden's body is invincible to everything but your powers, and you wouldn't dare hurt your own body."

Drake smirked, "Hayden's body isn't invincible to suffocation. I've learned that much."

"Forgetting something?" Hayden said, "My mom doesn't have your death powers. You can't suffocate her unless you grab her by the neck. And I'm not going to let that happen!"

Drake stepped closer to the two women, still wearing the malicious smirk on his face, "But I can do this."

With a snap of his fingers, he was gone. Hayden looked down at her mother.

"Now what?" she asked, "He just leaves us to die?"

Kaylee shrugged, looking around for some clue, "I don't know."

Hayden groaned loudly, dropping to her knees. Suddenly, she felt them getting wet. Looking down, she figured out what exactly Drake was going to do.

"He's filling this place up with water," she told her mother in horror, "He's going to drown us."

Kaylee's eyes widened, "He's using my Ninja powers."

Hayden ran over to her mother, "Trade bodies with him!" she said desperately, "Make him stop!"

"I can't!" Kaylee said, "That'll put him back in your body!"

"So?" Hayden frowned.

"So, then he'll have control over the body switching. He'll just move himself back into my body, and we'll be right back where we started."

"No..." Hayden frowned, "Not unless I can keep him from doing so."

"How?" Kaylee asked her daughter.

"I kill him."

Kaylee stared at her daughter in shock, "No," she whispered.

"Mom, c'mon!" Hayden begged, "You Zwoop back to your own body. When he's in mine I'll touch him! He'll die, and he'll no longer be a threat!"

"But you'll lose your body!" Kaylee said, "The answer's no."

"So you're going to let us die in here?" Hayden asked.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Kaylee sighed, "Except this."

_Zwoop!_

Hayden suddenly found herself staring at Drake's body. She looked down at her hands, realising they were her own.

"If we're going to die," Kaylee, in Drake's body, started, "At least one of us should die as ourselves."

-----Afterlife-----

Drake stepped into the hospital, where he assumed his victims were staying after their battle with him, and found the RPM Rangers in the waiting room. Daniela ran over to him.

"Aunt Kaylee, how did the plan go?" she asked.

Drake smirked, "Better than expected."

"Where's Hayden?" Flynn frowned, looking around Drake for his wife.

"I sent her home to rest," Drake told everyone, "She's had a pretty rough day."

"Okay, well the others are being looked after," Daniela nodded, "Dad just went back inside. Thankfully Drake didn't kill them."

"How are they all holding up?" Drake asked.

"Pretty good," Scott said, "They'll be coming home in a few hours. Then we can go back to our normal lives."

Drake nodded, "Perfect."

He brushed past Daniela and made his way down the hallway. He was just about to turn into one of the rooms when someone grabbed him.

"Kaylee, how did it go?" Leanne asked. Drake frowned. He didn't know this woman, and yet somehow, she knew Kaylee.

"Good?"

Leanne nodded, "That's good." She pulled out a chart from her coat, "These are the forms you'll need to sign so everyone can go home. They all just need a little bit of rest."

Leanne handed the chart to Kaylee, "Sign on the dotted line."

Drake looked down at the forms then up at Leanne, "Do I have to sign?" she asked. Leanne furrowed her brows.

"While you're here you might as well," she nodded, "I've put everyone's forms in one. You'll just need one teeny-tiny signature."

"I'll sign it after I've..."

"Oh just sign the stupid thing," Leanne groaned, shoving the pen in Kaylee's hand, "I've already let Hayden out without real permission. I was shot once for changing the system, I don't want people to get angry and doing it again."

Drake took a deep breath and signed the form as Leanne watched. He handed it back to her, but the look on her face didn't seem convincing.

"Kayl, I know it's been a stressful time, but you need to actually sign this thing," Leanne said.

"I did," Drake nodded, "That's my name."

"No, that's Kaileigh Hensan," Leanne frowned, "You're Kaylee Brooks."

"Whatever..."

"It's not a whatever," Leanne said, "Sign the form, and sign it right."

"Stop pressuring me!" Drake shouted, "I'm leader of this city. You can't tell me what to do."

Leanne shoved Drake into the wall, keeping him pressed against it as she whispered into his ear.

"What the hell have you done to Kaylee?" she asked.


	13. Drowning

Drake looked to Leanne, trying to push her off, but the woman was strong. She held her ground.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

Leanne scoffed, "Please. I've known Kaylee since she was seventeen. I trained her for years. She's my little sister. I know when something's not right."

"I guess my signature tipped you off," Drake chuckled.

"I knew long before that," Leanne grinned, "It was the way you looked at me. You had no idea who I was."

"So what are you going to do?" Drake asked, "Torture me until I'm back in my own body and trapped in a box?"

Leanne growled, grabbing Drake's shirt and shoving him into a large, dark room. She threw him in farther as she flicked on the lights.

Drake smirked, cracking his knuckles before he heard someone doing the same behind him. He turned around, finding the Retros on their feet.

"I thought you said they needed rest."

"A quick kiss on the cheek can do miracles," Leanne smirked.

"So, are you guys going to beat me up?" Drake asked, "Leave scars and bruises on Kaylee's body?"

"You know..." Kira started, exchanging looks with the other retros, "I remember one time, I got so mad at Kaylee, I was ready to knock her lights out."

Everyone nodded. Drake gulped, hoping Tori wouldn't have the guts to watch her little sister getting beat up by her friends, even if he was the one who would be feeling all the pain.

"You wouldn't hurt this face," Drake tried, pulling the puppy face.

Tori thought for a moment before answering, "C'mon, she's my little sister. Sometimes, I love her to _death."_

"C'mon, Vicky..."

Drake suddenly found himself against the wall, by Leanne's feet, holding his face in his hand.

"Mother fucker!" he cursed.

Kelly chuckled, exchanging looks with Xander as the two approached the enemy. She knelt down, while Xander stood over Drake.

"You called her Vicky!" Kelly giggled, "There's your mistake!"

Xander grabbed Drake, lifting him up and throwing him back into the middle of the group. He pointed his Mystic Morpher at the man as vines sprouted from the floor, wrapping around his limbs, trapping him.

"I can just Zwop out of here!" Drake called. He shut his eyes, preparing to teleport. However, he found it was blocked. He looked around at the Rangers before him. "What's going on?"

Leanne shrugged, "Oh, you know, after running the Thunder Ninja Academy for years Sensei, I've learned how to develop my Ninja powers. I'm inside your head."

"What are you doing to me?" Drake asked her.

"Nothing," Leanne shrugged, "That's the point of me being here. To make sure nothing happens. These guys, on the other hand, are going to get you to beg for mercy."

Drake pulled on the vines, "Let me go, or I'll kill her now."

"How are you going to kill her?" Tommy asked, "I thought it was your body that had the death powers?"

Drake squirmed against the vines, pulling one arm closer to his head, before successfully getting a branch to wrap around his neck. Tommy and Adam quickly jumped in, grabbing his arms to try and keep him from strangling himself.

Kira turned to Xander, "Drop the vines! They can't stop him!"

"If I drop them he'll be free!" Xander argued.

"If you don't, he'll die, as well as Kaylee and Hayden!"

Adam nodded to Xander, "We have a hold on him. Drop the vines."

Xander did as he was told, retracting the vines. Drake, Tommy and Adam felt to the floor, with the two Rangers pinning Drake down. Adam grabbed Drake's hand, pulling it away from his throat so he could continue to breathe.

Drake tried kicking, but Kira screamed loudly. The sonic waves pressed against Drake, keeping him on the ground. When Kira stopped, Adam and Tommy looked at her. The yellow Ranger shrugged.

"Not my fault you didn't warn us about Dino gems before taking us to the museum," Kira said.

Drake began to laugh, turning all heads towards him, "Do you guys really think this is going to help?" he asked them. "I want to see Kaylee dead."

"Well then," Tori smirked, "You won't get that chance. No one's leaving here until I get my sister and my niece back!"

"Then no one's leaving," Drake chuckled, "This isn't my body. Anything you do to it is futile. I could stay here all day."

Kelly sighed, "He's right," she said, "He's enjoying this."

"And it doesn't matter. Drake could want to switch back, but we need Hayden's body to initiate it," Tommy nodded.

Drake smirked, "You've never faced a villain like me before."

Tori nodded as she moved in closer to Drake. She pulled the communicator out of his pocket, "Kayl, Hayden, are you there?"

There was a silence on the other end, causing Drake to laugh again.

"Oh, look at that," he said, "They must be dead."

Tori growled loudly, crushing to communicator. She grabbed Drake's shirt, pulling him up slightly.

"I don't believe it," she said. "Now listen up, and listen well."

"Tori..." Adam started, dropping a hand on her shoulder. Tori shrugged it off.

"I know that somewhere, hidden behind the Zwop, Zwip and Zwoom, Kaylee has the power to Zwoop."

Drake raised his eyebrows, "Do you really think I'm going to try and save the woman I've been dying to kill?"

Tori shook her head, "You're going to do it."

"What makes you think that?" Drake asked.

Tori smirked, "The fact that you're inside the body of my little sister. That puts you in a very vulnerable position."

"How so?" Drake frowned, "I'm probably inside her body, but it's all me up here. Nothing you can say..."

Tori reached behind Drake's neck, touching the spot between his shoulders. Drake began to giggle.

"What are you doing?"

"When Kaylee was little, and she used to drive in insane. I had this little trick I used to do to get her to leave me alone. She has a tender spot right..."

Tori paused, pressing in deeply between the shoulders, just below the neck. Suddenly, Drake's giggling turned into a loud scream.

"... Here," Tori grinned, "Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?"

Drake looked up at Tori as she pulled her hand away, "Is that the best you can do?" he asked her, breathing heavily.

Tori frowned, "Nope."

She moved her hands down to his stomach. Leanne began to smirk, realising where Tori was going.

"Kaylee also had a miscarriage," she said, "And our dear Leanne had got inside her stomach to take the baby out. Now there's a very faint scar right about here."

Tori touched the scar and Drake began to feel very uncomfortable. He couldn't understand why, but the fact that someone was touching Kaylee's scar made him sick to his stomach.

"Stop it," he frowned.

Tori looked at Drake again, "Ready to find the hidden powers and turn yourself in? I could imagine your own body is looking really good right about now."

Drake shook his head, "A pressure point and a scar won't make me change my mind."

Tori sighed, "I didn't want to have to do this," she said, "But there's one more, teeny, tiny weakness Kaylee has."

Tori's hand moved down to Drake's left knee.

"She broke this knee a very long time ago," Tori explained, "And, while it was healing, she broke it again."

"So?' Drake asked, "You're not going to break your sister's knee, are you?"

Tori shook her head, "I could never do that."

She stood back up and smirked, "If I broke her knee, it would really, really hurt her. I couldn't hurt my baby sister."

Tori paused, "However, I can break your knee."

The Blue Ranger tapped her chin thoughtfully, smiling at the rest of her team. "I mean, yeah, it's my sister's body. But Drake will be the one feeling the pain, right."

Adam nodded as he pressed his two fingers down on the inside of Drake's left knee. Drake winced, trying to hide the pain.

Kelly smiled, "Does it hurt, Drake? There are some injuries the body never fully gets over. No matter how well it's healed, it'll always be a little painful. I think it's called a weakness."

Tommy made sure Drake was pinned down tight as Tori dropped into a stance.

"So," Tori started, "I can't break my sister's knee because I don't want to hurt her. But I can break this knee and hurt the man who hurt my sister."

Drake shut his eyes as Tori prepared to smash his knee.

-----Afterlife-----

The water was filling the room quickly. Already Kaylee and Hayden's heads were touching the ceiling.

"We don't have much longer, do we?" Hayden asked her mother.

Kaylee shook her head, "I'm afraid not."

_ZWOOP!_

Hayden's eyes were screwed shut as she suddenly stopped swimming. Kaylee could only watch as her daughter began to sink down.

Finally, under the water, Hayden opened her eyes and made her way back up, breaking the surface. She looked at Kaylee.

_ZWOOP!_

"I'm back!" Drake cried, happily, wrapping his arms around his own body, glad his brain was back where it was supposed to be. Kaylee frowned, noticing that she was staring at Drake's body.

"The hell?" she frowned, looking down, "Oh no. I'm Hayden again."

Drake nodded, "Yes, but I'm Drake."

Kaylee's eyes widened in horror as she realised her position. Drake began to swim over to her slowly.

"Now," he said, "I may have gone back to my own body, but there's nothing to stop me from killing whoever I'm trapped with."

Quickly, Kaylee, in Hayden's body, dove under the water, kicking off the ceiling as the water finally filled the room. If she stood any chance at surviving, it would at least be in the water. Though it wasn't Hayden's element, it was still the place Kaylee's mind felt safest.

Drake grabbed onto her leg as he too dove under, causing Kaylee to scream loudly as he burned through her skin. She turned around in the water to look at the mark. She didn't expect it to heal. Drake's powers were far too strong for Hayden's regeneration.

While Kaylee was distracted, Drake grabbed her arm, again causing the same pain. Kaylee screamed again, swallowing some of the water.

Drake smirked. He was going to get his wish. With his other hand, he reached for Kaylee.

Suddenly, the water flashed green for a moment before a hand grabbed his hair. It took his by surprise, and Drake opened his mouth.

Kaylee, though still choking on the water, did her best to recover as she looked around. She saw her body forcing Drake to the ground. As quickly as she could, she swam over to it, touching her body's shoulder.

Kaylee's body turned, spotting Kaylee and smiled. With a nod, Kaylee shut her eyes. The water flashed green again.

Kaylee looked down, seeing her own hands. She was back in her own body.

Hayden's body swam over, hugging her. Kaylee wrapped her arms around her daughter. Now that she was back in her own body, she had full control.

The water suddenly disappeared and Kaylee teleported out of the vault. She didn't care what happened to Drake anymore. He was the bringer of death. If he didn't want to die, all he had to do was say so.

-----Afterlife-----

Back at the hospital, the retros were waiting nervously. Kaylee's body had disappeared only moments ago. No one had any idea if it had been Kaylee inside her own body, going back to save Hayden, or if Hayden had wound up in Kaylee's body and went back to save her mother.

Tori looked to Kelly fearfully. The eldest of the seven sisters grabbed Tori's hand, squeezing it comfortingly.

All breathing stopped when the retros and Leanne heard a Zwop noise echo through the room.

"Kayl Whale?" Kira called softly, spotting her best friend and niece lying on the ground. Kaylee was first to sit up, massaging her head.

"Please don't mention anything that has to do with water," she groaned.

Hayden began to stir, her arm brushing against her mother's leg, reminding the female green Ranger that she wasn't out of the woods yet.

Before she had returned to her own body, Drake had inflicted two very painful wounds onto Hayden's body. Because his powers were so strong, Hayden's healing abilities could do nothing to help her overcome the pain or heal the injuries. If they were life threatening, Hayden was back in the hospital bed.

To add to Kaylee's fear, the mother realised that while still in her daughter's body, she had practically swallowed the ocean.

Kaylee grabbed her daughter's arm gently, "Hayden..."

Hayden's eyes opened as the pink Ranger smiled. She saw her mother and jumped into her arms.

Tori let go of the breath she had been holding as she dropped to her knees. Xander and Adam smiled at her, while Kelly wrapped her arms around the elder Hanson girl for comfort.

"What a day," Tommy smiled as soon as he knew everything was going to be okay.

"I think I've just suffered from three heart attacks, a shock and died of fear," Xander frowned, running his hand through his hair.

Tori touched her sister and niece, "You two are all wet. Are you okay?"

Kaylee nodded, pulling her sister into the hug, "Just fine," she answered.


	14. Dawning Relationship

After the events with Drake, the Brooks and the retros were slowly getting back to the normal lives. Everyone had been discharged from the hospital (after Kaylee signed the forms properly).

While the retros were back at the Garage, packing their bags to head back to NewTech city or to their homes in Corinth, Samantha was parking her car in the driveway of a small house. She stepped onto the driveway, stuffing her keys in her pocket as she walked up to the front door. She knocked once before walking inside.

"Mike? Engel?" she called.

From where she was standing, Samantha could see Engel and Mike sitting on the couch in front of the TV, eating dinner. As soon as the two year old heard her mother's voice, she hopped off the couch, spilling her food everywhere. She ran over to her mother and jumped in her arms.

"Mommy!" she cried happily while snuggling into her mother's chest, relieved her mother was okay.

Mike smiled, picking up the little pieces of Engel's dinner off his floor before joining his daughter and cousin at the front door. Without letting go of Engel, Samantha pulled Mike into a one armed hug. Mike squeezed her tight, kissing her forehead.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her. Samantha smiled, holding her daughter close. She had missed her terribly over the past few days.

"I'm feeling fine," she nodded. "Aunt Leah and Uncle David are still trying to decide if I need to take it easy, or if I'm okay to go back to normal activity."

Mike traced a cut just above her head that had yet to fully heal. He looked at his older cousin sympathetically.

"Does it hurt?" he asked her. Samantha reached up, touching it.

"Not really," she answered, "Only when I move my eyebrow. You know, you move that a lot more than you realise."

Mike chuckled as he touched his daughter's back, "I bet."

He leaned closer to his daughter, kissing her cheek softly, "Are you going to say goodbye to daddy?"

Engel giggled, curling in closer to her mother. Mike dug in deeper and kissed her again.

"One more kiss for daddy?" he asked. Engel kissed him quickly then pulled back into her mother. Samantha smiled, hugging her daughter as she looked at Mike.

"Thanks for taking her," she said. Mike shrugged.

"You know that's never a problem," he smiled. "And don't worry about anything from the hospital. I explained what happened. She understands."

Samantha breathed a sigh of relief, shifting her daughter from one arm to the other. She looked at Mike with a smile.

"Thank you."

"Hey, no problem," Mike laughed, "Just as long as you're okay."

Samantha nodded before turning out the door, taking her daughter with her. She looked down at her little girl.

"Did you have fun with daddy?"

Engel nodded furiously but pressed her finger to her mouth.

"Shh, but we eat candy before bed," Engel whispered. Samantha rolled her eyes and poked her daughter on the nose.

"Shh, but you won't get in trouble," she laughed, "This time."

-----Afterlife-----

The following morning, Dawn was placing the last box in the storage closet, before turning around and getting a look at her center. It was finally ready to be opened; and not a moment too soon. She walked to the door and flipped the sign over.

She stood, waiting for a moment, before a thought hit her.

"People have to know what the fuck this place is," she groaned. She turned to her desk, placed in the corner of the room, where a pile of flyers was stacked. She had been meaning to hand them out, but with all the drama with her cousins, it had slipped her mind.

Dropping her head in her hands, Dawn walked to her desk. She was about to pick up the stack of flyers when the door behind her opened.

"Is this the New Dawn center?"

Dawn rolled her eyes, "What did the sign say in big, shiny letters?"

The visitor chuckled, "I guess there are such things as stupid questions. You help people affected by the Venjix, right?"

"What did the notice on the door say as you walked in?"

Again the visitor chuckled, "Right, stupid question. Can you help..."

Dawn crossed her arms over her chest and turned around. The visitor laughed, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, again... stupid questions just keep falling out."

"Come," Dawn smiled, inviting him over. She pulled out the chair by her desk for him before sitting in her seat. She looked over at the visitor. "How can I help you?"

"Well," he smirked, "I guess I'm not the only one asking stupid questions. If I knew what kind of help I needed, I wouldn't be here, would I?"

Dawn sighed, extending her hand, "I guess so. I'm Dawn Matthews, founder and owner."

"Dean Woodstock."

"So Dean," Dawn smiled, grabbing a paper out of her desk as she began jotting down notes, "What can I do for you today?"

Dean shrugged, "Not much. I'm mostly here for my daughter."

Dawn frowned, "Is she here?"

Dean shook his head, "She's in school at the moment."

"So, why does she need help?" Dawn asked him. Dean leaned in closer, confusing Dawn. There was no one else in the center who could possibly overhear him; unless, of course, Dani was hiding behind the couch again.

"I haven't told anyone this yet... it's not one of my finest moments as a father."

"We all have those," Dawn nodded. Dean looked at her strangely. She backed away, raising her hand, "I mean I've seen it happen before. I come from a strange family."

Dean leaned back in his seat, "Right. Look, during the evacuation, my family and I tried to make it here together. My wife... perished, and my daughter lost an arm."

Dawn's hand flew to her mouth, "I'm so sorry."

Dean smiled, "She's had a lot of trouble fitting in with the children at school. I was hoping this place could help her out. Give her somewhere where she could feel accepted."

Dawn nodded furiously, "Of course," she said, "I mean, you're the first face in this center, but I will definitely do all I can to help your daughter."

"Thank you," Dean nodded, "She's ten years old and..."

"Wait... ten?"

"Yes."

Dawn smiled, "My cousin has a niece about your daughter's age who lost something in the evacuations as well. I make no promises, but maybe your little girl and Elena can meet. The best way to feel accepted is to find someone who you trust and understand."

Dean rose from his chair, pulling out a card from his front pocket. He handed it to Dawn.

"When you get an answer from Elena, give me a call," he smirked, "I'll be sure to pick it up."

Dawn stood up to shake Dean's hand, "I'll be sure to do so. My center's always open, unless the sign says otherwise."

Dean nodded, "That should be your new slogan, along with 'Stupid questions are real'."

Dawn chuckled, leading Dean to the door, "I'll think about it. I'll call as soon as I can."

"Thanks so much."

Dawn shut the door behind him and turned around, smiling happily. Her first customer and she already knew how to help him. She returned to her seat, placing her notes in the correct folders. As she closed the drawer, Daniela appeared from under her desk.

"He so likes you," she cried joyfully, causing Dawn to jump. The brunette turned to the former Silver Ranger with a sharp glare.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the Garage with your co-mechanic?" she asked.

Daniela shook her head, "Nope. The big order was from Drake, so Flynn and I decided to beat the old shit wagon with a hammer. But he says I'm too dangerous to hold a hammer, and that he's got a huge revenge thing for Drake. So he's working on his own, and I got bored."

"Obviously. What were you doing under my desk?"

"Eating," Daniela smirked, "I was eating at your desk, but then you came in and I had to hide before you got all mad."

"How did that work out for you?"

"I finished my sandwich," Daniela shrugged, "So brilliantly I guess."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "You are the biggest weirdo."

"That means you look better for Dean," Dani grinned. Dawn turned to the red head.

"Excuse me?"

"Were you not listening before. Dean totally likes you!"

"How do you know?" Dawn frowned, "How do you know his name?"

"Under your desk," Dani reminded her friend, "Duh!"

Dawn muttered something under her breath that Dani failed to catch.

"And I know, because he gave you his phone number!"

"I run the center. A lot of people will be giving me their numbers."

Daniela wrapped her arm around her friend, "Oh, Dawn, sweet, former killer robot Dawn. You are so innocent and naive."

"What's wrong with what you just said?"

"He gave you his number, laughed at your sarcastic jokes, when you're supposed to be sympathetic, and he said he would be sure to pick up the phone when you called. I don't know about you, but there aren't many guys that cute chilling by the phone waiting for the innocent killer robot chick to call them back."

"He's concerned about his daughter!" Dawn frowned.

"Okay, well there's that," Dani nodded. Dawn pulled away from the racing maniac as she moved to the toy box, making sure everything was in order for when Dean's daughter and Elena would visit.

Dani moved to the kitchen area to grab an apple, "But, there's also the idea that maybe, this loving father might be looking for a little more than just a friend for his daughter."

Dawn looked to Dani, "He's in a tough spot."

Dani moved close to Dawn, patting her friend on the back, "Venjix happened when? 2023?"

"I don't know," Dawn shrugged, "I was a killer robot, remember?"

"Right... Look, it's been years and years..."

"Dani, this guy doesn't like me, okay?"

"I'm not saying he doesn't like his daughter," Daniela smirked, "Hell, from what I heard, I'm sure he loves and adores that sweet, little, beautiful girl. However, you're supposed to be kind, sympathetic, patient and caring. First customer walks in and you go all sarcastic _hey dumbass_ on him, and he laughs it off and gives you the _wow she's cute_ look."

Dawn looked to her desk curiously, "How much can you see from under there?"

"I'm a sneaky little speedster," Dani giggled, "Anyways, next time you see him, look for the signs. Maybe, ask him to stay while Elena and his daughter play. If he says yes, then maybe I'm right. If he says no, then you can call me a dumbass."

"I already do call you dumbass," Dawn frowned.

"Whatever, I'm still right and I know it. This guy it totally hitting on his daughter's helper. That sounds so wrong."

"Hey dumbass, get back to work!" Dawn called, tossing Daniela's racing jacket. Daniela caught it and smirked.

"Don't worry, Dawn," Dani smirked, "You may not have a boyfriend before your birthday, but you will have one for Valentine's day, I promise."

"I already have a date!" Dawn shouted, "My cousin! Same as you! We're going out to dinner for her birthday."

Dani pulled out her cell phone, "Well, my killer robot friend, you are cancelling that date!"

"Dani!" Dawn shouted, running out the door after the red head. She flipped the sign to close, chasing her friend through the city before Dani cancelled on Hayden for plans she didn't even have yet!


	15. Roses

Dawn stepped up to the front step of Mike's parents' home. She rang the bell nervously and waited for an answer. She never thought she would be visiting Mike's parents' home without Mike or her cousins around, never mind coming to ask his ten year old blind sister a favour.

The door opened and Tori stood, smiling.

"Well, definitely not who I expected, but come in," she greeted, swinging the door open wider. Dawn stepped inside.

"Who were you expecting?" she asked.

"Hannah's supposed to drop by," Tori said, "RJ doesn't want his baby girl to learn to drive, but Kelly's eager to turn her into a delivery girl for the pizza place before she's 17. Needless to say, because RJ refuses to teach her and Kelly's at work, I'm stuck with the job of driving with the inexperienced."

Tori led Dawn to the kitchen and offered her a drink, but Dawn refused politely.

"I'm actually here to talk to Elena. Is she home?"

The front door opened as Elena made her way inside.

"I'm home!" she cried out, dropping her bags.

Tori shook her head, "Oh, sorry, you just missed her."

Dawn chuckled as she approached Elena slowly.

"Hey kiddo," she called out. Elena tilted her head upwards and smiled.

"Hi, Dawn!"

Dawn smiled, "You're pretty good at that. I barely said two words."

"I've had practice," Elena shrugged, "Is Mike here?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you a favour," Dawn said, taking Elena's coat for her and hanging it up. Tori stepped into the hallways, leaning against one of the walls as she listened closely.

"Okay..."

Dawn knelt down in front of the blind girl, touching her arm gently, "You know how I've opened up a center, right?"

"Yeah," Elena nodded, "And you asked me if there were any toys I wasn't playing with so I could donate them to you. Are you asking for more?"

Dawn shook her head, "No. You see, I got my first customer yesterday, and he told me that he had a little girl, only two years younger than yourself, who lost something in the evacuations, just like you."

"What's that?" Elena asked.

"Well, you see, she ended up losing an entire arm when she was three years old," Dawn said. Elena gasped, imagining the horror. She had lost her sight, but she could still do everything like before. She couldn't imagine the struggles of losing a limb. Dawn rubbed her arm gently to calm the ten year old down.

"Don't worry, kiddo. She's lived most of her life with the handicap," she explained, "Just like you've gotten used to being blind, she's probably gotten used to living with one arm."

Elena nodded, "So why do you need me?"

"Apparently, she's feeling a little left out because of it," Dawn answered, "Not many people in Corinth suffer from handicaps, and as you probably know, kids can be a little... mean to people who are different."

Elena sighed, "I was made fun of when I first when to school," she said. "The other kids were laughing at me because I was never looking at them when I talked to them. But it's not my fault I couldn't see exactly where they were."

"Of course not," Dawn nodded, "But she needs somewhere where she can feel like she belongs. At least one place where people understand her. I don't think I can help."

Elena began hopping excitedly, "Can I help her? Please!"

Dawn smiled broadly as she looked over at Tori. The Blue Ranger nodded, giving Dawn permission to take Elena to help another little girl.

"I was hoping you would say that," Dawn chuckled, "How about you go clean up from wherever you've been, go grab a snack, then I'll take you down to my center. You'll be a very big help, Elena."

Elena grinned as she raced to her bedroom, "I don't care! No one picks on that little girl because she's different! She'll fit in with me. You'll see."

Dawn couldn't help but smile as she watched the little girl run to the bedroom to get changed and clean off, until she saw Tori with tears in her eyes. She stepped over to the older woman and frowned.

"Are you okay?"

Tori nodded, wiping away a few tears, "I'm just so proud of her," she whispered, "Only a few years ago she was trying to cope with her blindness and she was telling me she couldn't do it..."

"Now she's helping others," Dawn finished. "C'mon, you're her mother. You should have been the first to know that her being blind wasn't going to change anything. It was just a bump. Now she's running around this place like any other kid her age would do, and if I didn't know any better, I would say you guys were lying about her sight."

Tori chuckled, "I'm just happy to see her happy."

Dawn placed her hand on Tori's shoulder, "Thanks for letting her do this."

"No problem," Tori nodded, "After all, who else could help that little girl? She's being made fun of because she looks different. Elena can't see that difference."

-----Afterlife-----

"Almost done," Greg smiled, turning over the console he was working on. Now that things were back to normal with Hayden and Samantha, he could finally get back to work on the programming for the hospital on wheels. He just needed to connect a few more wires and install one of his most advanced firewalls to make sure nothing could prevent the doctors from saving lives.

He connected the gold and silver wires (a complete coincidence), and the technology came to life.

"YES!" he cried, pumping his fists in the air as he removed his magnifying glasses. Daniela walked in to his office at that point and laughed.

"I still think you look funny with those things on," she said. Greg put the glasses on the table and looked over to his girlfriend.

"What are you doing here during work hours?" he asked her. Daniela shrugged.

"Business is slow in the garage," she said, "Not many people need repairs or upgrades right now. Flynn went out to walk the dog, so I stopped by here to tell you you look funny."

Greg pouted, "Well then."

"Okay, that, and to let you know Valentine's Day dinner for Hayden is cancelled," Dani explained, "I'm setting Dawn up on her very first date."

"Are you meddling?" Greg asked. Daniela shrugged.

"Maybe. But this guys likes her! I know he does."

"Does she like him back?"

"No idea," Dani giggled, "But matchmaking is fun. Anyways I don't know if Dawn would know if she loved someone. She was a killer robot before this, remember."

"You're such a sensitive person," Greg laughed, "So, do you want to make any plans for Valentine's Day then?"

Daniela nodded as her hand moved to the necklace she still wore around her neck. It was the necklace Greg gave her when she went to the alternate future. It was one of her most prized possessions. She had still never taken it off. However, she had yet to tell Greg where she got it from.

He noticed her hand going to the necklace and sighed, looking down at the wires he connected.

"I wanna do something romantic," Dani answered, "Something we wouldn't normally do on any other day."

"Dani, if we do that I'm going to be killed by your father, your uncles, their sons, and Heather," Greg said, "You know what they think about..."

"Monkeys having sex?" Daniela giggled.

"We're still kids."

"We're eighteen!" Daniela argued, "We're responsible for ourselves now. Anyways, my parents are cool with it."

"Really?"

"We've been together for years now," Daniela nodded, "I think they think we've already had this night."

Greg shook his head, "I don't know Dani. I kind of wanted to save it for a special night. Like the honeymoon or..."

Greg's jaw suddenly dropped as Daniela froze up.

"The honeymoon?" she asked, turning to face him slowly. Though they had been together for years, neither had ever discussed the possibility of marriage.

"Yeah... you know, the days following a wedding. After you've just committed yourself to the love of your life," Greg nodded, "I was hoping for something like that. With the woman I choose to marry."

"Ah," Daniela nodded, "Well, if you don't want to, I won't force you. It would be illegal to do so anyways."

Greg moved to plug the console in so it could charge up completely before he installed the firewall. When he was done, he looked to Dani with a smirk on his face.

"I promise, we'll do something extra special, okay?" he said, "And I'll plan it all. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Daniela nodded, poking his nose, "I'll hold you to it."

She checked her watch as it beeped before turning back to Greg, "My lunch is over. I should head back before we lose any random customers. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Perfect," Greg nodded.

Daniela kissed her boyfriend on the cheek as she ran out. Greg looked back at his console for a moment, before making his way to his desk drawer, pulling out a magazine he had been hiding from Dani for years now. He began to look through it, smiling to himself. Suddenly, he heard a bang on the door. Thinking Dani was coming back inside he stuffed the magazine back in his desk quickly and touched his console, as if he hadn't been doing anything. When the coast was clear and no one walked back in, he pulled the magazine back out. A smirk spread across his lips as he kicked his feet up to relax.

Outside, Dani just cleared the door when she pulled out a little handheld computer Heather got her for her birthday. Accidentally, it slipped out of her hand and hit the front door to Greg's office.

"Shit," Daniela whispered, picking it out of the mud. She checked the year with a smirk on her face.

"Okay, Gregory. It's been two years. I've waited long enough."

-----Afterlife-----

Kaylee stepped out of her car and onto the parking lot grounds. It was her first time in NewTech city, and she was amazed by everything.

She decided to finally visit this other city after recovering from the events with Drake. She knew she had broken Summer's heart with the reveal of her past, and knew she needed to explain things properly. She doubted Summer would want to come back to Corinth, so she made the journey out to see her.

Kira had written Summer and Dillon's address on a small piece of paper for Kaylee, and let the Aunt go off on her own. Kaylee looked down at the paper then at the intersection she was standing at.

"763 Whipple Avenue," she read, "Perfect. Whipple is right down here."

Kaylee began to walk down the street, checking the house numbers as she did.

"755, 757..." she read aloud, before stopping in front of a green house. There was a man outside, trimming his roses. He looked up at her with a smile.

"You're Kaylee Brooks!" he said, "I never thought I would see you here."

Kaylee stopped, "Yeah, hi."

"Are you looking for the McKnight girl?"

Kaylee nodded, "Yeah. I'm on the right street, right?"

"Yep," the man smiled, "It's the white one, just around the bend."

"Thanks."

Kaylee walked up the front steps of her nieces house and rang the bell. The door opened a moment later and Kaylee stood face to face with Summer.

Kaylee smiled shyly, "Hey, kiddo. You've got some nice neighbours."

Summer looked outside.

"Mr. Harvey? He's a bit of a creep," Summer frowned. She turned back to her Aunt with a pointed look, "What do you want?"

"I'm here to talk," Kaylee said, "Can I come in?"

Summer opened the door, letting her Aunt inside.

"This better be good."


	16. Dirty Little Secret

Once inside Summer's house, Kaylee made her way over to the couch. She sat down as Summer took a spot on the chair beside it. Kaylee took a deep breath.

"I wanted to talk about Jordan," Kaylee said gently, keeping her gaze on her niece. "What did Bridge tell you?"

"I didn't listen to him," Summer frowned, "I don't care."

Kaylee got off the couch and knelt down in front of her niece, "Summer, I really want to make this right."

"You killed someone!" Summer shouted. "You killed someone, and you think that's okay?"

"Not at all," Kaylee shook her head as she took Summer's hand in hers. "It was wrong, very wrong. I wish I had never done it... the way I did."

Summer frowned as she looked up. "What?"

"I'll be honest with you, brat," Kaylee sighed, "I'm happy that Jordan's dead. He's out of my life and he's out of Tori's life. But I hate the way I did it. I beat him to death mercilessly."

Summer turned away as she began to tear up. Kaylee moved in closer, hoping she could comfort her niece.

"I hit him, punched him, and kicked him until his neck snapped and he died. I regret doing that. But he was a threat not only to your Aunt Tori, but to the world. He joined Thrax and turned himself into a monster. There was nothing I could do."

"But you killed him..."

"I know," Kaylee nodded, "It came with the job. Saving the world comes first. If someone threatens that, you have to stop them. I hate that it had to be death, but there was nothing else I could do."

Summer got up, pushing past her Aunt, trying to leave.

"Summer..."

"NO!" Summer shouted, "It's still... It's weird!"

"I know it is... but you have to understand..."

Dillon stepped into the house at that moment, smiling about his day at work (he had taken a job working for Conner until he could get on his feet), but when he heard his wife and Kaylee shouting, he knew it wasn't the time. He stood by the door and waiting for things to calm.

"Understand what?" Summer frowned, "That I've been living with a murderer! The person who was supposed to take care of me if something happened to my parents willingly took the life of another human being for personal reasons? You're insane!"

"You've forgiven Dani..."

"Dani didn't do it on purpose!"

"She turned the gun on the man, knowing he was going to shoot! It's not the same but..."

"Dani didn't have a choice!" Summer screamed, "It was the shooter, or Aunt Leah..."

Kaylee grabbed Summer gently, keeping distance so Summer wasn't feeling intimidated, but at the same time staying close so Summer would listen.

"Jordan sided with Thrax. Remember your parents and I told you how dangerous he was? If I let him off who knows what he would have done to Tori? The damage was already done. Jordan was a monster, the world was in danger. I did my job."

"Being a Ranger doesn't give you the right to kill," Summer growled, "You taught us that on our first day. That no matter what, you don't kill."

"I took that from experience," Kaylee whispered, "It makes me sound like a hypocrite, but I was passing down my knowledge to you."

"You said you were happy he's dead..."

"Are you happy Venjix is dead?" Kaylee asked, "The machine who took Dillon away from you and robbed him of everything?"

"That's not the same..."

Dillon decided to interfere. He wrapped his arms around his wife, kissing the top of her head.

"Look, Sunshine. I don't know much about Jordan, but didn't he abuse your Aunt? And didn't he cheat on her? That's pretty humiliating. Venjix taking me and turning me into a hybrid, that's pretty humiliating too. But even if Venjix is just a machine, and Jordan was formerly a human, they caused the same damage. You've told me countless times about your hate for Venjix. How you wish you could have destroyed him yourself. Well, the only difference between you and Kaylee is that she actually got to destroy the thing that hurt Tori. Other than that, it's pretty much the same."

Kaylee smiled at Dillon as he turned to her. He extended his arms out and pulled her into a hug.

"Now, I don't know about Summer, but I forgive you," he said.

Summer looked up, "I guess... I understand."

"You don't have to like it," Kaylee whispered to Summer, "You don't even have to forgive me, just please don't hate me, Summer."

Summer smiled, "I can't hate you. You're my Aunt Kaylee. You love me more than my mommy does."

Kaylee giggled, "Yay, she's still on my side."

Dillon rolled his eyes, "Weirdoes."

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn was watching Elena set up the toys for her new friend. She called Dean about an hour ago, and he told her he was on his way and that he just needed to pick up Emily from school.

"Are you excited?" Dawn laughed as Elena accidentally dropped another toy. It rolled away from her and Dawn reached over to pick it up so Elena didn't have to search everywhere for it.

"Yes," Elena nodded, "I hope she likes me."

"I'm sure she will," Dawn nodded, "But remember to be very patient with her. She may not want to play the games you play, and there might be some stuff she won't be able to do."

"Right away," Elena smiled, "She can do anything you can do; she just does it differently."

Dawn was proud to hear that as she kissed the ten year old's cheek, "Just be her friend, okay? Nothing more."

"I will," Elena nodded as the door bell sounded. She jumped enthusiastically as she took Dawn's hand. The two walked over to greet their guests.

Dean walked in with a smile as he held his daughter's hand.

"Dawn, I would like you to meet Emily," Dean said, introducing Dawn to his daughter. Dawn knelt down and smiled at Emily.

"Hey, Emily."

Emily pulled herself behind her father nervously. Dawn smiled as she stood back up. She touched Elena's back, pushing her forward slightly.

"Emily, I brought a friend for you today," Dawn said, "There's a toy box in the corner, why don't you go see if there's a toy you want to play with."

Emily looked up at her father nervously, but her pushed her forward with a smile on his face.

"Go have fun, sweetheart," he smiled, "I'll be over there with Dawn."

Elena smiled in Emily's direction as Dawn handed her a white cane, "C'mon, I brought a few of my toys!"

Emily looked at Elena curiously, wondering why she was tapping a stick in front of her. She pointed, hoping Elena would understand, but Elena couldn't see. She continued going until she realised she couldn't hear Emily's footsteps. She turned around with a big smile.

"Are you coming?"

Emily nodded, slowly joining Elena at the toy box.

Dean sat down at the desk with Dawn doing the same. They looked over at the girls before Dean turned to Dawn.

"Thanks for doing this," he smiled.

"It's my job," Dawn nodded, "I want to help people."

"Was Elena okay with coming?"

"Are you kidding?" Dawn laughed, "I don't think I could have stopped her. She really wants to help Emily out."

"That's great!" Dean smiled, "I'm so glad Emily's going to have a friend who she can talk to. I mean, I try to be understanding, but..."

"It's not the same," Dawn nodded, "I know what you mean."

"Ola!" Dani called, walking into the center, "How's my favourite robot?"

Dawn groaned, dropping her head slightly, "Dani, what are you doing?"

"The garage is closed, I'm bored, and I heard you brought Elena over here," Dani smirked, "I'm here to help."

"Oh, great," Dean smiled, but Dawn shook her head.

"It's not what you think."

Dani grabbed a chair and placed it between Dean and Dawn, "So, Dean, right?"

"How did she...?"

"It's a long story," Dawn frowned, "Dani's the family sneak."

"One and only," Dani nodded, "Now, there's a reason why I'm here."

"Aside from the other one?" Dawn asked. Dani nodded.

"Of course. Some dude came to the garage this afternoon and knew my mom was Ronny Robinson. He heard I loved racing and offered Flynn and I this huge job if I got a bunch of people to go see a race. He owns the track."

"Oh god..." Dawn sighed, hiding her face in her arms to cover the blush. She knew what Dani was doing.

"Now, I'm going to be racing, and I thought it might be a lot of fun for the girls if they could watch. It could help them bond, and maybe they'll find something they love doing."

Dean smiled, "That sounds like a great idea!" he said. Dani grinned.

"Of course it does. I mean, this place is awesome fun, and the toys are really cool, but this could be a field trip. And don't worry. I'll tell the girls about safety and restrictions and everything. I thought it would be nice if the four of you hung out."

Dawn got up and grabbed Daniela's arm, pulling her to the door.

"Dani, I don't want a boyfriend right now," she whispered. Dani pulled away.

"Okay, fine. Don't go and rob that poor child of an exciting day at the track."

"Not everyone loves cars," Dawn frowned.

Daniela looked at the older girl, "That's not the point. I didn't set this up on purpose, Dawn. Some dude actually did come in, and Flynn and I really need to start working again. It just so happens that there's two people I want to set up, and there are two girls who are trying to bond. Why not take them out into the real world! I can't do much for Elena in the case of racing, but Dean's daughter will probably love knowing that there is the possibility for her to have a normal career, and the kids that are picking on her now will only be a hard phase in her life."

Dawn looked at Dani in surprise.

"Do you want to run this place with me?" she joked.

"No," Dani frowned, "C'mon, Dawn. It doesn't have to be a date."

"I thought that was the whole point?"

"Yes, but even if you don't like Dean, do it for the cutie pie over there."

"Whoa," Dawn smirked, "Who said I didn't like Dean?"

"So you'll go out with him?"

"No," Dawn smiled, "But I'm taking him and the girls to a race."

"Good," Dani grinned, "And don't worry about Elena not seeing anything. She's been to a dozen of Mike's races. She loves the sounds of the engines, the excitement and just the idea of being there to show support."

Dawn grabbed the four tickets from Daniela and turned to Dean, "Wanna go see a race?"

-----Afterlife-----

Greg was closing up his shop with his magazine tucked under his arm when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped fear, turning around quickly and stuffing the magazine in his pocket.

"It's not mine!" he called, "I wasn't looking at it, I swear!"

"Whoa," Scott laughed, "Dude, relax. It's just me."

Greg laughed nervously, "Oh, hey?"

Scott laughed, "So, what is it you're hiding?"

Greg pushed the magazine in further, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Scott shrugged, "Okay, well I was on my way home when I saw you closing up. Want a ride?"

"Actually I was going to go to the bank," Greg said, "I need to make a withdrawal."

"I can drive you," Scott smiled, "We can do a little catching up."

"N-no," Greg frowned, "It's okay... I actually have a few errands to run."

"Greg, calm down," Scott laughed, "Wow, you're wound up pretty tight. Are you sure you don't want me to tag along to keep your nerves down."

"No, if you find out what I'm doing you'll tell Sam, and she'll tell Dani, and that's the last thing I want," Greg frowned. Scott looked at the genius.

"What are you hiding?"

"Seriously, it's nothing," Greg frowned, pushing past Scott, "I'll just call a cab. Anyways, I'm sure Engel and Sam want you to get home."

"Okay, I guess," Scott sighed, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "What was in that magazine that could make him so jumpy?"

Scott started back to his car before his eyes widened.

-----Afterlife-----

"I'm telling you, Flynn. I put my hand on his shoulder and he jumped a foot in the air. Before I even knew there was something to hide, the magazine was in his pocket," Scott sighed as he sat at the bar with Flynn. After his suspicions on the magazine Greg was carrying, there was no way he could go home without talking to someone about it. He didn't want to worry Samantha, or have his suspicions worry Dani in case they accidentally leaked, and he knew he could trust Flynn with anything.

"Are you sure it's that?" Flynn asked, "I mean the lad's a shy man. He wasn't afraid to watch the discovery channel during monkey week."

"Yeah, but this stuff is different! It's degrading! And he has a girlfriend now. If she finds out... any man would be doomed."

"Well, you said he was going to the back, right?" Flynn said, "He wouldn't need money for that."

"I know that," Scott nodded, "But I followed him..."

"You're sounding like the creep now, man," Flynn laughed.

"He was in that side of town," Scott whispered, "You know... the place even Fresno Bob won't visit because it's too..."

"Okay, okay," Flynn nodded, "I get it."

"Something's not right," Scott said.

"How about, before we tell the girls, we talk to him," Flynn suggested. "If he doesn't tell us, we'll get them involved and we'll intervene."

"What about Dani?" Scott asked, "If she finds out she'll be heartbroken."

"Maybe she'll be able to set him straight," Flynn shrugged. "My only question is: what could drive a smart man like him to do this?"

"I don't know," Scott sighed, "But he was locked up in Alphabet Soup for most of his like. I'm sure Health Class wasn't a top concern. Maybe he's just confused."

"He's got a father," Flynn frowned.

"We'll find out," Scott assured his friend, "One way or another."


	17. Further from the Truth

"It just had to be the coldest day of the year, didn't it?" Dawn muttered as she held Elena's hand, guiding the blind girl through the bleachers until they found their seats in the stand.

Emily tugged on her father's jacket before pointing over to a groundhog mascot, running through the crowd of people, getting them excited.

"What's that, daddy?" she asked. Dean lifted the girl up and smiled.

"It's Groundhog's day," he explained, finally finding his seat. He placed his daughter down right beside where Elena was seated, then sat next to her, "Whether or not the groundhog see's his shadow will determine how many more weeks of winter we have."

"But it's all programmed," Elena whispered to Emily, "The groundhog thing doesn't work anymore."

"Oh," Emily nodded.

Dawn reached into her jacket and pulled out a small radio. She placed it in Elena's hands as she leaned over to talk to the girls. The race was set to start soon, and the fans were cheering loudly in support of their favourite driver. Dawn could hardly hear herself think over their incessant screaming.

"Girls, Dani gave me this. When you turn it on, you'll be able to hear the pit crew helping Dani in the race," she told them, "You'll know everything going on behind the scenes."

"Cool,' Elena smiled. Because she couldn't see the race, the cars driving around in circles wasn't going to do much for her. However, now that she was going to be able to listen in as her Aunt raced her way to the finish line, she found a new interest.

Dawn pressed the power button, turning on the radio. Suddenly, Daniela's voice sounded.

"_Happy Birthday, Killer-Robot!"_

Dawn groaned loudly, dropping the radio in Elena's lap as she took her seat.

"Really?" she muttered to herself, "She had to announce it."

The girls were too distracted by the cars and the radio to pay attention, but Dean leaned over in his seat. He smiled at Dawn.

"I didn't know it was your birthday," he whispered.

"Apparently it is," she sighed. "Dani just had to..."

"If I had known I would have paid you back for the tickets. You didn't have to do this instead of celebrate."

Dawn turned back to Dean with a polite smile.

"Daniela got the tickets for free," she said, "She gave them to me after finding out about Elena and Emily."

"But to come here, today of all days. There would surely be more races," Dean pressed, "Now I feel bad."

"Don't," Dawn said, "I'm only 19. It's no 21st birthday, honestly..."

But Dean wouldn't have it. He put his hand on Emily's leg and looked to Elena, "Hey, girls, after this, how about we go out for ice-cream to celebrate Dawn's birthday?"

Emily turned to Elena with a big smile on her face. With her one hand, she grabbed her friend excitedly, "Ice cream!"

Elena turned to Dawn, "Please, Dawn! I promise I'll be good!"

"You're always good, brat," Dawn laughed, ruffling the ten year old's hair.

Dean smiled to Dawn, "Please, I insist. It is your birthday after all. I would feel terrible if you gave it up for two strangers."

"It's my job," Dawn said.

Dean moved out of his seat, sneaking in closer to Dawn. He whispered in her ear so the girls wouldn't hear.

"Are you always this stubborn when someone tries to ask you on a date?"

Dawn began to blush. She nodded, finally giving in.

"When you put it that way," she laughed, "Alright. After the race we stop for ice cream!"

Elena and Emily cheered, pumping their hands in the air. Dean returned to his seat as the race began. Having already been briefed on everything by Daniela and her uncles and cousins, he was easily able to follow. However, every once in a while he turned over to look at the three girls sitting beside him.

He was happy Emily was finally coming out of her shell. After learning that Elena was blind (and after being told that meant Elena couldn't see), she started feeling more comfortable. It was nice to finally see his daughter happy once again and to finally have a friend.

He couldn't help but feel a few butterflies when he looked at Dawn. There was something about her that really fascinated him. She was always patient with the people around her (he could only imagine how difficult it was to live with Daniela as a friend), and she was always so caring. He couldn't understand Daniela's nickname for her, but Dawn insisted that it fit perfectly with who she had been. He wanted to know more about her.

As the race began, Dawn sunk down in her seat, hiding her blush with her hair as she pulled out a communication device Greg made after the Ranger days. She pressed the silver button gently.

"Daniela, I don't know how you did it, but you did it," she said, "But don't ever do it again."

"_Love you too, Dawn!"_ Dani answered.

-----Afterlife-----

Greg was just getting home that evening after a long day running errands. He carefully tucked his books under his arm as he reached into his pockets for the keys to unlock the front door.

Suddenly, he heard something rattling in the bushes. Slowly, he turned around to check what it was. Before he could get any closer, two figures jumped out. Greg dropped his books and fell into a defensive stance.

"Whoa, whoa," Flynn said, coming into the light with his hands up, "It's just us, man."

Scott appeared as well from behind Flynn, "Sorry about that, but Flynn here had to pee."

"You went in my bushes," Greg frowned as he reached down to pick up his books. Scott, seeing the opportunity to find the magazine Greg had been hiding, decided to help. He saw something sticking out of Greg's Advanced Technology book and reached for it, hoping he could somehow make it fall out and make it look like an accident.

Just as he was about to reach it, Greg grabbed the book. The magazine, sticking out still from the top, brushed against Scott's fingers, the edges cutting him slightly. Scott pulled back instinctively, putting his finger in his mouth to ease the pain.

Greg looked at Scott, "I'm sorry."

"What was that?" Scott asked, "Dude, there's something sticking out of your book."

Greg looked at the Technology book and saw his magazine was coming out. He tucked it back inside and stuffed the book under his arm.

"Oh, that?" he said, "It's... it's nothing... Nothing you need to worry about."

As Greg fumbled through his pockets to get his keys, Scott turned to give Flynn a knowing look. The Scotsman shrugged. Scott rolled his eyes and motioned for Flynn to pick up the conversation.

"Are you working on another big project?" Flynn asked. Greg shook his head.

"No, just the hospital," he said, "Seriously, guys. It's nothing I can't handle."

Greg suddenly stopped and turned to the two men, "Hold on. We don't live together anymore. Why are you guys at my place? And peeing in my bushes no less? Don't you have families and toilets you can go home to?"

Flynn looked to Scott. The Red Ranger frowned.

"Look, Greg, we saw you in... that side of town and we wanted to know what was up," he started. "And know that whatever is it, you can talk to us about it. Dani doesn't have to know."

A look of panic crossed Greg's face as he dropped his keys.

"Don't tell Dani about this!" he said, "Please, whatever you do, she can't know! None of the girls can! If they find out..."

"They don't have to," Flynn nodded, "Just let us know what you're doing."

Greg looked down at his book, letting out a long sigh. He knew he could trust the boys with anything. However, his secret was big and it wasn't something he wanted to share. He wasn't ready to admit it yet.

"Look," Greg sighed, "I'm a big boy. I can handle things like this. If I need your help, I'll ask. Until then, butt out."

Greg finally got his door open and stepped inside the house. Before the boys could follow the door was slammed shut and locked.

Flynn turned to Scott nervously, "What do you think he meant by _if I need your help_?"

Scott shuddered, "I don't know, dude. But he's not coming clean."

"We're going to have to tell Dani, aren't we?" Flynn asked; his voice filled with dread.

-----Afterlife-----

After dropping Elena off at home, Dean had offered to drive Dawn back to her apartment. It wasn't a long walk from Tori and Blake's house, but he figured he would take advantage of Emily being asleep to talk with Dawn.

He pulled over, and just before Dawn hopped out, he touched her hand.

"About today..." he started. Dawn turned to him.

"Happy birthday?" she asked, "Thanks, but I've never really been one for birthdays. Not after the evacuations."

Dean shook his head, chuckling softly, "Okay, yes, but what I was going to say was that I had a great time. It was a good idea going to the track to see a race, and Ice-cream afterwards was..."

Dean trailed off for a moment as both remembered what happened at the parlour. Dean looked to Dawn, who was still wearing his sweater after the incident.

"Do you want this back?" she asked him, pointing to the sweater, "I can through my shirt back..."

"No," Dean smiled, "It's okay. You were freezing cold earlier. I'll take it back next time we see each other."

"Next time...?"

"At the center," Dean nodded. Dawn lowered her head in disappointment. Dean quickly caught on and with a smile he continued, "Unless, of course, you would like to go out to dinner sometime. Maybe we can arrange a play date and babysitter for the girls and we can go out? My treat."

Dawn smiled, "That sounds great."

She grabbed a pen and an old receipt Dean left in his car and scribbled down her number. She handed the paper over to him.

"Just let me know the time and place when you figure out the details," she said before hopping out of the car. She waved goodbye to Dean (and gave a small wave to Emily who was waking up slowly in the backseat) as he drove off. Dawn hugged herself in the cold, turning back to her house before hitting her forehead with her hand.

"Oh my God," she groaned, "Daniela was totally right. He does like me!"

"Do you like him?" Dani giggled, seemingly popping out of nowhere. Dawn screamed and jumped in fright. The redhead approached her friend slowly. "Whoops, I forgot, you're still not totally used to me being everywhere."

"I swear, Dani. One of these days I'm going to walk around armed just in case you jump out like that again!" Dawn threatened.

"I saw you driving home and sped over," Dani shrugged, "I wanna know how my plan is working out? Did you kiss?"

"No," Dawn frowned, "But I have a date. Goodnight."

Dawn started towards her house when hers and Dani's communicators went off. Dani giggled at Dawn's misfortune as she began to speak.

"Dani and Dawn."

"_Dan, mind meeting up at my house?"_ Scott's voice asked, _"It's a little urgent."_

"No problem," Dani smirked, "We're on our way."

-----Afterlife-----

Dani and Dawn entered the Truman household and stepped into the living room. Everyone else was already gathered around. The conversations stopped when the two girls walked in. All eyes turned to them.

Dawn remembered she was wearing a man's sweater. She chuckled nervously, pulling it off. Samantha, seeing her cousin in nothing but an undershirt, pulled her aside to get her something else to wear.

Dani took a seat on the couch and looked around, "So, is there a new baddie?"

"No quite," Scott frowned. "Dani, take a seat."

Daniela looked down at her butt on the couch. She was definitely seated, unless she was seeing things again. She searched the room for a turkey in a chef's hat.

"No turkey," she frowned, "Scott, I am sitting down."

Scott's hand fell over his face, "Right, sorry."

"Wait, where's Greg?" Dani asked, purposely getting to her feet and falling back onto the couch to help Scott out. He did tell her to take a seat after all.

"He's actually what we wanted to talk about," Flynn sighed. He approached the younger girl slowly, "Dani, do you know what porn is?"

Dani's face twisted in disgust, "Ew! That's stuff's nasty!"

Hayden pushed Flynn away, deciding it was probably best if she explained it. Daniela kept her gaze on Flynn, afraid the topic of porn would come up again if she didn't keep an eye on him.

"Dani," Hayden started, "Has Greg ever had 'the talk'?"

Daniela pretended to think about it for a moment, before looking at her cousin knowingly.

Hayden sighed, "I know, discovery channel. But has he ever... really talked to someone about this stuff. Like, Uncle Mack or even your dad?"

Dani shrugged, "I don't know. I prefer not to be there when men talk about what happens in down there, you know."

Scott sat down next to Dani. He figured it was best if she found out now. Maybe she would be able to somehow get through to Greg.

"Dani, Greg's hiding something," he said. "Yesterday I stopped by to see if he needed a lift home, and he panicked when I snuck up on him."

"So?" Dani frowned, "Dawn's threatened to kill me next time I sneak up on her."

"I have," Dawn nodded, returning into the room with Samantha, "This kid keeps popping out of nowhere."

"No. He kept stammering, trying to keep his thoughts together; and there was a magazine," Scott explained, "And for the love of Mr. Marshmallows, he wouldn't tell me what was in it."

"So?" Dani frowned.

Samantha sighed heavily. She was going to have to spell it out for the redhead.

"Porn!" she said, "They think Greg his hiding porn."

Daniela's face suddenly fell. Dawn, who had been unaware about this until now gasped. She could tell Dani was too distressed to say anything, so she spoke up.

"Are you sure?"

Scott nodded, "We went over to his place a few hours ago. We were hoping he would come clean, but he just pulled away further and further. I almost got my hands on the copy, but before I could do anything he pulled it away and tucked it away."

"How are you feeling, lass?" Flynn asked the driver. Daniela shook her head.

"I can't believe it," she whispered.

"Look, he was locked up in Alphabet Soup for most of his life," Flynn explained, hoping it would soften the blow for Dani. "Maybe he's just confused about some feelings he's been getting, and doesn't know how to deal."

Daniela shook her head, "No, he understands everything. He's taught me a thing or two about that kind of thing or two... Does he really...? Would he..."

Daniela thought back to the last time she spoke with Greg. They had discussed sex, and Greg insisted he wasn't ready for it. Was it because he didn't need her? Was he, for lack of better words, doing fine on his own? Or was she not enough? Was there something wrong with her? Did he not think she was attractive enough like the women in those kinds of magazines?

Suddenly, Dani jumped off the couch and ran upstairs to the bathroom. She needed to hide from everyone else. She couldn't face them, not after learning the truth.

Hayden got up to follow her cousin. She had known Dani the longest. It was only right that she go after her.

"Daniela," she called, skipping steps to follow her cousin.

"Last time she locked herself in the bathroom, didn't she try suicide?" Dawn pondered aloud, eyeing the rest of the crowd in the room. All at once they jumped up and following the silver and pink Rangers. Flynn made his way to the door. With a nod from Scott, he made an attempt at knocking it down.

The door held still, but the loud noise was enough to panic Dani and wake up Engel. While Samantha went to care for her daughter, Hayden's fist pounded on the door.

"Dani, open up!" she yelled.

"No!" Dani shouted, "Go away!"

Dawn sighed. She didn't think she would be the one to say this, especially after Dani meddled with her love life like she had. Even if Dani was right, it was still a little invasive.

However, Dani was hurting.

"Dani, can I come in and talk?" she asked, "We don't have to talk about Greg. You just can't be alone right now."

"NO!" Dani screamed, "Leave me alone!"

"I gave Dean my phone number," Dawn persisted, "I told him to call me when he made plans for a real date. Without the girls."

There was a click as the door unlocked. Dawn stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She left the others outside. It was best if they respected Dani's wishes for her to be alone, even if they all wanted to be there for her.

"Who the hell is Dean?" Scott asked, feeling some comfort now that Dawn was inside with Dani.

-----Afterlife-----

Greg was smiling to himself, proud at what he was currently holding in his hands. He tossed the magazine aside (the one the others were so intent on seeing) as he made his way to the phone.

Without looking, he dialled Daniela's phone number, listening to the ringing. He looked down at the beautiful diamond ring in his hands.

By now, he knew Daniela would be at home. It was early enough in the night that she would still be awake, but late enough so that even if there was a lot of traffic, she would at least be walking through her front door.

He was so excited. Tonight he was going to ask Daniela if she was available for dinner sometime before the week ended. He was hoping she would say yes (she always did) to not only dinner plans, but to the question he had been dying to ask her for two years now.

"Daniela Marks, will you marry me?" Greg whispered to himself only before he heard a click on the other end.

"Hey, Dani, I was just wondering if..."

"_Hey, you've reached the super-awesome Daniela Marks. I'm not answering my phone right now and it might be because I really don't like you. Think about for a moment and then hang up. Chances are that you're wrong."_

She wasn't home. Greg glared at the phone for a moment in shock. He couldn't believe it was true. After all that work of going through the sketchiest part of town to pick up the ring he choose from the magazine. He didn't want to be spotted, but when he was, he had to be very careful to hide the magazines. He didn't trust that the girls would be able to hide something this big from their little cousin. He trusted the boys, but he was the last of the three to sum up the courage to propose.

Greg hung up the phone and put the engagement ring back in the box. He shut it and kept it by the phone. He was hoping to reach her tonight so they could make plans as soon as possible, but apparently, he had missed that chance.

He would get others, he knew that for sure, but he was so excited to setting up the night tonight.

"Where the hell could she be?" Greg asked himself as he made his way to his room, "She's always home at this time, no matter what."


	18. The Image of Beauty

After Dawn finally got Daniela to come out of the bathroom, everyone decided it was time to go home.

Scott offered to drive Daniela back to her place. He knew she loved driving, but after tonight, he figured it was best if he was behind the wheel.

He stopped outside her house and turned to his passenger. Daniela was looking out the window with a blank expression on her face. She had been very quiet during the ride. Only when she realised she was home did she speak up.

"Thanks..." she whispered, reaching for the handle. Scott couldn't let her leave like this. He locked the doors. Daniela frowned as she turned to Scott.

He positioned himself so he could look at her and sit comfortably and sighed.

"Look, Daniela, what Greg's doing has nothing to do with you," he started. Daniela lowered her head and began to play with her hands.

"Dawn told me..."

Scott took Dani's hand, causing her to look up at him. He offered her a smile.

"You're beautiful, Dani. The women in those kinds of magazines are unattainable, believe me."

Daniela nodded, "Thanks, but..."

"I know nothing I say can help, but if you do need someone to talk to, our door's always open," Scott offered, "I know you would rather talk to Samantha but just so you know ..."

Daniela nodded and reached for the door. Scott unlocked it. There was nothing more he had to say.

"Goodnight, Dani," he called to her as she walked up to her house, "I'm really sorry about tonight."

Daniela waved goodbye glumly, putting the keys in the lock. Once she was inside, Scott drove off.

Daniela peeked out the window, watching him leave, before spotting a magazine on her table. It was one an old classmate had sent her. There was an article inside about cars. Normally, magazines like that didn't interest Dani at all, but tonight had been far from normal.

She reached over, picking up the issue and looked at the girl on the front cover. She was blonde and very thin, with stunning blue eyes.

Dani wasn't big at all. She always had an athletic built. However, she was bigger than the girls in the magazine. On every page there was the "image of beauty" and she was always stick thin. Daniela looked down at herself, almost in disgust. She would have to stop eating for months to be as thin as the girls in the magazine.

Aside from body size, everything the "perfect girl" was, Dani was not. She was not blonde, she didn't wear make-up (only on very special occasions), her chest was tiny compared to some of the women in the magazine. Her clothing style was all wrong. According to the quiz at the back of the magazine, she was one of the boys.

Boys didn't date boys. They liked girls. Dani wasn't a girl. She spent her days covered in motor oil, while real girls spent all their time gossiping, doing each other's hair and nails. Dani loved playing sports, and being a part of the action. Girls loved men who played sports.

Dani needed to change if she wanted Greg to really like her.

-----Afterlife-----

The following morning, Flynn was sitting behind the counter in his and Dani's Garage. He was going through the paperwork as he waited for Daniela to arrive.

When she did, he smiled. He hoped she would have cheered up after getting a little sleep. However, once Dani stepped in closer, he could see she was wrong.

He was no expert, but Flynn was sure Dani was wearing a little make-up this morning. Her hair was done up nicely, not pulled back lazily like it normally was.

And the clothes she was wearing were definitely not something to be worn in a garage. The coveralls wouldn't fit over them properly and if any oil or grease spilt on them, they would definitely be ruined.

He frowned, "Are you ready to work, lass?" he asked her, "I started the paperwork so you could focus on the car a customer dropped off earlier. I was thinking it would take your mind off last night."

Dani shrugged, "I don't feel like working on any cars today, Flynn," she told him. Flynn looked at her in shock, before he managed to see through the lies. Though Daniela was saying she didn't want to work on the cars, the way she was staring at the machine behind him made him believe otherwise.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

Dani nodded, "Yeah... you can do it. I'll go prepare lunch or something."

Now Flynn was really alarmed. Dani didn't want to work on cars and would rather spend her morning in the kitchen, making lunch?

Daniela hated cooking. She hated cooking more that she hated surgery. She had no patience for it.

"What's wrong with take out?" Flynn asked her.

Dani shrugged, "I just feel like doing something different."

Flynn watched as Dani made her way to the kitchen area they set up when they bought the garage and sighed. He didn't want to believe this was happening.

Daniela was changing, and it wasn't for the better.

For now, all he could do was shrug it off. He knew a lot of things, but when it came to women, he chose to butt out. He was hoping it was just temporary and that Dani would bounce back soon; but if she didn't change back soon, he would definitely have to tell Hayden.

Flynn went back to the paperwork, choosing to complete it before getting to the fun stuff. He was happy he was going to get to work on the car, but he was also hoping Daniela would come to her senses and suddenly steal the fun job away from him, like she always did. Then, when it got to the hard stuff, where the work got boring again, she would leave him to do it.

It always aggravated Flynn when she did that, but that was who Dani was. She loved having fun.

As he worked on his papers, he could hear Dani's weak cries of frustration as she tried to figure out the cook book. He looked up sadly, finding her struggling in the kitchen. She definitely didn't feel at home.

One last time he called out, "Dani, are you sure you don't wanna fix up the car? It's calling your name."

"I'm doing just fine here," Dani nodded. Her eyes searched the kitchen for a moment before she whined loudly, "What the hell is a skillet?"

Braveheart came into the room, hearing Dani's cries. He looked up at his female master, then to Flynn. The blue Ranger shrugged.

"I don't know," he whispered as Braveheart came over to him. The puppy (who wasn't so little anymore), tilted his head to the side curiously, before Dani dropped a pot on the ground. Braveheart jumped, turning back to Dani in panic. He wasn't used to anyone being in the kitchen, nor was he used to there being any noise coming from that spot of the garage.

"Stupid, mother fucking piece of..." Dani muttered as she picked up the pot and threw it in the sink.

Braveheart pulled in closer to Flynn. The blue Ranger sighed. He grabbed Braveheart's leash, deciding to take the dog on a little walk. Maybe if he left Dani alone, with the car staring at her, she would snap out of whatever scary state she was in.

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn was sitting by her desk, bored out of her mind. Her center had yet to pick up (mostly because it hadn't been open for long), so she had no customers to deal with or cases to look over. Dean and Emily weren't expected to come in until next week, leaving her with nothing to do.

Suddenly the phone rang. Dawn jumped for it, picking it up before first ring could finish.

"New Dawn's Center!"

"_Whoa, that was fast," _Dawn recognised the voice as Dean's. She chuckled.

"It's kinda slow down here," she commented, "So what's up?"

"_I tried calling you last night,"_ Dean said, _"I was able to make reservations at this nice little restaurant down the street from my place."_

Dawn though back to last night, "Right, sorry. Dani attacked me when I got home then there was this emergency."

There was a long silence on the other end. Dawn figured she had better explain before he got the wrong idea.

"Apparently Dani's boyfriend's doing something that had the others concerned," she said, "We've got it covered though."

"_Boy, you have your hands full,"_ Dean laughed. _"So, about my plans..."_

"My calendar's open," Dawn said, "Just let me know the time and place."

"_Sunday night; I'll pick you up at 7:30."_

"Perfect," Dawn smiled, "I'll see you then."

"_Thanks, Dawn."_

Dawn hung up the phone and smiled happily. She began humming a tune to herself as she started scribbling on the blank papers before her.

Her doodles covered half the page before something hit her.

She had just spoken with Dean, and Dani was nowhere in sight. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy the little red head wasn't appearing from nowhere. But as the seconds passed and there was still no sign of Dani, Dawn grew nervous.

After what happened the night before, she was worried something happened to Dani. Though she was no longer suicidal, the night before could have changed everything.

-----Afterlife-----

Braveheart tugged on the leash as he headed in one direction. Flynn could tell he was bent on going that way because when he tried to take Braveheart on the usual route, the dog almost broke free.

Braveheart suddenly turned down a small road and stopped in front of Greg's shop. Flynn looked down at the dog.

"Are you serious?" he asked. Braveheart approached Flynn, nudging him gently with his nose.

From inside, Greg noticed Flynn at his door. He got up from his work station and went to greet the blue Ranger.

"Hey, what brings you around?" he asked. Flynn glared down at Greg.

"Braveheart wanted to come here," he replied coldly.

Greg sensed the hostility coming from Flynn. He opened his door, turning back.

"Okay, well I have to get back to work anyway..." Greg stopped when Braveheart slipped out of his collar and ran into his shop. The dog jumped up, placing his front paw on his desk and pushed the books off. Finding the right one, Braveheart managed to open the one with the magazine.

He managed to grab the magazine in his mouth before darting off in the direction of the garage. Greg tried to run after him, but Flynn caught his arm.

"It doesn't matter," he said, "The cat's out of the bag. Dani already knows."

Greg's jaw dropped, "What? How does she know?"

"We told her, man," Flynn frowned.

Greg grabbed his hair in his fists, trying to contain his anger.

"You told her?" he shouted, "Dude, what the hell? You've ruined everything!"

"I had to tell her!" Flynn frowned, "This isn't right! You're hurting her! She's cooking!"

"She's what?" Greg's arm dropped as he looked up at his friend, "She's cooking."

"You've really messed her up! She was crying! She doesn't want to work."

"I thought she would want this," Greg whispered. Flynn's face twisted in disgust.

"You thought what?" he shouted.

Greg didn't listen. He turned back, slamming the door shut behind him. He couldn't believe Flynn told Dani about the engagement ring, nor could he believe that Dani was so broken hearted about it. He thought she was ready for this step; that she was just waiting for him to muster up the courage.

Apparently not.

Greg reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring. He sighed sadly, tossing it in the trash. If Dani didn't want this, he wasn't going to pressure her.

-----Afterlife-----

Braveheart ran as fast as he could, back to the garage, with the magazine still in his mouth. He knew his master had to see what her mate was hiding if he wanted her to feel better.

He ran around a sprinkler before slowly down. He walked up the driveway to the garage and tried to go in through the doggie door, but it was locked.

He whimpered, scratching at the door with his paw. He set the magazine down on the doorstep to try and find a window. Maybe if his female master knew he was there, she would let him inside and he could save the day.

He hopped up, his paw on the window sill as he looked inside.

Daniela was still in the kitchen but had apparently given up on cooking. The room around her was covered in flour as various ingredients laid beside her, all broken up into pieces.

What broke Braveheart's little puppy heart was the sight of Dani curled up against the little fridge. Her knees were pressed against her chest and her head tilted back. The tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Braveheart tapped the window with his paw. Dani looked up and saw him. She slowly made her way to the window, wiping her eyes with her wrists as she did. She opened it, just enough for Braveheart to come in.

The little dog ran back to the door to pick up the magazine then back to Dani. He jumped in the window and was about to drop the magazine at her feet when she dropped beside him and wrapped her arms around him, crying into his fur.

Braveheart set the magazine down beside Dani then sat with her against the wall as she sobbed loudly. He didn't move an inch as he let her cry into his fur. He would stay with her until she was feeling better.

Dani squeezed Braveheart lovingly, pulling him in closer for comfort. She was too distraught to notice the magazine beside her.

Softly, she whispered to the dog, "You think I'm pretty, right?"

Braveheart cuddled up to Dani, getting closer. She hugged him tightly as the tears continued to fall, ruining the make-up she had put on earlier that morning. He whimpered slightly, as if crying with her.

To answer her question, he licked her face. Dani wiped away the spit, but appreciated the gesture.

"That makes one of us..."


	19. A Different Start

No one had missed Dani when she didn't come home the night before. She lived on her own anyways. Flynn hadn't stopped by the Garage after work because he assumed Dani wouldn't be there. After Braveheart ran away with the magazine and brought it back to her, he could only imagine the pain she would feel now that she had the copy in her hands.

He assumed she went back to Samantha and Scott's house.

Samantha and Scott assumed Dani would have gone home with Flynn and Hayden.

Hayden believed Dani was at her house, or at least with Dawn.

Dawn had no idea where Dani was, but figured she was at home.

Morning hit, and the sun shone brightly through the window. Tucked under it were Dani and Braveheart. They had fallen asleep long before Braveheart had the chance to show Dani the magazine.

While Dani slept peacefully, her arms still wrapped loosely around the dog, Braveheart was wide awake and alert. His ears picked up on even the faintest sounds as he waited for Dani to wake up.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the garage dog. He wiggled away from Dani and moved cautiously towards it.

"Dani? Are you in here?" a voice on the other end called. Braveheart ran back to Dani, nudging her gently. As she began to wake, he grabbed the magazine.

"Daniela?" another voice called from the other side of the garage door. Just as Braveheart turned back to Dani, with the magazine cover exposed to Dani, she got up and made her way to the door.

Rubbing her eyes, she opened it slowly, finding her mother and her Aunt Rose.

"Thank God!" Ronny smiled, hugging her daughter. Daniela hugged back, but looked to Rose curiously.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked.

"We didn't," Rose chuckled; relieved Daniela was safe and sound. Greg tried calling you this morning and you didn't pick up, again."

"Again?" Dani frowned, "He called before?"

Rose nodded, "Last night, and the night before. He's really worried about you."

"Greg called your father to see if he knew where you were," Ronny added, "When we didn't, we got worried. Your dad and Uncle Mack went out to search the city, while Rose and I had the bright idea to check here."

"I had the bright idea," Rose corrected her best friend, "You were panicking the whole way."

Ronny pouted, wrapping her arms around her only daughter, "I was worried about her."

"So was I," Rose nodded, "But I didn't flip off the elderly lady in the walker because she chose to cross when she had the right of way."

"Details," Ronny shrugged, waving the statement off.

Daniela lowered her head, "Sorry. I was cooking in the garage and Braveheart and I fell asleep."

Rose and Ronny exchanged a look. Dani knew she had been caught. It was the famous mother look. The one that told every child that their mother knew they weren't telling the full truth. Ronny grabbed Daniela's hand gently.

"Daniela, you know we all support you, 100%," she started. Daniela rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine, mom."

"You're cooking," Rose stated, "You don't cook. Last time you did was probably for my birthday sixteen years ago. You burned my toast."

"No, she boiled water a few days after that," Ronny smiled, "Somehow she set the kitchen on fire."

"I was two!" Daniela replied defensively, "Why was I even allowed in the kitchen?"

"Ask your father," Ronny sighed. She looked back at her baby girl. "I know something's up, speedster. You might as well spill."

Braveheart decided to jump in, still holding the magazine in his mouth. He ran over to Dani, hitting her legs as he skidded to a stop. Dani stumbled into her mother and Aunt, while Braveheart jumped on top of her.

The girl landed on her back, with the large puppy over top of her, holding the magazine over her head. Daniela finally grabbed it as she pushed the dog away.

"What the hell?" she frowned, looking at Braveheart, "NO!"

Braveheart didn't give up there. He nudged Daniela then looked up at the magazine, as if insisting she take a look at it. Daniela rolled her eyes and was about to toss the magazine on her desk, when Rose caught a glimpse of it.

"Hey, that's Greg's," she said, taking the magazine from her niece. "How did it get here? He keeps it on his person at all times."

Dani took the magazine back and looked at it. On the bottom, she saw the magazine was addressed to Greg, and had been printed two years before. She scanned the cover, and to her surprise, found no beautiful women.

In fact, there wasn't a single woman, or even human being, at all.

Daniela gasped, spotting the large diamond ring on the cover that had been circled with a silver gel pen.

Ronny looked to Rose, "It's Greg's?"

Rose already knew she had said too much already. She had long since known about Greg's engagement plans and had promised her son she would keep it secret from everyone, including her husband and future in-laws. With her eyes, she pointed to Dani.

"Yes, its Greg's," she said, keeping her voice low even though Dani was no longer paying attention. The redhead was looking through the book, finding different notes Greg had left on every ring. Comments about whether he thought the ring was The Ring, or if it was just a regular ring. "I bought it for him. You know how moms are. After a while, all we want from our kids is grandchildren."

Rose left out a few details. She had bought him the magazine, two years before; and she did want grandchildren, but only because Greg had told her about his plans.

Daniela looked to her Aunt, "This is Greg's?" she asked.

Rose nodded, "Yeah, but I wouldn't..."

"He keeps it with him all the time?" Dani asked.

Again, Rose nodded, "Yeah. He doesn't want to show the guys because he's embarrassed, and obviously he can't trust the girls with this."

Daniela wasn't usually the one who was able to put two and two together. Last time someone asked her to solve that math question she came up with 97 as the answer.

However, this time, the pieces were falling together naturally in her head.

Rose could see this and began to panic, "You can't tell Greg you found out from me."

"Oh my God!" Dani smiled, hugging the magazine and hopping up and down. She looked to her mother and Aunt, "It's not porn!"

Rose's eyes nearly shot out of her head and Ronny laughed.

"What the hell?" the pink Ranger started, but Dani grabbed her arms and jumped.

"It's not porn! He does love me! I am pretty."

Her happiness got the best of her. Daniela was feeling excited; so excited, that she couldn't control her powers. She was dashing around at hyper speed and bouncing off the walls. Braveheart tried to join her, following the moving figure as best as he could.

Rose turned to Ronny, "Do you know anything about the porn?"

Ronny wrapped her arm around her friend, "Well, you see, Rosie. Generally, when men have needs they can't... express, they seek out a way to let it all out."

Rose pulled away, "Not that! My son! What does that have to do with my son?"

Daniela stopped in front of the two women, "The others thought Greg was carrying porn! He was hiding this magazine and going around these sketchy places. But he wasn't! He was looking at this instead!"

"I don't think I want to know anymore," Rose frowned, turning away from her niece, "Just, go..."

Daniela squealed, running for the door before catching herself on the frame. She threw herself back inside and looked at the two older women.

"Promise me you won't tell a soul?" she said, "I'm going to propose to Greg!"

-----Afterlife-----

Greg was having a terrible day, and he hadn't even had breakfast yet. He was positive Daniela was mad at him, but he couldn't figure out why.

He could understand if the engagement surprised her and scared her, but they had been together for a long time. For her to be upset about it seemed very irrational.

He paid the cashier at the restaurant as she handed him a bag. He took it and went to eat outside. It was terribly cold out, but Greg didn't want to be inside with all the people. He needed to be alone.

He sat on the curb and opened the bag, pulling out his breakfast sandwich. Just as he was about to take the first bite, he felt someone nudge him in the back. He turned around and saw Gem and Gemma.

"Why are..."

"... you eating outside?" they asked him, each taking a spot next to him. Greg sighed deeply.

"Dani's mad at me."

"What did..."

"... you do?"

Greg shrugged, "I couldn't tell you. I haven't really done anything yet."

"Is this about..."

"... the porn you've been looking at?"

Greg choked on his sandwich as he looked at two of his best friends. Gem tapped his back gently to help his food go down while Gemma jumped back. When Greg finally regained control of his digestive system, he spit out his breakfast.

"I've been looking at porn?" he shouted.

Gem and Gemma simply nodded.

"Scott told us this morning when we..."

"... started work," they began, "He called us in early..."

"... because he had to get his mind of some things. When we asked him what it was about..."

"... he told us on the condition that we didn't tell anyone."

The twins suddenly realised their mistake as they exchanged worried looks.

"Whoops," they breathed while each grabbing Greg's arm. "Forget we told you anything."

Greg smiled, wrapping his arms around his friends as he hugged them both, "If Daniela says yes, you two are totally being my best twins at the wedding!"

He hopped back up to his feet, "I have to go tell her the truth before this really gets out of hand!"

-----Afterlife-----

Greg searched everywhere for an upset Dani. He checked the garage, the track, the old Ranger Garage, her house, Scott's house, Flynn's house and the park. She hadn't been in any of those places.

He needed to find her. He understood how bad things could get if she believed he was looking at porn. Daniela was a very strong individual (it was one of the things he liked about her), but she could also become very insecure and fearful if her world was shaken up.

Now he knew why she wasn't answering his calls. She was probably pissed off at him! Especially considering this topic came up shortly after he refused to have sex with her.

He wanted to keep looking for her, but he was running out of ideas. He had decided to go home to take a break and to think about where she could be.

When he stepped inside him house, all the lights were off (as they should have been). However, there was a faint glow coming from his bedroom upstairs. He placed his keys in the bowl by the door and went upstairs to check it out.

Opening the door slowly, he saw someone had the patience to decorate the room with candles and to light every one of them. He looked around in awe at the ambiance in his room, until his eyes fell upon the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

There she stood in her leather racing jacket and jeans. Her hair done up lazily like it usually was after coming back from work. She wore no make up to cover up imperfections such as a streak of grease on her cheek or the sweat on her brow from racing around the city all day. Instead of smelling like she had slaved in the kitchen all day, the smell of gas and burning rubber filled his nose, taking him back to all the times he spent with her at the track. She was the image of beauty in his eyes, because she was who she wanted to be. She wasn't pretending.

"Daniela," Greg breathed, approaching her slowly, "What are you doing here?"

Daniela smiled, pulling out the magazine from behind her back and showing it to Greg. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it.

"I figured it out," she whispered, "I thought it was porn. The guys told me..."

Greg rushed over to her, pulling her in close.

"Gem and Gemma informed me," he laughed, "I know what you thought. Suddenly everything makes sense again."

Daniela grinned. She walked over to Greg's bedroom window and tossed the magazine away. She watched as it landed open on the grass, bending the pages. She turned back to Greg.

"It's not what I thought it was, but that magazine has caused me a lot more grief than you could ever imagine!" Dani smiled, "I turned into a... into a... A girl!"

Greg smiled, "Dani..."

Dani cut him off as she pulled him towards the bed. She pushed him down gently and knelt before him.

She took his hands in hers, "I've been waiting two years for you to do this," she started, tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes, "When I went to the future, I learned a lot more than how to fix Hayden and Aunt Kaylee and who died. I met up with you. You told me you had always loved me and that you realised only after I disappeared that you were ready to marry me..."

"It's true," Greg nodded, "I knew you weren't gone, but I couldn't sense you. I was so scared that I did lose you and..."

Dani hushed him by kissing him. When she pulled away she looked into his eyes. Their faces were still only inches apart.

"You bought this necklace for me ten years after my disappearance and waited many more for the day I returned. When you gave it to me, I made you a promise. You didn't want to lose me again. I promised you that one way or another, we would get married. I gave you two years to find the courage to propose, Gregory Hartford. You haven't done that yet!"

Greg smiled, "I'm sorry. But in my defence..."

"Will you marry me?" Daniela asked him, interrupting him before he stole her thunder. Greg smiled, dropping off the bed and onto his knees. He wrapped his arms around Daniela, kissing her passionately.

When he pulled away he looked down at her, "What do you think the answer to that is? I mean, I was the one with the magazine?"

"Yes!" Daniela smiled hugging her fiancé. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Greg pouted playfully, resting his head on her shoulder, "How is it you get to pop the question and answer it?"

He felt Daniela shrug, "I'm just that awesome."

Greg pulled away, tucking away a strand of her red hair that fell out of the ponytail. He kissed the spot on her cheek where the grease was.

"I've always known that," he whispered. "Don't ever change."

He made his way to his trash bin and pulled out a small box. Daniela got back to her feet as she watched, wondering what he was up to.

Still on his knees, Greg turned around. He opened the box, revealing the ring he chose for Dani. He grabbed her left hand and slid it on gently.

"I love you," he whispered, looking up at her. Daniela smiled, trying to keep her tears from falling over.

"I love you too."


	20. Punked

Two little eyes poked over Dawn's desk as Dawn continued to scribble in her notebook. A little laugh was coming from the person in front of the desk, causing Dawn to look up from her work. While Tori and Blake were at work and Jason was at a friend's house, Elena was spending the day with Dawn.

"What?" she asked. Elena shrugged.

"You've been drawing for two hours," she giggled. "Last time someone drew that much, it was Vanessa after Mike proposed to her."

Dawn glared at the young girl, "So?"

"You're in love!" Elena laughed, grabbing the notebook. Unfortunately she couldn't see the art, but she knew she was frustrating Dawn just by holding the book.

Dawn lunged forward to grab the book, but Elena jumped out of the way. She pressed the book against her chest as she ran around the room.

"You little..." Dawn frowned, chasing after Elena, amazed she could be so evasive when she couldn't see. Of course, she had been training at the Wind Ninja Academy for three years now, and had even taken a few lessons from Master Swoop when she went to visit the Pai Zhuq. It was no surprise that Elena was able to see, without sight.

Elena laughed, running around the room. She didn't know it off by heart like her own home, but she was finally getting used to where all the furniture was. Unfortunately a stool had been moved out of place and found itself in Elena's path. Before Dawn could warn her, Elena tripped over it, landing face first on the floor. The notebook flew out of her arms and across the room.

Dawn approached Elena and lifted her back onto her feet. She pushed the stool back to where it was supposed to be before looking at the girl.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Elena nodded.

"I think so," she whispered. She held out her hands for Dawn to see, "They hurt though."

Dawn grabbed them gently, "You rubbed off some of the skin of the hardwood. Come on, we'll go clean you up."

Dawn placed her hand on Elena's shoulder as she led the blind girl to the bathroom. She kicked a stool in front of the sink for Elena to stand on as she began cleaning her hands.

Elena turned to Dawn, "Do you like Emily's dad?" she asked.

Dawn nodded, "I do. He and I are going out to dinner tomorrow while you and Emily hang out."

Elena smiled, "Emily and I are going to be sisters!"

Dawn frowned, looking down at the girl, "No. I'm not even thinking about that yet! And you're not my daughter."

"But you're like my sister now," Elena said.

"Then that would make you Emily's Aunt," Dawn laughed, "But no. You two would still be friends, no matter what happens with me and her father."

"He's old though," Elena frowned, "Emily says he's 100 years old."

"He's getting there," Dawn smiled, grabbing a towel as she turned off the sink. "He's a lot older than me, yes. But age is but a number, right?"

"My mommy says it's also grey hairs and menopause."

Dawn frowned, "Mommy's still young."

"Not according to Aunt Kaylee," Elena smirked, "Aunt Kaylee says age is but grey hairs, menopause and Toris."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "You've got to stop listening with those bat ears of yours."

"Not my fault Aunt Kaylee likes teasing my mommy," Elena shrugged. She winced slightly as the towel rubbed against her hands. Dawn noticed this and knew there was going to be a problem. Elena needed to use her hands to see the things around her. If something as soft as a towel caused her pain, she was going to be in for a long healing process.

She went to the first aid kit.

Elena sat down on the stool, "So, do you really like Emily's daddy?"

"I didn't at first," Dawn explained, "I mean, I liked him, but not liked him, liked him. But Dani's a little persistent bug head. Sometimes, you find what you weren't looking for when you're not looking for it."

Elena furrowed her brow as she tried to make sense of what Dawn had just told her. When nothing came up she groaned.

"I don't like big kids," she huffed, crossing her arms as Dawn finished wrapping up her hands.

Dawn laughed, "You'll understand when you meet that one boy."

"Boys are yucky," Elena frowned, sticking her tongue out.

"I give you a year," Dawn smirked, "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Drive your father crazy. You're his only girl, and the baby of the family. He'll be super protective of you."

Elena looked to Dawn, "You want me to be a whore?"

Dawn was taken aback by the comment as she stared down at Elena, "How do you know that word?"

"I have two older brothers and bat ears!" Elena giggled.

Dawn ruffled her hair, "Respect yourself, kiddo. Believe me you don't want to end up like some of those women."

Elena nodded, "I promise, I'll be a good girl."

-----Afterlife-----

After all the confusion with the magazine, followed by Dani and Greg's engagement, the couple were trying to figure out how they were going to get back at everyone else for making their lives a lot harder than they needed to be.

They decided fear and guilt was the best thing to do.

Greg sat in the customer's car, keeping low so no one could see him from the outside as Dani sat behind the counter. She had changed back into her "girly clothes" as she called it and made sure she looked like she had just been crying for hours.

Finally, Samantha, Scott, Engel, Hayden and Flynn walked into the garage. Scott got a call from a hysterical Dani asking him and the others to come meet up with her because everything was going wrong (he didn't understand this though so he passed the phone to Samantha who translated).

Engel found Braveheart and grabbed him in a hug, unaware of the prank about to be pulled, while her mother and Aunt went to Dani's side.

"Dan..." Hayden whispered, putting her hand on Dani's back, "What happened."

Dani tried to hold back fake tears. Her voice cracked as she tried to speak. To everyone it looked like she was breaking down.

"He's the most stupid, ignorant, dirty little piece of shit I've ever met!" Dani shouted, hiding her head in her arms as she sobbed loudly.

"You saw the magazine, didn't you?" Flynn asked.

"I saw it," she nodded, "I saw everything! As soon as I did I had to go yell at him!"

"You went to talk to him?" Scott frowned.

"I went to rip his head off!" Dani screamed, "I stormed into his house and threw the damn thing in his face. You wouldn't believe what happened next!"

"It's okay, Dani. Just let it all out," Hayden whispered, rubbing her best friend's back.

"He admitted to it!" Dani cried, "He told me I wasn't enough. I'm disgusting, I'm hideous! I'm fucking fat! That's why he won't sleep with me! I've just been a tool to him this whole time! A tangible girl while he goes and jacks off to the ones in the pictures! He's such a pig!"

"Dani, don't listen to him," Samantha said, "You're beautiful, you know that. Any guy would be lucky to have you. Greg's an idiot if he doesn't see it."

"Yeah," Scott nodded, "You're definitely one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."

Samantha glared at her husband, clearing her throat loudly. Scott's hand flew up.

"I said one of the!"

Samantha frowned, "Yahuh."

Flynn rolled his eyes, "Dani, you obviously deserve better than Greg. You can do so much better than him."

Greg knew this was his cue. He faded into invisibility and hopped out of the car, moving for the entrance. As he did, he bumped into Dani, letting her know it was time for the climax.

Daniela jumped out of her seat.

"He's a fucking, no-good, little bastard, filthy, stinkin', insert more curse words here, mother fucker!" Dani shouted.

The doors to the Garage swung open as Greg stormed in.

"You little bitch!" he screamed. "What the hell are you doing? Lying to my friends?"

Greg turned to the other four in the room. "Don't listen to a word she says! She's the biggest liar..."

"Liar?" Dani screamed, "I wasn't the one hiding porn this whole time!"

"I wouldn't have to look at porn if you would just do as I say!" Greg shouted.

"It's disgusting!" Dani growled, "Just get out of fucking dome! I don't care if you rot in the wastes and die! I don't ever want to see you again!"

Greg moved in closer to Dani, standing over her and glaring down. Daniela glared up at him, refusing to back down.

"You can believe what you want," Greg whispered, "But don't infect the minds of my friends."

"They're my family."

"They don't love you. Look at you; you act like you're five, dress like a man and you're definitely one of the stupidest people I've ever met."

The two other couples gasped. Calling Dani stupid was definitely a move that could destroy large cities, tear families apart and murder the innocent. Truth be told, if Venjix had called Daniela stupid from the start, the battle for humanity would definitely not have lasted as long as it did.

"You son of a bitch," Daniela breathed.

"Why did I bother wasting my time with you?" Greg asked himself as he turned away, "I'm gone."

Scott, Samantha, Hayden and Flynn stood with their jaws on the floor and their eyes wide. They knew it was going to be ugly when Dani and Greg finally spoke about the porn he had been hiding, but they didn't think it was going to cause another war.

"Okay..." Flynn breathed, grabbing Greg's arm before he left, "If we just talk it out, maybe..."

"I'm done talking," Greg said, "I would rather do this."

Greg grabbed Dani and pushed her against the wall, cornering her. Just when the others thought he was going to unleash his anger in a very physical way, he leaned in gently, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in close to kiss her passionately. Daniela wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with the same passion. On her left hand, a large diamond ring shone in the light.

The four stood dumbstruck.

"What just happened?" Hayden asked, looking at her sister, husband and brother in-law. When they didn't answer, she tried again, "What the fuck just happened?"

"I wish my fights ended up like that," Scott laughed, earning a hard slap to the stomach from bother his wife and Hayden. "Ow..."

"I think we've just been punked," Samantha groaned.

Greg and Dani finally broke apart as they turned to their friends. Greg had his arms wrapped around his fiancée, keeping her close to him at all times.

"We found out last night," he explained.

"Found out what?" Flynn asked, "I have no idea..."

"It wasn't porn," Dani laughed, "The magazine was for engagement rings. Greg was planning on proposing."

"Thanks to you guys I was barely needed for the proposal," Greg frowned, "She popped the question and answered it."

Daniela laughed, kissing his cheek, "You just had to sit there and look pretty. Oh, and provide the ring."

Greg smiled, "Of course."

"So, it wasn't porn?" Scott asked, his face turning red, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Greg rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Well, you see... I'm very shy about stuff like this."

"His mommy bought the magazine," Daniela teased.

"I paid her back!" Greg pouted. Daniela laughed, leaning back into Greg's body. He kissed the top of her head while the others looked around the room nervously.

"Well, then," Hayden frowned. She turned to Flynn and Scott and smacked them hard on the arms, "This was all your fault."

Flynn turned to Scott and glared, "It's all his fault, actually."

"I thought it was porn!" Scott frowned, pulling away, "I was concerned for you, Dani. I didn't want to see you get hurt."

Dani smirked, "Sammy, promise me there'll be no action for him for a little while."

Samantha nodded, "After that beautiful comment..."

"I didn't say she was the prettiest!" Scott frowned, "You definitely beat her out in that category."

Samantha's eyebrows shot up, "In that category?"

"In all categories! You're the best and prettiest and..."

Samantha turned to leave, grabbing Engel as she did.

"Honey, wait up," Scott called after her.

Flynn turned to Hayden, "Will I get the same treatment?"

Hayden shrugged, "Am I pretty?"

"I've yet to find a word to describe your beauty," Flynn smirked. Hayden giggled.

"Okay, you can stay," she said, patting her husband on the head.

"Will Scott be okay?" Greg frowned. Hayden nodded.

"Oh yeah," she laughed, "That was Samantha's, 'I'm going to pretend I'm pissed off at you to get you to potty train Engel' face."

"She has a face for that?" Dani asked.

"She has many faces," Hayden nodded. "You don't want to know what the 'okay, well, Engel's potty trained. I guess we can do it' face is. Believe me, I saw this happen when it was the 'Scott, change her diaper' face, and I'm pretty sure it won't be much different."

Flynn smiled brightly as his hand slammed down on Greg's shoulder.

"Reconsidering the engagement?" he asked, "You'll be chained to that."

Greg squeezed Daniela lovingly in his arms, "It's all worth it."


	21. Maurice the Second

Dean held the door open for Dawn as they stepped inside a fancy restaurant. The host recognized Dean immediately and led the couple to Dean's usual table.

Dean took Dawn's coat and pulled out her chair for her. Dawn blushed, taking her seat. She wasn't used to being treated so kindly by anyone. Dean hung up her jacket before sitting down. He went to order his usual wine when Dawn put up her hand.

"I'm only nineteen," she told the host. He nodded.

"I'll prepare something special for the lady," he said, "Virgin, of course."

As he left, Dean smiled to Dawn, "So, how do you like it?"

Dawn looked around in awe, "I would have been fine with McDonald's," she whispered, "This is over the top..."

"It's my favourite place to come when Emily's at her grandparent's house," Dean nodded, "The staff is a little stuck up sometimes, but when you come here as often as I do they loosen up."

Dean grabbed his menu. He already knew what he was going to order, but he found it necessary for the date. As he scanned over the foods he spoke.

"So, how are things going with the family?" he asked, "Last I heard there was a crisis."

"Crisis averted," Dawn laughed, "Apparently it was all a misunderstanding."

"Good to know," Dean smiled, "Can I ask what it was about?"

"Porn," Dawn nodded, and a few heads turned towards her. She glared at the others listening to her conversation before she turned back to Dean, "Like I said, it was all a misunderstanding."

Dean smiled, leaning back in his chair. He set his menu down as the waiter came over with the drinks. When he left, Dawn looked up.

"What about your family?" she asked, "I only know Emily."

"Well, my parents survived the evacuations," Dean started, "They live a few streets down and drop by all the time to help with Emily. It was great when she was little, but she's going to hit that age soon where family's the last thing on her mind."

"They grow up way too fast," Dawn nodded, remembering her conversation with Elena about whores, "One minute they're singing the alphabet and getting it all wrong, the next their giving you a lesson in S-E-X."

Dean frowned, "I don't want to know."

"Any other family members I should know about?" Dawn asked, taking a sip of her drink. She didn't know what it was, but it was definitely fruity. She made a mental note to ask Flynn if he could recreate it.

"I am a twin," Dean smiled, "But he's dead..."

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked, interrupting the conversation. Dean smiled at Dawn as she placed her menu down. She nodded to him and they placed their order.

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden huffed as she sat down in the garage, glaring at Daniela. The red head was back to working on cars and engines instead of in the kitchen, while Flynn sorted through the paperwork.

Flynn put his papers down and smiled at his wife, "What's wrong?"

"They cancelled," Hayden muttered, "Dawn's already cancelled, and now Dani and Greg have cancelled."

"Cancelled what?" Flynn asked. Hayden growled.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"No," Flynn said. Hayden crossed her arms over her chest, turning her glare to Flynn. He gulped, "What is it I didn't forget?"

"My birthday," Hayden stated. "Now it's just going to be you, me, Sam and Scott!"

"We could invite your parents and my dad," Flynn shrugged. Hayden shook her head.

"No, last time my mom and your dad met up, there was a war on accents," she said.

"Apparently your mother can do a mean Irish accent."

"My mom has many talents," Hayden nodded.

"AH!" Dani shouted, rolling out from under the car. She jumped up to her feet and ran to a corner to hide. Hayden and Flynn glanced over at her.

Dani pointed to the car, "It has eyes."

Flynn sighed heavily, shaking his head as he approached the car, "It doesn't have eyes, Dani. You're seeing things."

"The perfume must have gone to your head," Hayden added, "I warned you about that shit, remember?"

"KILL IT!" Dani screamed.

Flynn rolled under the car, expecting to find nothing. However, when he looked up, he saw two eyes glaring back at him. He laughed nervously, reaching out.

"Karly, that's not funny..."

"Karly's at my parent's place," Hayden called.

Flynn gulped, "Braveheart?"

Daniela shook her head, "He's at the groomers, remember?"

Flynn rolled out slowly. His face was white as a sheet. He went to the corner Daniela was hiding in, and curled up in a ball.

Suddenly, a paw reached out from under the car and claws sprung out of it, grabbing the floor. Another paw jumped out, doing the same, before a body was pulled out.

It was one of the most horrific things the mechanics had ever seen. It looked like an overgrown naked rat. Its skin was a terrible mix between green and orange while various blue patches of fur spouted on its back and around its neck. The tail came out slowly, measuring close to three feet by the time anyone could see the tip.

The large rat opened its eyes and one fell out of its socket, rolling over to Dani. She screamed, jumping into Flynn's arms. The rat looked around before opening its mouth, exposing its cracked front teeth.

It was big enough to be a cat, and definitely not in the mood for socialising with the humans around it.

Hayden couldn't see the creature from where she stood. She rolled her eyes at her fearful husband and cousin as she walked around the counter. Flynn dropped Dani, holding up a hand.

"Hayden, stay back."

Hayden frowned, "C'mon, how bad can it be?"

She moved in closer before the tail whipped around the side of the car. She caught a quick glance at it and her smile dropped.

"What the hell is it?"

"Hideous!" Dani shouted, picking herself up and running to the counter. In a single leap she made it up. Hayden did the same, hoping the creature didn't know how to climb.

Flynn grabbed a wrench, keeping himself armed as he moved closer to the rat.

"I don't want to hurt you..." he started, "I just want to..."

He slammed the wrench down on the rat's head. The rat cowered back under the car for a moment before jumping back out and hissing loudly. Flynn dropped the wrench and joined the girls on the table.

There was very little room, and any sudden movements would cause someone to fall. Because they were all shaking in fear, Hayden knew someone was going to fall soon, and she didn't want it to be her.

"You cancelled on my birthday for Dawn, you and Greg," she shouted, shoving Dani off the counter and feeding her to the rat, giving herself and Flynn enough time to take off, "You die first!"

Dani landed on her back as the rat hobbled over to her. Her eyes were wide in horror as she waited for it to begin eating her.

Hayden and Flynn watched from the front door, waiting to see if anything would happen to Dani. The rat sniffed her before opening his mouth.

Dani bolted up, taking off out the door before Flynn and Hayden. The exchanged looks before doing the same.

To be sure the rat was trapped inside, Flynn looked up the garage.

"You little traitors!" Dani shouted from up a tree when Hayden and Flynn ran under it. They stopped and looked up at her.

"It was you, me, or my husband," Hayden shrugged as Dani jumped down.

"You can't die!"

"Oh, yeah," Hayden chuckled, "Sorry."

-----Afterlife-----

"... So then, Shawn grabbed my boxers and waved them around the bar," Dean smiled, recounting his life to Dawn. He didn't expect it to happen so quickly, but around her he felt at ease. The only other time he felt comfortable around someone so quickly was when he first started dating his late wife. "I turned so red when he called the dirt stain a skid mark."

Dawn swallowed her drink, trying not to spit it out. Already the other customers were finding their conversation rude (Dawn thought it was rude that they were listening), she didn't need them glaring at her for poor table manners as well.

"What did you do?"

"I bought him a beer," Dean shrugged. Dawn rolled her eyes; she should have seen that coming.

"Naturally," she laughed, "A friend publicly embarrasses you when he's supposed to be a wingman, and you buy him his next round of beers."

"Of course," Dean nodded, finishing off his drink. "So what about you? Any funny stories from your past?"

"Aside from stories involving hippos, spit-balls, an angry red head and my younger cousin, not really."

"Oh, come on, everyone has a funny story to tell," Dean insisted as the waiter returned with his card. He stuffed it back in his wallet and got up. Dawn followed when suddenly Dean placed the jacket over her shoulders. She shook her head.

"My past is more, I hate you, you hate me," she said. "As you can probably tell, I'm not really a people person."

Dean shrugged, "You were fine today, and if you can stand your ground around these snobs, you can deal with people. What's the worst thing you've done?"

Dawn had to hold back her laughter. There was a long list of 'worst things' she could tell him. Hell, she could go over to Corinth High and teach kids about her history for a semester, and she still wouldn't have covered it.

Dean noticed her hesitation to answer and decided to play fair. He went first.

"I yelled at Emily once because she dropped a bucket of water and spilled it all over our new carpet," he said. "This was after the evacuations, and she was still getting used to life with one arm. I asked her to get a bucket of fresh water so I could do some cleaning. I was stressed out because of the Venjix and losing my wife and Emily's injury... I took it out on her."

Dawn looked up at him in horror. He just sighed sadly.

"I'll never forget the look she gave me while I was yelling. I still haven't forgiven myself for doing it."

"We all make mistakes," Dawn assured him, "You can't be understanding and perfect 24/7."

"I'm her father though," Dean said, "I should have had more patience than that. She was just a child, trying to cope with a lot more problems than she ever should have faced."

Dawn took his hand gently and squeezed it, "You've learned from it. She's moved on."

"I don't think she has," Dean sighed, "Every time she can't do something because of her handicap, she gives up. She never asks me for help anymore. When she spills the milk or breaks the cup, she tries to clean it up before I see it. And she gets frustrated..."

"That's why I'm here," Dawn smiled, "I'll help you and her figure this out."

"I just wish there was something I could do," Dean sighed, "Or that there was a way to give her back what she's lost."

Dean quickly turned to Dawn, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm not just out in the dating world to find her a mommy and that's it... I really do like you... it's just... you know."

Dawn nodded, "I do. And I think I've got her solution."

Dean furrowed his brow, "You... you do?"

"Yep, c'mon, I know a guy who can make anything."

Dawn was about to take off when Dean grabbed her. He pulled her back.

"Slow down," he said, "Why don't you tell us at our appointment tomorrow? Think you can fit us in for a half hour visit?"

Dawn frowned, "I don't know. I've been pretty booked up lately. Between Elena coming over to visit and Dani zooming through..."

Dean rolled his eyes. Dawn looked up and laughed, "I'll be waiting. Four o'clock?"

"Perfect," Dean nodded. He held Dawn close as they continued their walk back home, "So, Dawn, what the worst thing you've ever done."

"Does fooling my best friend's boyfriend to sleeping with me and purposely trying to break them up count as one of the worsts?" Dawn said, biting her lower lip.

"Well, it's not good," Dean frowned, "Really? You did that?"

"I told you, I'm not a people person," Dawn laughed, "There's only three things I like in this world, my mother, my uncle and my bed. I just deal with the rest."

Dean shook his head, "You really are unique, aren't you?"

"At least I'm human," Dawn whispered so Dean couldn't hear her.

-----Afterlife-----

"You don't get it. It was huge, it was colourful, and it was going to eat my head!" Dani shouted to Colonel Truman and Kaylee. The three of them, as well as Hayden, Flynn and Vasquez were in the new Command Center. After their encounter with the rat, the three former Rangers knew they needed to report it to the authorities.

Colonel Truman glanced at Kaylee, "She's your niece. I don't know what to do."

Kaylee rubbed her temples, "I'm going to ask you again; are you sure you turned off the engine?"

"I didn't breathe in toxic fumes again!" Dani frowned, "If I did, I wouldn't be seeing ugly! I would be in the hospital!"

"And I wouldn't have seen it as well," Hayden nodded, "It was definitely real."

"Aren't you guys former Rangers?" Vasquez asked, "You're trying to tell us the Power Rangers are running away from a rat?"

"It was a scary rat," Flynn added.

"I could understand a fear of rats," Kaylee said remembering her days back at JKP when she met Maurice, "but a rat the size of a cat, with all the colours of the rainbow?"

Colonel and Vasquez glanced over to Kaylee when the three Rangers didn't back down from their statement and gave her a nod. She groaned loudly.

"C'mon, I'll go check out this big scary monster," she said, leading the way back to the garage.

"We're going back?" Dani whimpered. Flynn and Hayden grabbed her arms and pulled her along.

"Even after you kids move out, you still need me to chase away the boogeyman," Kaylee sighed.


	22. Emily's Arm

"I warn you now," Flynn started as he started with the lock. His hands were shaking from fear as he tried to get the keys in the lock to open the door, "it's not pretty."

Kaylee shook her head, "It's not real."

Flynn finally got the door unlocked and he swung it open. Kaylee stepped into the room and looked around.

"There's nothing here."

Hayden followed carefully. She looked down at her steps to make sure she wasn't going to accidentally step on the creature's long tail. Flynn and Dani trailed behind her but stayed close to the wall, just in case their new friend decided to jump out again.

Kaylee searched behind the counter and around the front of the garage while Hayden went to the car. She whimpered fearfully as she opened the trunk, thinking the creature maybe decided to settle down in there. Flynn tossed her a flashlight so she could get a better look.

She aimed it inside the truck and caught sight of the green and orange skin. She dropped the flashlight in the trunk and slammed it shut.

"Mommy... I found the bogeyman," she cried, running over to her mother and tugging on her arm. Kaylee closed the box she was looking at and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw a tiny rat on Hayden's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, don't move," Kaylee whispered, reaching out to grab the small rodent. It screamed as she picked it up and carried it into the little kitchen. The older woman grabbed a big bowl and trapped it underneath. She turned around and looked at the kids. "There, was that so hard?"

Dani pointed back to the car, her voice shaking, "Aunt Kaylee, if someone held Hayden under a giant bowl, would you be angry?"

"Why the hell do you..." Kaylee's voice trailed off as she spotted the larger rodent. It was glaring at her with its one eye. The tail was up straight and the teeth exposed. Kaylee lifted the bowl, letting the little rat run back to its mother. The baby rat ran back to the car and hopped up on the back, clawing at the truck to be let in.

Even with her baby back, mom wasn't happy. She lunged forward and began to run towards Kaylee and Hayden. The two women took off for the door. Dani and Flynn didn't hesitate to do the same, and suddenly they were all outside.

Kaylee pulled out a communicator, "Colonel, we have a problem in Sector 4. Seal off the perimeter and evacuate the residents."

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn sat at her desk, holding up a conversation with Greg when Dean and Emily walked in. She had just come from school and was still carrying her backpack. Dawn smiled sympathetically when she shoulder strap slipped off the shoulder where her arm was missing. Emily, obviously frustrated about her day, grabbed the bag and tossed it down.

"Stupid piece of crap!" she yelled. Dean picked up the bag and hung it off the back of her seat as she sat down at the desk.

Dawn stood up to greet Dean, and Gregory did the same. He extended his hand.

"I'm Gregory Hartford, one of Dawn's friends."

Dean smiled, "Dean Woodstock, and this is my daughter Emily."

Greg looked down at the young girl, "Hi Emily."

Emily scoffed, "Hi..."

Dawn sat down and offered Emily a lollipop, "Bad day at school, kiddo?"

"Jane kept making jokes about me that weren't funny," Emily growled, "Everybody was laughing."

"Well, we're here to fix it," Gregory assured the girl. He turned to her father, "Have you ever thought about prostheses?"

Dean nodded but let out a long sigh as he looked at his daughter, "We have... but they would cost a fortune and we don't have that kind of money."

Dawn frowned, "Are you kidding me, that place last night was..."

"Cost me half my pay check," Dean finished for her. "I only go when I've saved up the money for it, and I've been saving up for a dinner for two for a long time."

Greg smiled, "Well, it's a good thing you met me. Dawn told me about Emily and her ideas for how I could help. Do you two know what a hybrid is?"

"A mix between two things?" Emily asked. Greg nodded.

"Exactly! Broccoflower is the perfect example. It's a mix between broccoli and cauliflower."

Emily's face twisted in disgust, causing Dawn to laugh. She leaned over to Greg.

"Remember, she's eight. Vegetables are the devil."

Greg laughed, "Right, well anyways, I've been working with Venjix technology for a long time, I own the computer shop down the street and..."

Dean frowned, "Venjix technology? What the hell are you talking about?"

Dawn took his hand gently, "Listen to him, Dean. It's not what it sounds like."

Gregory continued, "When Venjix was ruling, he created many hybrids. Take D –"

From under the desk, Dawn kicked Gregory hard in the leg.

"Never mind," Greg whined, "Venjix' hybrids were humans and robots. He implanted prisoners with robot technology. I've seen many hybrids. Some only had small implants, barely recognisable on a scan, while others function solely on their implants and have only the vital human organs to keep them from being complete robots."

"You want to turn my daughter into a hybrid?" Dean frowned.

"Not exactly," Dawn explained, "The technology Venjix used for his hybrids allowed their human brain to control their robotic implants as if it was a functioning body parts. A lot of hybrids live years without knowing they were implanted with his technology. Greg created Venjix and knows the robotics like the back of his hand. He can create prosthesis for Emily, and give her back her arm."

Emily's lollipop fell out of her mouth as she turned to her father, grabbing his arm in her hand.

"Daddy, did you hear that?" she cried happily, "Dawn can fix me!"

Dawn smiled, "You don't need fixing, Emily; you're not broken. But we can return what you lost with a little help from Greg."

Dawn turned her gaze to Dean, hoping he would be on board with the project. He gazed at his daughter and her handicap before turning his attention back to Dawn. She smiled at him.

"Greg will be doing all the work," she said, "You won't have to worry about financial problems, and it's totally risk free. I'll have the two best doctors working on Emily to get it attached properly."

Emily jumped in her chair, holding her father's arm, "Daddy, I can be normal again! Please, daddy! Please, please, please!"

Dean shrugged, "I don't know... its Venjix technology... how can I know it'll work? Will it be comfortable? It's not corrupted, is it?"

Dawn nodded, "It'll feel like her regular arm. Trust me; she won't even know it's there."

Emily turned to Dawn and frowned, "That's the problem. I want to know my arm is there!"

Dean smiled, "Okay... if Emily's okay with this whole thing... then I guess I'm behind her."

"Great!" Greg beamed, getting up, "I'll bring over the blueprints to Dawn and we can all go over them at the next session."

When he left, Emily jumped out of her seat and began hopping around the room, singing a song about finally being normal. Dean leaned in over the desk.

"How did you come up with this?" he asked her, "Venjix technology? Hybrids?"

"You have to trust me," Dawn said, "The virus is gone, and it will just be robot parts. The thing is that it's based off what Venjix did."

"Venjix is a monster!" Dean shouted, slamming his fists on the desk as he rose from the chair. "He's the one who caused all this."

Dawn stood up calmly, "I know. I hate Venjix just as much as you do, but you have to understand, the technology doesn't come from Venjix."

"The only reason I'm doing this is to give Emily her arm back," Dean sneered, grabbing Emily's bag. "You know what Venjix did to my family, Dawn! He took everything away from us!"

"I know," Dawn nodded, "Maybe I didn't explain it right... but you're overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Dean frowned, "You're about to implant technology into my daughter that's based off the Virus that killed her mother and took her arm in the first place."

"I'm making things right," Dawn assured him. She walked around her desk and placed her hands on his arms to calm him down, "Venjix took a lot away from me too."

Dean growled, "I understand, he took your father's life... but you don't know how it feels to have him rip away a part of your life. My wife was my world, my daughter my pride and joy... What Venjix did to them ... I hate him for it."

"Daddy does. Anytime someone mentions Venjix he gets angry," Emily whispered. "He hates him and everything related to him."

Dawn glanced over at Emily, who had stopped dancing around when she heard her father yelling. She was listening in on their conversation and seemed upset. Dawn wanted to help her, she wanted to help Dean, but it seemed that no matter what she said, Dean wasn't going to be fully comfortable with Emily's new arm. As long as Venjix was behind the idea, he was against it. The only thing Dawn could think of that would get him to understand that he could move on was if she told him.

She didn't want to tell him she had been Venjix' right hand woman for most of the time he had been threatening Corinth. She couldn't bear to imagine his reaction when he found out she was indirectly involved with the murder of his wife and his daughter's missing arm. Her programming hadn't been complete when it happened, but she willingly worked for the robotic monster. She didn't want to tell anyone about her past as a hybrid, hoping she could put that behind her.

Dean didn't know about her past. He didn't know her friends were the famous Power Rangers who stopped Venjix (due to never really having met anyone aside from Dani and Greg). There was still that part of her life that was missing, and Dawn was afraid that if she got it all out in the open, Dean would leave her and the center.

Suddenly, her communicator went off.

"_Dawn, we need your help back at the Garage. It's ugly, it's scary, it's violent and it's got your name written all over it,"_ Hayden said.

Dawn sighed, "Really? Now, of all times?"

Dean frowned, "What is it?"

"My friends need my help," Dawn answered, "Apparently they've run into something they're too chicken shit to handle."

"It's at the Garage? Isn't that where Dani works?" Dean asked, "Is she okay?"

"I'm sure she's fine," Dawn nodded, "But I have to go. I'll explain more next time, okay?"

"Okay," Dean said, a little unsure. He still wasn't comfortable with his decision about Emily, but he understood that Dawn needed to go help her cousin and friends.

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn passed under the police tap and joined the former Rangers, Kaylee and Samantha outside the garage. She looked at the large building and frowned.

"So, what are we dealing with?" she asked.

"Big, ugly and scary," Hayden said, pushing her cousin towards the doors, "Go kill it."

Dawn rolled her eyes as she walked inside. As soon as she stepped in, the overgrown rat hissed at her. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no..." she frowned, "They survived."


	23. Venjix Rats

_Author's Note: I'm just here to let you guys know that the author Neo Aguni has a story that uses my character Hayden. What's happened is that Hayden's been pulled out of her world, and into the world he's created for his own characters from the story Netscape. It's AU from my story, but it's definitely worth checking out._

_Now, onto the chapter!_

Slowly, but surely, Dawn backed out of the garage and shut the door before the rats could escape. She turned to the soldiers and her friends waiting for her.

"I thought they were dead," she breathed.

"What are they?" Hayden asked. Dawn looked back, through the window as the rat made its home. She pulled Kaylee and the other Rangers aside so reporters and civilians didn't hear her.

"It's a Venjix rat."

Kaylee took a long breath and growled deeply, "What do you mean?"

Dawn shook her head, "I won't tell you here. Just clear the sector and make sure those rats don't escape."

"What about the garage?" Flynn asked, "We can't just leave them in there!"

"How did they get inside the dome anyways?" Dawn frowned.

"We just found them in the car," Dani shrugged, "They must have been hiding in the trunk. Maybe that's why the car stopped working."

"The customer did say it hadn't been working properly since he retrieved it from the Wastes," Flynn sighed.

While Dawn tried to figure out how the Venjix rats got inside the dome, Kaylee proceeded to clear the area. She told the civilians and reporters that the danger level had just increased (which wasn't a total lie), and told Colonel Truman and the military that they had a lead on what the creatures were.

When everyone was gone, the Rangers returned to the Command Center. Colonel Truman was looking through papers to see if there was anything similar to the rats in his files, while Kaylee, Dawn and the three Rangers discussed Dawn's findings in the corner.

"My first mission wasn't to destroy the Rangers after my programming was complete," Dawn started as she explained what she knew about the rats, "Venjix had captured several different animals, just like he did humans, and tested on them. He wanted to see if he could use animals to destroy the human race. If they succeeded, they would be easier to control and therefore easier to destroy. My job was to look after them."

"So they're lab rats?" Flynn asked.

"Genetically mutated lab rats. Their skin protects them from the toxic Wasteland air while their tail can pull oxygen from that same air, allowing them to survive, even when humans can't. Their claws can easily tear through human flesh with a single swipe and if you're lucky, you'll die immediately. Their blood is also poisonous and can kill a human if they so choose."

"Why didn't Venjix ever unleash them, then?" Hayden frowned.

"Two reasons," Dawn started, "First, during the evacuations, when Venjix heard about one of the humans who could heal from any injury, he knew his rats would be useless against her. That's why he injected the poison into them. What really stopped him from unleashing them is reason number two. They eat anything and everything."

"So?" Dani frowned, "My uncles do the same. One time, Uncle Deryk tried to eat Aunt Lily. He was definitely surprised when he woke up."

Flynn turned to the younger girl with a curious look, but shrugged it off, "What exactly do you mean by that, Dawn?"

"Those rats definitely didn't discriminate. They love eating the flesh off humans just as much as they love to eat through wires, circuitry and metal. As soon as Venjix called for them to be unleashed into the wastes and the two cities, they tried to eat Crunch. Poor bot was traumatized after that little incident. Needless to say, as soon as Venjix found out that the rats weren't going to work, he ordered for them to be destroyed, and I was told to infiltrate the Ranger ranks by getting a morpher. You guys know the rest of the story."

"I guess you didn't manage to destroy all the rats?" Hayden stated.

"We must have missed a few," Dawn nodded, "And they were made to reproduce and grow quickly. As we speak they're probably creating a rat kingdom in your garage."

"Eww, it's the discovery channel all over again!" Dani whined.

Kaylee placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder as she spoke to the team, "We'll have to deal with these rodents before this situation gets out of hand. Dawn, you know these rats pretty well. Do you think you can come up with something that'll get rid of them?"

"I can try," Dawn nodded.

"Good," Kaylee smiled, "Hayden, you're in charge of... inventory. Go back to the garage and count all the rats. Every few hours I need you to make sure they're all present and accounted for."

Hayden panicked, "Why me?"

"You heard your cousin. These rats eat human flesh. The others would die if they tried this."

"And you already tried feeding me to the rats once," Dani frowned.

"But... I like my skin on my body," Hayden pouted. Kaylee grabbed her daughter's shoulders and pushed her out the door.

"Rat control, now!" she ordered. Hayden grumbled, following her orders. Sometimes regeneration was a stupid power.

"What about the rest of us?" Dani asked, "We're not on rat control either, are we?"

"Only if they get out and terrorize the city," Kaylee shrugged, "Unless that happens, I need you guys to be at Dawn's beck and call and make sure the city stays safe."

-----Afterlife-----

"I hate my life... I hate my life... I hate my powers," Hayden whined, shutting the garage door behind her as she walked into the rat infested garage. She looked around in horror. They had definitely multiplied. "My mom totally owes me the biggest and best birthday gift ever when I'm done with this."

She stepped into the middle of the room and began counting, before a sharp pain shot up her leg. She whimpered as she checked to see what it was.

"Eww, one bit me," she screamed, shaking it off her leg, "I'm going to die! I'm going to die... hold on... Eww, I'm stuck in this place all on my lonesome, and I can't die!"

Hayden ripped the rat off her leg and placed it back on the ground. She then started counting the creatures.

"One, two, three, four, five... wait, I counted you already... Okay, one, two three, f- OW! Stop biting me!"

Hayden pulled off another rat and jumped up on the counter. It was the only place that wasn't infested by them. She began counting again but quickly found it impossible to do so.

"You know what," she growled, crossing her arms, "That's it. I'm going to stay in here until you all decide to sit still. Meanwhile, nobody gets out, underst-OWW! Son of a rat!"

Hayden turned around and spotted the rat that climbed up the counter to reach her. She rubbed the small of her back and whimpered.

"This isn't fun..."

-----Afterlife-----

While his father was napping and his mother was out saving the world, Christian was sitting in his living room, surrounded by the toy trucks his sister and Flynn had bought him for his fourth birthday. He loved the toys; however, he wanted to be a part of the adventure like his sisters and his mother.

With Dustin asleep, there was no one watching him. He smirked wildly as he ran to the laundry room and pulled out his blanket from the dryer. He tied it around his neck, like a cape, and began running around the house.

He jumped up on the couch and threw a pillow on the floor.

"You're going to pay, T15!" he shouted, before jumping down off the couch and landing on the pillow. "Ahh, oh, no!" he cried, pretending it was T15 shouting for mercy.

"Bad guys never win!" he said, kicking the pillow. It flew up in the air towards the coffee table. Christian quickly realised his mistake as the pillow hit a picture frame, knocking it down onto the hardwood floors. He gasped, running over to it.

Careful of the glass, he picked up the picture. It was one of his mommy, Aunt Tori and the grandparents he never met.

"Uh-oh," he frowned, "It's mommy's favourite picture. She's not going to be happy when she sees this."

Thinking Kaylee wouldn't notice, he tucked the picture between the couch cushions and ran to get a broom and dustpan. He tried to sweep up the glass, getting as many pieces as he could. He dumped the glass in the garbage pail, as well as the broken frame, and returned to the couch to put the pillow back.

He looked around the room, "It's dangerous to play in the house."

He hopped up on the couch and grabbed the remote, deciding it was probably best to stay calm. When the TV came on, he saw the news. He couldn't understand the news anchor because he was more interested in the picture on the TV.

"Those are some giant rats," he smiled, wide eyed.

A picture of Hayden stepping inside the rat infested garage suddenly flashed on TV. Christian frowned as the news anchor explained what was going on.

"These rats are extremely dangerous. Hayden McAllister, Kaylee Brook's youngest daughter, is inside the garage, keeping them inside so they can't escape. However, if you spot one, please alert the authorities immediately. I repeat: these rats are extremely dangerous and can kill."

Christian gasped, "Hayden's in danger!"

He tugged on the knot in his cape, hopping off the couch, "She needs help or the rats are going to eat her!"

Christian ran for the door, swinging it open. He reached up to the door handle to shut it quietly so he didn't wake his father.

"No worries, Hayden! I'll save you before the rats eat you! Super-Christian's going to save the day!"

Christian soared through the city, holding his arms out at his side as if they were wings that allowed him to fly. He knew his way to Flynn and Daniela's garage already, and even knew a shortcut.

He crawled under a fence leading to one of the farming fields. If he cut across the field and avoided the sidewalks, he could make it to the garage in record time. Unfortunately his cape got caught on one of the nails sticking out. Christian didn't realise this until he tried to get up and run and the blanket pulled of his neck, choking him.

He moved in closer to the fence so he could breathe and tried to see what was wrong. As he went to turn around, he found he didn't have enough room to turn. With his little hands he tried to reach the cape, but it was just out of his grasp.

"Uh-oh," he frowned, "Super-Christian has a problem."

He decided to try and go under the fence backwards to see if it would do anything to unhook his cape. He got on his hands and knees.

"Beep, beep, beep," he called out, "Super-Christian's in reverse! Better be careful, he can't see what's behind his bum-bum!"

He was halfway through the fence when he stopped for a little breather. Looking up, he noticed a giant rat standing before him.

"Uh-oh..." he frowned. He recognised the rat as the ones on his TV. They were the man-eating rats.

Christian held up his arm to keep the rat from getting in closer.

"Okay, no eating me. I'm stuck," he ordered, but the rat wasn't about to let its prey get away that easily. He hissed loudly before snapping at Christian. The little boy was too slow to pull away and suddenly felt a sharp pain surging through his arm.

The rat's teeth were still sunk into Christian's skin, and when the little boy tried getting the rat off, it bit down harder. Christian began to panic, screaming and sobbing loudly through the pain.

The rat began pulling on Christian's arm. It knew that the poison from the bite would kill the small boy quickly and wanted to take its food back to its nest. Christian pulled back. He was much stronger than the rat, given the size difference, but his panic kept him from protecting himself properly.

Angered at his prey, the rat slashed at Christian, getting the boy in the face. Long scars swept from his right cheek, up to his left brow.

A loud, piercing scream filled the air.

"MAYDEN!" Christian yelled, "I need help!"

Suddenly there was a loud hiss from the other side of the fence before a creature, about the same size as the mutant rat jumped over and landed protectively in front of Christian.

"Leave my human alone!" Karly shouted, swiping her paw at the rat, breaking him away from Christian. The rat glared at the cat menacingly. Karly didn't back down. She was a cat, he was a rat. She was dominant. He was food.

He was big food, but still food.

"I've eaten bigger things for breakfast," Karly hissed, "I can take you and your discoloured skin."

Knowing it was at the disadvantage against a cat, the rat took off, back in the direction of the garage where it came from. Karly smirked and turned back to Christian.

"Are you okay, little human?" she asked. Christian didn't respond. Instead, he lay motionless on the ground. Karly nudged his head to see if he would react.

Christian still didn't move.

Karly turned, following the rat to the garage. She needed to get to Hayden if she wanted to save her little human.

And if she caught up with that rat on her way there, he was going to pay dearly. No one messed with her humans.

Reaching the garage, she found the spot where the rats had escaped. They managed to dig a hole in one of the walls. She crawled inside without wasting a minute.

Once inside, she saw a room full of rats. They were definitely reproducing and growing at an alarming rate. She glared at them.

"Whoever hurt little human is going to die!" she shouted.

Hayden heard the voice and hopped off the counter. The rats all began jumping at her legs, gnawing at them for food. Thankfully, her powers kicked in, keeping her from feeling the pain. She still tried to keep them off, knowing that if they chomped at her too much, she could bleed to death.

"Karly? How did you get in here?" she asked her cat, picking her up before the rats got to her too. She kicked them all away and ran back to the counter. The rats tried hopping up, but Hayden smacked them down. She normally didn't approved of animal cruelty, but these rats were exceptions.

"Same way the rats got out," Karly said, "There's a hole!"

"What!" Hayden shrieked, "Where?"

"It doesn't matter! Little human ran out of the house and one of the demons found him!"

Hayden put her cat on her head, hopping off the counter. She ran for the door, opening it and getting out before the rats could. She slammed it shut and followed Karly's directions to her little brother's location.

"Just under the fence over there!" Karly instructed. When Hayden was close enough to spot Christian, Karly hopped off her head. She ran back towards the garage. "I'll go keep the demons inside. Someone's got to guard that hole!"

Hayden didn't hear her. She skidded to a stop before her little brother, landing on her knees. She grabbed his small body in her arms and found he was wearing his blanket at a cape. She untied it from around his neck, freeing him from the clutches of the evil fence.

She held him in her arms, inspecting his injuries. Normally she would rush him to the hospital so they could take out the poison and Dawn could analyse it, but she knew Christian didn't have that much time.

Using the same nail that trapped her brother, Hayden rubbed her palm against it until it tore her skin open and she began to bleed. She held the wound on her brother's arm open wide and placed her bloody hand on it.

"C'mon, buddy..." Hayden whispered softly, hoping she wasn't too late. The rats were very poisonous, and it wouldn't take long for that poison to take effect on little Christian. When the cut on her hand closed up, Hayden wrapped her arms around her brother's limp form, holding him close.

"Hayden? Did I save you?" Christian's weak voice said. Hayden pulled away and looked down as her brother slowly came too.

"You little dummy," she cried, "Is that what you were trying to do?"

"News lady said rats were dangerous," Christian explained, "You were alone with them?"

Hayden hugged her brother, "Christian... I don't know what to do with you right now. What were you thinking? Where's dad?"

"He's napping," Christian said. He tugged on his sister's arm, "I don't feel good."

"The poison's probably still in you, little buddy," Hayden explained, "It'll be a while before my blood can flush it out of your systems."

"Are you going to tell on me?" Christian asked. He could only assume he was in trouble. He knew it was wrong to wrong off when his parents or sisters didn't know where he was.

"I think mom and dad might wanna have a few words with you," Hayden nodded, "But they'll be relieved you're okay."

"I wanted to save you," Christian said, hoping to make it better.

"I know," Hayden breathed. She moved Christian around in her arms so she could take him back home but he threw up suddenly. She jumped a little, surprised at her brother's sudden sickness. Christian began crying, realising he was sick. Hayden held him gently, rubbing his back to calm him down as she looked at the vomit.

It was an unnatural colour, holding shades of orange instead of its usual brown-green colouring. Small traces of red could be seen as well, but Hayden assumed that was blood.

She got to her feet, taking Christian's blanket and wrapping it around him.

"You'll be fine, okay?" she whispered soothingly into his ear as she rushed home. She didn't care about the rats at the moment. She needed to get her brother to her father.

Christian continued to cough as he rested his head on Hayden's shoulder. With every loud cough, Hayden was afraid he was going to throw up again, but she didn't stop running until she was home.

"DAD!" she shouted, bursting through the door and setting Christian on the couch. He was going to be okay thanks to her blood, but before it took full effect, it seemed the poison was hurting him badly. He needed to be taken care of.

Dustin dragged his feet as he walked down the steps; the panic in his daughter's voice missing his ears completely as he turned into the living room.

"Hayden, what are you..."

He trailed off when he saw his only son on the couch, looking sick and frail.

"Christian...?"

"Watch him, dad," Hayden said, "He'll be fine. I need to go tell mom and the Colonel!"

Hayden took off, leaving Dustin alone with his sick son without an explanation as to what happened. Dustin took the little boy's hand as he rested. He trusted that Hayden had taken care of him, and that he would recover from whatever got him sick, but as a father, he was still worried.

He touched his son's head and kissed his forehead when Christian began to sob once more.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm right here. I won't leave you alone."


	24. Up In Flames

"MOM!" Hayden screamed, turning sharply into the Colonel's office. She slid into the room, almost falling to the ground before Vasquez caught her. Hayden didn't bother thanking the woman as she ran up to the Colonel. She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Where is my mother?"

Kaylee looked up from her work and rolled her eyes. She called to Hayden gently, "Sweetie."

Hayden spotted her mother and smirked. She looked back to the Colonel and saw he wasn't impressed. She chuckled nervously, smoothing out the wrinkles in his uniform before running over to her mother. She leaned against the desk as Kaylee put the papers down to listen to her daughter.

"Mom, something terrible just happened."

Kaylee sighed, "Yes, we have a giant rat problem."

"One got to Christian," Hayden said. The colour from Kaylee's face faded in mere seconds as the papers fell from her hands. She stood, frozen solid for a moment as the news hit her. Worried that she was going to pass out, Hayden walked around the desk and touched her mother's shoulder. This provoked a reaction in Kaylee as the mother jumped from her chair and left the room in a hurry.

The Colonel's printer suddenly started acting up, printing out a copy of a file he was receiving. He walked over to it to have a look.

Curious, Hayden followed him, poking her head over his shoulder. He glared at her momentarily before reading the note. He sighed deeply, suddenly thrusting it in Hayden's hands.

"It's from your cat," he told her. "How did she get my address?"

"She knows how to send you stuff?" Hayden frowned, reading the paper that was addressed to 'the smartest human in your stupid species'.

"Can you tell her to stop asking me for a _'cheezburger_'," The Colonel asked the Pink Ranger. Hayden chuckled which obviously irritated the Colonel. He gave Hayden a look, calming her laughter.

"Sorry, I'll tell her," she nodded. She read over the letter and groaned, "Fuck..."

"What?" the Colonel frowned. Hayden turned the paper over. Though he couldn't read it from where he was standing, he could see the word at the bottom: .

"The rats are still popping out of their mothers," Hayden said, "And without me to snack on, they're trying to escape. I need to go."

The Colonel let out a long breath as Hayden left. Vasquez approached him, dropping papers on his desk for him to send out into the city. She shook her head.

"You don't do well with family, do you?" she asked. The Colonel looked up at her curiously.

"She's not family."

Vasquez shrugged, "She's your son's wife's mother's daughter. Sounds like family to me."

-----Afterlife-----

"Those sons of bitches are going down," Kaylee shouted, storming into the office she made for Dawn in the command center. Dawn looked up from her work as her Aunt slammed the door shut. She spun around in her chair, raising her brow.

"What happened?"

Kaylee pointed to her niece, "You keep working."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "Did the rats eat Hayden?"

"I wish it was that," Kaylee groaned, before realising what she said. She face-palmed, "I'm not thinking right."

"Clearly," Dawn said, turning back to her work, "Lucky for you, I've almost got it."

"I don't care about chemicals and humane disposal of those monsters," Kaylee growled, "I need something to kill them now!"

Dawn looked up at her Aunt, "Kaylee, are you sure you're okay?"

"They got to my son!" Kaylee shouted, "My only son! Of all my kids, the healer, the invincible and the boy, they go after the boy!"

Dawn turned back to her work once again. She pushed her papers aside, until there was only one left at the bottom.

"I took this from the twins when they came to the center," she explained, "It was their plans to make a big Boom. It might work with the garage."

Kaylee giggled, "Excellent."

She reached for the paper, but Dawn pulled it away, "Are you sure about this, Kaylee? If you blow up the garage, not only do you kill the rats, but Dani and Flynn are going to be out of a job."

Kaylee growled, "Stupid people."

"I'll race!" Dani exclaimed, jumping out from behind a workbench, scaring her Aunt. Dawn simple looked over and shrugged. Over time, she had grown used to it. When Dani's ears started burning, she knew where she had to be.

Kaylee took a deep breath to calm down. She needed to think with her head.

"Are you sure, Dani?"

Dani nodded furiously, "Mom's not so uptight about me getting out on the track full time. I'm sure if my garage blows up and I need money, she'll bend her rules a little."

"A little?" Dawn frowned, "She's your mother. She may be telling you to wait until 21, but she's really waiting until you're 48."

Dani shrugged, "I know I can do it. I can pick up a few sponsors and qualify no problem! I can even hire Flynn to work in the pit crew so he's still making money!"

"You just want to race, don't you?" Dawn said. Dani shrugged, while Kaylee looked at the blueprints for the explosion. It was definitely going to be big enough to kill most of the rats. If she hired the boom-times and a sane expert then the city would be safe from damage. The garage was far enough away from most residential and commercial areas.

"What about the rats that will survive, though?" Dawn asked. "The explosion won't be able to kill them all."

Kaylee smirked, "Dustin's probably already got an idea for them. Dani, go talk to your business partner and see if you can find some sponsors. I'm going home."

-----Afterlife-----

"Burn them!" Dustin shouted, slamming his fist into the wall. Kaylee jumped slightly at his outrage, "Burn them dead!"

The small woman backed away from her husband, nodding, "Okay..."

Dustin thrust a small orb into Kaylee's hand, "When Christian fell asleep I went into your lab. I made this. Those rats will be screaming for mercy by the time I'm done with them."

Kaylee was starting to get second thoughts about killing the rats. She was normally against such acts of cruelty against animals. Dustin noticed the saddened look and pulled her into the living room. He pointed to Christian asleep on the couch.

"The only reason he's alive now is because Hayden got to him on time," he whispered, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't wake his son. "Hayden can't heal the entire city. Don't think twice about killing those pesky little... those... those... I can't say it because my four year old son is in the room, but if he wasn't..."

Kaylee sighed, "She can't do that for everyone without dying."

"Exactly," Dustin nodded. "Unless we get rid of these things, and fast, everything we fought for will be for nothing. Think about it. NewTech's going to laugh and say, "Those Corinthian were funny people. They destroyed Venjix and T15, the two most powerful villains, and then lost to a bunch of overgrown rats."

"Stupid NewTech," Kaylee grumbled.

"Christian's just the first, and maybe it's a sign," Dustin said. "Those rats don't care about us."

"Fuck them!" Kaylee shouted, "Off with their heads!"

-----Afterlife-----

"OW!" Hayden screamed, throwing a rat into the wall, "Leave me alone you nasty demons!"

Another rat hissed, jumping for Hayden's leg. He clutched on with his claws and dug his teeth into her skin. Hayden whimpered as her leg gave in and she fell to the ground. Uninjured, thanks to her healing powers, but in great pain.

Karly swatted a rat off the counter and turned to her human, "How many are there now?"

"1467," Hayden answered, trying to pull the rat off, "But it's about to be 1471. Patches and Blueberry III are at it again."

Karly glared at the two rats in the process of making life. Her tail went from side to side as she prepared to pounce on them.

"I have you now," she hissed, pushing off the counter and landing on Patches. He jumped off Blueberry, ready to defend himself and his mate. Karly stood eye to eye with him.

Suddenly, she attacked, "Feel my wrath you love making rodent!"

Hayden looked away just as he communicator went off. She pressed one hand against her ear to block out the noise and moved her communicator as close to the other as she could.

"Go for Hayden."

"_Get out of the building. We're bringing an end to their reign."_

"WHOO!" Hayden shouted. She didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed her cat and ran as fast as she could out the door. She slammed it shut behind her, catching a rat's tail. When she cleared the danger zone marked by yellow tape, Colonel Truman shouted for his men to stand guard.

"Die a horrible death you monsters!" Kaylee shouted while throwing the bomb her husband designed into the building. It shattered a window as it made its way inside. There was a small explosion, before smoke starting coming from the window.

The sounds of the rats screaming filled the air. Kaylee had to block it out as she called for Dawn to hand her a bigger bomb that the one before.

"This way we get them all," she smirked. Dawn nodded, placing the bomb in her aunt's hand. The Colonel ordered for his men to make sure everyone was clear of danger before giving Kaylee the signal.

She waited a moment, listening to the rats scream. Many of them tried to make it out of the building before they were hit with the toxic gas that would slowly kill them.

"You picked on the wrong family," she whispered, tossing the bomb. As it soared through the sky she turned and ran. The Colonel ripped open the tape and led her into the safety zone.

Behind her, the garage went up in flames. The only thing anyone could hear over the explosion was the boom-twins. Kaylee could almost picture them watching the explosion with their big, round eyes.

"That was..."

"... the best explosion we've seen..."

"... all year!" they exclaimed, jumping into the air and given each other a high five.

Flynn and Dani pulled up in front of the garage as the firemen began putting out the flames. Daniela smiled at the sight, but Flynn seemed surprised. It was obvious Dani forgot to tell him that their pride and joy needed to be sacrificed for the safety of the city.

"What the hell, man!" Flynn shouted, approaching his mother in-law. Kaylee shrugged, pointing to Dani.

"She was supposed to warn you."

Dani shrugged, backing away from her business partner, "Now look, Flynn. I know it seems like our dreams just went up in smoke, but I can fix this..."

"Do you know how long it's going to take before we can find the money to rebuild this place?" Flynn shouted. Kaylee interjected, popping up over his shoulder.

"Never mind how long it's going to take before we can be sure the fumes are gone and it's safe to breath."

Flynn was tense at this point as he glared down at Dani. The red head quickly pulled out two forms to show Flynn.

"I'm going to jump into my career as a professional driver," she told him, "Uncle RJ and Aunt Kelly have already signed the forms and have agreed to let JKP and Storm Chargers sponsor me! By the time the garage is back I'll be a well known driver and you'll be a very well known mechanic and we'll get three times as many customers as before!"

"You're basing all this on a dream?" Flynn growled, "You're wagering both our futures, and our families' futures, on the assumption that you'll be able to race?"

"Remember that customer who owns the track? He's agreed to let me race again! Just trust me, Flynn. No risk, no reward."

Flynn gave in, "Fine, but I get half your pay."

-----Afterlife-----

Back at the Brooks', Samantha was just walking into her parents' house after hearing about her brother. She set Engel down to go play as she went to the living room. Christian was wide awake by now and was watching cartoons.

While Engel went to play with building blocks, Samantha went to her brother. She sat down next to him and pulled him on her lap.

"How are you feeling, buddy?" she asked. Christian was too distracted by the TV to pay attention to his sister. He moved around in her arms so he could see the screen.

Samantha chuckled, ruffling his hair, "Back to normal, I see."

She put him back down to rest and found her father in the kitchen, watching the news on the small TV.

"YES!" he cheered, watching a replay of the garage going down in smoke, "Take that you evil bastards!"

Samantha wrapped her arms around her father's shoulders and kissed his cheek, drawing his attention away from the TV. He turned it off and turned to his oldest girl.

"To what do I owe this pleasant greeting?" he asked.

"I feel bad for you," Samantha laughed, already searching through the fridge for a snack for her daughter. "Your little man almost died."

"Yes, but I got my revenge," Dustin smirked, turning the TV back on as the explosion played again. "WHOO!"

"How is he feeling?" Samantha asked.

"A lot better," Dustin said. He tried to steal an apple slice from the cutting board, but Samantha slapped his hand away. Dustin shook his hand in pain as he pulled it back, "He hasn't thrown up in a while."

"Cool," Samantha nodded. She put the apple slices on a plate for her brother and daughter before turning to the living room. Dustin got up to follow her. When they walked into the room, they saw Engel was holding onto something shiny. Dustin took the plate from Samantha and set it down on the coffee table while Samantha went to her daughter.

"What do you have there, Angel?" she asked, gently taking the shining orb from Engel. Engel whimpered softly as her mother stole her toy. She reached for it, but Samantha needed to make sure it was safe to play with before letting her daughter take it back.

"Dad, do you have any shiny toys?" Samantha asked. Dustin shrugged.

"Unless Kaylee bought some then no."

Engel finally stole the shinning toy back from her mother and threw it on the ground. It bounced high into the air. Samantha reached for it, before it broke something, but before her hand could catch it, it suddenly grew.

Samantha instinctively went to grab her daughter and shield her from what seemed to be a portal, but she was too late. By the time she could react, Engel already decided to get up and run into the portal. Just as Samantha was about to run in after her, the portal closed and disappeared.

"Boy, you're slow," Christian laughed.

Samantha looked around for her daughter frantically, wondering where the two year old could have disappeared too. She reached her hand out to the spot where the portal was, but there was no longer anything there.

-----Afterlife-----

When she got the O.K from the chief, Kaylee began her search through the garage to see if there were any rat survivors. She lifted smouldering debris, burning her hands slightly. Everything she found was burnt to a crisp... except the one rat with the eye coming out of its socket. Kaylee heard about her from Hayden, Flynn and Dani. She was the original.

Kaylee already had a cage in hand, hoping there was at least one survivor she could take to the lab to have analysed. If Venjix experimented with rats, it was possible there were other mutated animals out there. She didn't want to brutally murder them every time.

Very carefully, Kaylee got the rat into the cage and locked it in. She smirked, eyeing the demon rat.

"I'm going to call you Doomsday," she said. "You're going to help with any other savage mutants we find out there."

-----Afterlife-----

Engel ran into a field of pink, giggling as the flowers bloomed around her. She stopped to pick the yellow flower growing from the ground. She turned to hand it to her mother, when she noticed Samantha wasn't there.

"Mommy?" she asked, looking around. "Mommy? Gwandude?"

Engel walked through the field of pink and flowers before reaching a clearing. She spotted a woman standing before a river. The two year old titled her head slightly, examining this woman. She had dark hair with a yellow streak on only one side. She wore mostly black, with a little white fluff around the edges of her boots, at the end of her sleeves, at the elbow and the shoulders.

Curious, Engel went over to the woman. She ran her hand through the fluff on her clothes and giggled. It was very soft. She grabbed the fluff with her little hands and tried to pull it in to rub it on her cheek.

The woman felt a tug on her leg and turned around. She gasped, almost falling over as she looked down at the small child.

"Evangeline."


	25. Evangeline

"What do you mean she's missing?" Scott asked his wife as he held her in his arms. Samantha was sobbing hysterically as she tried to tell her husband that her daughter disappeared into thin air. Though Scott was worried for his step-daughter, and wanted to stay at home to comfort his crying wife, he needed to be out in the wastes.

Now that Kaylee and the Colonel were aware of mutated animals, they needed to be sure there weren't any more in the wastes that could pose a threat to the two Domed Cities. Already the rats managed to scurry their way in. He and the Eagle squad were going to search the wastes in their aircrafts for any signs of life.

Scott checked his watch. Samantha felt him pull away and looked up at him.

"You don't care...?" she whispered sadly. Scott responded immediately, pulling her into a hug.

"No, I do. Of course I do," he told her gently, "But the city needs me right now... Gem and Gemma are waiting for me."

Samantha nodded. She realised the importance of Scott's job and that sometimes the family would have to come second. She handed him his bag.

"Go... I'll let you know if we find her," she said. Scott kissed her gently.

"I'll search the wastelands for her as well," he said, more to show her he cared deeply for their daughter. He hoped that he wouldn't find her there. "If she just disappeared, there is a chance that she wound up out there."

Samantha sighed, "I guess."

"Keep me updated, okay?" Scott said, kissing his wife's forehead, "If you get too overwhelmed with this, I'll call off the mission and come back home."

"Okay..." Samantha breathed, looking down. Scott ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He didn't want to leave; not while Engel was missing and Samantha was so upset. He pulled her into his arms once more, squeezing her tight.

"I could tell Gem and Gemma to lead the team if you want me here."

"No... That would be dangerous," Samantha said. "Go..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's not like there would be anything we can do that would help."

"I could postpone the mission until we find her," Scott insisted. "I can search the streets..."

"Go," Samantha hissed, shoving her husband out the door, "You focus on mutated animals. I'll focus on Engel."

Scott slung his bag over his shoulder as he stepped out the door. He turned back to look at Samantha.

"Let me know if you find anything," he told her. "Anything at all."

"I will," Samantha nodded, hugging herself for comfort.

-----Afterlife-----

"Okay, so mutant rats and porn are out of the way," Daniela smirked, setting down a long list before Greg. He took off his glasses to stare at his soon-to-be bride. Daniela almost completely ignored him as she rolled out the list, "Now we can get to work on the wedding."

"The wedding?" Greg frowned, "I thought it wasn't until March 17th."

"Yeah," Dani nodded.

"We still have a lot of time."

Dani's jaw almost hit the floor as she glared at her fiancé, "Are you kidding me? We have a little over a month! And seeing as February is a short month that takes off a few month days! Do the math, and there's only 33 days left until we're married! That's not a lot of time, mister."

"Now you can do math," Greg laughed, rolling his eyes, "But when I tried tutoring you before final exams, you didn't even know the name of the course you were taking."

Dani continued to glare, "This isn't funny. We need to do so much. Compared to everybody else, we're so far behind."

Greg rolled up Dani's list and tossed it in the garbage, "How about a small wedding in my parent's backyard? We get the Rangers and my family and your family..."

"That's not a small wedding," Dani frowned. "Do you remember the size of my family? I have so many aunts and uncles that we need to have two Christmas dinners to feed us all! Never mind my cousins and their wives and kids."

"Okay, how about Rangers, friends and close family only," Greg suggested.

"But I want my family to be there," Dani pouted, "That's why I made a list! See?"

Dani grabbed the list out of the garbage pail and showed it to Greg. He read it over quickly and smiled.

"I think my parents still have decorations left from their wedding," he said, "We can already take that off the list."

"What about food?" Dani asked, "We need someone to cater!"

"Get JKP to do it," Greg shrugged.

"Pizza for our wedding dinner?" Dani frowned, "Are you kidding?"

"Don't you have a chef in that large family of yours?"

Dani thought for a moment, counting her family members.

"My cousin Freddy owns a restaurant in NewTech!" she grinned, "Four stars! He caters at special events all the time! I think I could sucker him into doing this for me."

"Great. Food: check. What's next?"

Dani flashed him the list. Greg sighed, dropping his head on the table.

"Don't you have a maid of honour who can do this for us?" he moaned. Dani shrugged.

"I don't know... I'm having a hard time choosing between Heather and Hayden."

Greg sat up, "I think I can help with that! Hayden. She's your best friend, and you two are practically sisters. And she's already had a wedding; she can figure all this gibberish out."

Dani once again glared. Greg sighed, knowing he said something that didn't please her.

"Hayden? Really, that's your choice?" she said, "Heather's my cousin! My flesh and blood! She's just as sister-like to me as Hayden is!"

"Alright, then Heather," Greg said, "It'll be easier to invite your Aunt Lily and Uncle Casey that way."

"But they live so far..." Dani sighed, "What if they can't make it?"

Greg rolled his eyes as he pulled Dani onto his lap, "You're their little Dani-Cub. Why wouldn't they be able to make it to your wedding?"

He pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Dani, "Here. Call them, set up everything you need and talk to me when it's all set."

Dani smiled, hopping out of his lap to make the call, "Okay! And you let me know when your half of the stuff is done."

"My half?" Greg sighed, checking the list once more, "Dammit."

The genius already knew who his best man was going to be, or rather, best twins. He had promised Gem and Gemma they could hold that title in his wedding, and he intended on going through with that promise. After all, no one else seemed fit to be the best man aside from Gem. Gemma was only tagging along because she and her brother rarely did anything this special on their own.

Just as Greg was about to go back to his own work, Dani walked back into the room.

"Um, Greg... Samantha and Engel are a part of my family, right?"

Greg nodded, "Yes."

"Then my family really sucks; first porn, then rats, now a missing niece."

Greg dropped his papers and spun around in his chairs.

Daniela continued, "I just got off the phone with Heather and Sammy called. Engel's disappeared."

Greg tossed Dani the car keys, "C'mon. Let's go check this out."

-----Afterlife-----

While her Aunts, Uncles and parents were panicking, Engel was running through a field of flowers, dancing with the butterflies while the woman from the river watched her.

Master Guinn couldn't take her eyes off the small child. She couldn't believe that after two years, she was finally reunited with her dead sister.

She broke away from her thoughts when her niece approached her. Kayleigh laid a soft hand on her shoulder.

"You called?" she asked. Master Guinn nodded and pointed to Engel. The little toddler jumped in the air and caught a butterfly in her hands. Gently, she opened her hands and the butterfly sat on her fingers. She examined it curiously, petting it softly as she walked back over to the lady from the river. She held it up.

"Flutterby," she smiled, offering the beautiful creature to the lady. Master Guinn knelt down to accept the gift from her sister.

The butterfly landed on her hand as a wave of memories hit Master Guinn. She saw herself back at the Pai Zhuq, thousands of years ago. She was only a small child, maybe five or six at the most. Before her stood her little sister Evangeline who was holding several butterflies in her small hands.

"_Michelle!" her mother called and young Master Guinn turned to see the dark haired woman by the temple, "Watch your sister."_

_Michelle nodded, but felt fear rise up inside her. If she was being told to watch her sister, it was because her parents were leaving one more to search for the legendary Great Master. Every time they left, Michelle was afraid they would never come home._

"_We'll return before the sun rises," her father called out to her, just as he did every time. But Michelle knew better. Her parents were always late coming home._

_Evangeline looked up at her sister and offered her one of the butterflies. Michelle reached out, letting the small creature land on her fingers._

"_Flutterby," Evangeline smiled, showing her older sister the creature, "Pretty."_

Engel grinned happily as Master Guinn held the butterfly in her hand, "Pretty?"

Master Guinn nodded, "Very pretty."

Kayleigh looked down at the child, then to her Aunt. Master Guinn smiled.

"It's her."

Kayleigh knelt down beside Master Guinn, "How has she returned?"

"That is not the question, child," Master Guinn said, returning to her feet as she scanned the horizon, "They question is, why has she returned."

Kayleigh frowned, "You don't mean..."

Master Guinn nodded sadly. Kayleigh shook her head.

"No!" she shouted, "She's just a child! You can't expect her to fight..."

"Since the Venjix, the balance in the Animal Kingdom has been destroyed. There was only one master who could restore it."

"Was," Kayleigh hissed, "That master, my mother, is dead! She's a child! She doesn't know the power she holds... nor will she ever."

Master Guinn turned to Kayleigh with a smile, "Never underestimate your mother. I've seen her amount to great things."

Master Guinn looked down at Engel. The young child has seen the lady from the river looking to the horizon and had followed her gaze. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she turned back to the lady.

"What's wrong?"

_Michelle placed a bowl of food before her young sister, unaware her sister was trying to get her attention. Little Evangeline crossed her arms over her chest and glared across the wooden table as her sister sat down._

_Michelle finally noticed her sister, causing Evangeline to speak up once again._

"_What's wrong?"_

_Michelle sighed, "Mother and Father have left once again."_

"_Leave a lot," Evangeline said, digging into the meal her sister prepared. "Come home every time."_

_Michelle nodded, "They do, but I have a different feeling this time."_

"_Water bucket?" Evangeline offered, pointing to the water bucket in the corner of their hut. Michelle laughed, shaking her head._

"_I'm not sick. I have a feeling of dread. Something's not right."_

_Evangeline grabbed her food bowl and hopped off her bench. She walked around the table and sat beside her sister. She took Michelle's hand in her own and smiled._

"_Be okay," she assured Michelle, "Great Master help them."_

_Michelle sighed and nodded slowly as she started her own meal, "I hope so."_


	26. Michelle's Discovery

"_I'm terribly sorry, Young Cub," Master Talon said, standing before Michelle as he delivered the news of her parents' death. "It seems the Beast got to them before they could find the Great Master."_

_Michelle lowered her head and took a deep breath, trying to keep her tears from falling over. She had to stand strong in the presence of the Pai Zhuq master._

_However, Talon knelt down before her and placed his hand on her shoulder._

"_The loss of a loved one is never easy," he told her, "Feel free to express yourself."_

_Michelle shook her head and grabbed her bags, "I can't. I need to tell my sister. I have to stay strong for her."_

_Master Talon nodded, getting back to his feet. He watched as Michelle walked out of his hut sadly._

_Taking a deep breath himself to keep calm, he walked over to the scroll in the corner. He picked them up and analysed them carefully._

_The Great Master was around these parts somewhere. He could sense the energy. It frustrated him that no one had yet to find the powerful being. However, with Michelle's parents officially passed, the Pai Zhuq no longer had anyone to search for the Great Master._

_A grey falcon soared into the hut and landed on Master Talon's arm. The master looked at the Falcon and nodded._

"_I see... It seems the Great Master has been right under our nose all along."_

-----Afterlife-----

Master Guinn woke with a start, sitting up from her sweat coated mat. She looked around, seeing the fire that had been burning through the night finally died out. Over under the large willow tree, Kayleigh slept soundly with Engel curled up in her arms.

It had been centuries since Guinn had thought of Master Talon. After he had passed, there was really no reason to let his memory linger uselessly. All students were taught to never attach themselves to their Masters, but to the lessons and values their masters taught them. Master Guinn had felt something special for her first master, but respected his wishes and moved on when he left this realm.

However, it seemed he was reaching out to her.

Master Guinn through off the thin blanket and walked over to the river. She knelt down before it and splashed the water on her face.

As the water dripped off slowly, Master Guinn stood back up and looked out at the horizon. There was a dark light coming from the Dark Forest.

"He's coming..."

-----Afterlife-----

"Okay," Flynn started pacing the room, "The lass is two. She can't just disappear into thin air without someone knowing where she is."

Samantha glared at her brother in-law, "Then where is she?"

"I don't know," Flynn shrugged, "I didn't say I knew where she was."

"Guys, calm down," Dawn sighed, "We'll never figure this out if you two eat each other."

"Well, where do strange portals lead?" Daniela suggested, turning to Samantha.

"I don't know," Samantha sighed, "Mesogog's lair?"

Greg looked over to Dani, "Doesn't Heather travel via portal?"

Dani had to think about it for a moment. She frowned, "What do you mean?"

"To get to the Pai Zhuq for her lessons... doesn't she like... walk through a portal or something?"

"She does!" Hayden shouted, hopping off the couch and letting go of her sister's hand. "To get to the Wind Ninja Academy Mike and I have to walk through a portal in a waterfall! So long as you know the password, anyone can go through. Heather would have to do the same thing to get the Academy."

"Great, but Heather's not here, is she?" Samantha frowned, "She's all the way in NewTech! By the time we call her and she gets here, something might have happened to my daughter."

Everyone sighed deeply, realising this was a problem.

"Can't you go up to the Spirit World on your own?" Dawn asked her cousin.

"I could, but the Spirit World is a big place. I know my way around, but I have no idea where Engel would be. Heather and Aunt Lily have a better sense of direction."

Dawn frowned and leaned in closer to Hayden, "And by that she means?"

"My Aunt's got a sixth sense," Hayden nodded, "She passed some of it onto Heather. If they were around, they would be able to find Engel long before any of us could."

Dani suddenly started bouncing and smiling, "OH! OH! I already called Heather!"

"You did?" Flynn frowned, "How so?"

"Greg and I were planning our wedding. I needed my maid of honour to help with my half of the plans so I called Heather! She's coming down with my Aunt and Uncle today!"

Samantha jumped up and ran into her little cousin's arms.

"Thank you!" she shouted happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome," Dani laughed, "I'll just go home and wait for them there."

"Met us in the Pai Zhuq gardens," Samantha said, "We'll check the Academy before we do go up and disturb the peace."

-----Afterlife----

Master Guinn sat silently on the grass, deep in meditation as she tried to reach Master Talon from the beyond.

There was nothing to disturb her peace. Her sister and niece were still sleeping soundly back at the resting grounds. Master Guinn should have easily been able to find her inner spirit and reach out to her late Master.

However, there was something trying to break her concentration. It was beating loudly in her head, thumping painfully on her skull. Master Guinn's eyes were screwed tight as she tried to focus.

Suddenly the throbbing turned into a deep, booming voice that sent fear running through her soul. Master Guinn whimpered in pain, trying to pull away, but the voice pulled back.

"_Release me!"_ it shouted, _"Release me and spare the lives of those near you."_

Master Guinn shook her head to try and clear her mind.

"Never," she whispered.

The voice chuckled, _"You can't resist me, Cub."_

"I can try," Master Guinn replied. The voice faded as the pain returned. Master Guinn tried to hold in her screams, so as not to wake her sister or niece, but it was too much.

Just before a scream escaped her lips, Master Guinn felt a small hand touch her leg. The pain subsided and the voice disappeared completely.

_On the eve of her tenth birthday, Michelle stood over the Pai Zhuq village. Her feet were planted firmly on the rocky edge where she was standing. Right behind her stood a large, shadowy beast. Its hand brushed Michelle's hair gently._

"_You can't resist me," it whispered in her ear._

"_Yes I can," Michelle growled. She couldn't turn around. He was controlling her. With a wave of his hand, he could send her tumbling over the mountain side to fall to her death. "I'm the Great Master. Master Talon said she was near!"_

_The Beast chuckled, wrapping his arm around Michelle's waist, "If you were, then I would be dead by now."_

"_I'm not fully trained," Michelle whispered, trying to pull away. The Beast held her tight, pulled her into him._

"_Even an untrained Great would pose a larger threat than you," The Beast laughed. Michelle used his momentary distraction to break free of his control and pull away. She went to run down the rocky path, but the Beast held out his hand. Michelle felt something wrap around her ankles and wrists as she fell roughly to the ground._

_She whimpered in pain, squirming to break free of his hold. The Beast slowly approached her._

_Suddenly, a rock fell from the sky, hitting the Beast in the head. Growling, he looked up to find a little girl standing on a large boulder._

"_That's my sister!"_

_Michelle looked up, feeling a sense of dread as her little sister tried to take on the Beast._

"_Evangeline, get out of here!" she shouted, pulling harder to break free of the invisible bonds._

_Evangeline shook her head, "No."_

_Michelle rolled over, "Evangeline, get out!"_

"_NO!" Evangeline shouted. The Beast didn't bother wait until the two sisters could agree. He let out a savage roar and charged at the boulder. He ran into it and pushed it over. Evangeline screamed; she was losing her balance. Michelle could only watch as her sister tumbled into the arms of the Great Beast._

_Evangeline looked up in horror; finally realising she was in over her head._

"_Let my sister go!" Michelle shouted, getting to her knees, "She's not a part of this."_

_A malicious smirk appeared on the Beast's lips, "Alright... If she's not a part of this..."_

_He grabbed Evangeline by the back of the neck and turned around, holding her over the edge of the cliff. Evangeline screamed in terror._

_Michelle watched in horror before remembering what she had to do._

"_Bring out the Penguin!" she cried as a small, yellow penguin spirit emerged from her chest and charged towards the Beast. He turned for a moment and slammed his hand down on the penguin spirit, causing it to disappear instantly and Michelle screamed in pain, dropping forward._

_She looked up painfully. Evangeline was screaming desperately for someone to save her. Michelle could no longer move._

_As Evangeline let out another terrified scream, a green figure emerged from her chest, barrelling into the Beast and forcing him to fall on his back and let go of Evangeline. She landed on the edge of the cliff and rolled. Just before she was about to be thrown off, she grabbed to a rock sticking out of the ground and held on tight._

_The green spirit began to take on a shape as it continued its attack on the Beast. He roared, striking the spirit, but to no avail._

_Michelle looked over at her sister, "Evangeline, summon it!"_

"_Um..." Evangeline hesitated. She was still a young child, without any knowledge on control of animal spirits. This was the first time hers had ever come through. She decided to mimic her older sister's first attempt._

"_Reveal the inner Spirit!" she shouted. The green spirit finally took the shape of a leopard and grabbed The Beast's large arm in its mouth. It was small, but it seemed to do enough damage as the Beast howled in pain. He tossed the leopard into the air and turned to retreat. The leopard faded before hitting the ground to return to her master._

_Evangeline got to her feet and ran over to her older sister._

"_Are you okay?" she asked as Michelle's invisible bonds failed and she was able to stand._

_Michelle glared at her little sister, "What the hell do you think you were doing?"_

"_I'm sorry," Evangeline said, lowering her head in shame and bowing before her sister._

_Michelle continued her screaming, "You could have been killed! You had no idea what you were doing!"_

"_I just wanted to help," Evangeline whispered, "You're my only family."_

"_I told you to stay back in the village," Michelle growled. She picked up her bags and grabbed her little sister's arm, "If mother and father were still alive..."_

"_I was worried," Evangeline said, "You were supposed to be home before sunrise."_

_Michelle stopped in her tracks and turned back to her little sister. Evangeline looked up at her sadly, obviously upset that she had disappointed her sister._

"_I'm sorry," she whispered again, "I'll stay home next time."_

_Michelle shook her head, "You can't, Evangeline. I was wrong. I'm not the Great Master."_

_Evangeline finally looked up, "You're not?"_

Master Guinn opened her eyes and smiled as Engel climbed onto her lap.

"Frightmare?" Engel asked. Master Guinn wrapped her arms around the toddler, holding her close.

"Thank you, Evangeline," she nodded. Engel responded by looking up and smiling. She wrapped her small arms around Master Guinn's neck.

"I protect you," she whispered.

"You always have," Master Guinn nodded, kissing her little sister on the forehead.


	27. The Beast's Victim

The following morning, Samantha, Flynn, Hayden, Dawn and Greg woke up in the Pai Zhuq Academy. They had spent long hours searching the grounds for little Engel but with no results.

Samantha was first to be awake. It was understandably hard for her to get some sleep. She was sitting by the pond when Jarrod approached her.

"Good morning," he smiled, "Find the little cub yet?"

Samantha sighed, "No..."

Jarrod tapped her shoulder gently, "I have every student keeping their eyes open. Believe me, if she's here, we'll see her."

Samantha nodded, "Thank you, Jarrod."

He turned to leave, giving a quick nod to Hayden who was finally awake. She made her way over to her sister and sat next to her. Samantha noticed and wrapped her arm around her little sister.

"Happy birthday," she whispered. Hayden smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day."

"Not really," Samantha sighed, "Scott's out on a mission and my daughter is missing."

Hayden nodded, "I know. I'm sorry."

Samantha squeezed her sister comfortingly before reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small rock and handed it to her baby sister.

"I collected rocks when I was little," Samantha whispered. "When I was five I found this pink one, and it made me think of you."

Hayden took the rock and looked at it carefully. It was shaped like a heart and was the same shade of pink as her Ranger uniform. The younger sister smiled and hugged her older sibling.

"I love it," she whispered.

Samantha nodded, but pulled away, "Look, I don't want to ruin your birthday. If you and Flynn don't want to waste the day looking for Engel..."

Hayden glared at her sister, "I love that little squirt just as much as you do," she said, "I may not be her mother, but she's one of the most important people in my life. Do you really think it would be wasting my day? Today could be my last day on Earth; I would still spend it looking for her."

Samantha jumped into her sister's arms, "Thank you."

Finally, the portal opened up as four figured dropped onto Academy grounds. First to rise was Casey. Being headmaster at the Academy meant he was used to traveling back and forth. He helped his wife up before looking around.

"I see Jarrod's kept the place running smoothly."

"Obviously," Lily said, rolling her eyes as she wiped the dirt off her jacket.

Daniela and Heather were last to get back to their feet. Dani looked around and giggled.

"This is where you went to school, Heather? C'mon, they don't even have lockers."

Heather rolled her eyes. She looked to Samantha, "Dani told us Engel was missing."

"She still is," Hayden nodded. The others were now up and joined the two sisters, standing behind them.

"We need your help," Samantha said, "We think she might be in the Spirit World, but the place is so big that it could take us forever to find her."

"We can help," Casey smiled, "I know my way around there, and I'm assuming you do as well."

Samantha nodded, allowing Casey to continue.

"Lily will be able to sense Engel if she's nearby, and Heather's animal spirit would be a great help in case we run in to trouble."

"Right, throw my cheetah to the wolves," Heather groaned, "Because that worked so well last time."

"Last time your Uncle RJ was distracted by the new Pizza Bowl and lost control of his spirit," Lily reminded her daughter.

"Pizza Bowl?" Hayden frowned, "Seriously?"

"The man is crazy," Heather whispered, "He invented the pizza bowl to hold his banana slices! He's mad!"

"Just wait till you hear our news," Hayden giggled, "Hannah's actually intolerant to bananas."

Heather couldn't keep a straight face. After years of watching Hannah get bananas shoved down her throat, only to send them back up again, the truth about her intolerance was finally out and it was definitely biting RJ hard in the butt.

"Guys," Samantha frowned, crossing her arms as she glared at the girls, "We have a child to save."

"Right," Hayden and Heather nodded.

"So, what do we got to do?" Flynn asked, rubbing his hands together.

"The four of us should be able to carry this group up," Lily said, looking up to the sky, "Hopefully the spirit world is accessible."

Samantha looked to her Aunt and frowned, "What do you mean?"

Casey wrapped his arms around his wife gently, "Lily hasn't been getting good signals from the Spirit World lately," he explained. "She senses evil."

"That can't be," Greg frowned, "Samantha destroyed Dai Shi two years ago. What other evil can be up there?"

"A lot," Samantha nodded, "There's a forest full. But none of them were ever as powerful as Dai Shi, right?"

"I guess we'll find out when we get there," Dawn shrugged.

Casey, Lily, Heather and Samantha nodded as the group of Rangers held hands. The Rhodes and Samantha looked to the skies as everyone's feet started to lift off the ground.

They were a couple of inches up when suddenly everyone felt like they hit a wall. They went crashing down, landing in a heap right where they had taken off.

"What the hell?" Hayden muttered rubbing her head.

"I knew it," Lily frowned, "There's trouble."

Casey took her hand gently but Lily gave him a quick nod. He got to his feet and ran towards the Academy, where Jarrod had gone to moments ago. Something wasn't right.

"Where's he going?" Flynn asked, helping his sister and sister in-law to their feet.

"He's going to find Jarrod," Lily explained. "They'll begin an On-Earth search of the spirit world to see if they can figure out what's going on up there."

"What do we do?" Daniela asked her Aunt. Lily sighed.

"We wait."

"Wait?" Samantha frowned, "We can't wait! My daughter might be up there!"

"Dammit!" Dawn shouted, kicking the dirt, "I'm supposed to meet Emily, Elena and Dean today! If I miss it, Dean'll start asking questions that I won't be able to answer."

"He doesn't know we're Rangers?" Dani frowned, "C'mon! At least be a little honest with him."

"I can't! If he finds out I worked with the Rangers, he's going to ask what I did to help them! I can't answer that without telling him I was a part of Venjix, and indirectly responsible for blowing the arm off his daughter. He'll hate me!"

"You're not ditching me for him, are you?" Samantha asked gently. She could understand the frustration everyone was feeling about having to wait for something to happen. They all had lives back home.

Dawn shook her head, "Of course not. That's why I'm mad! I need to come up with a good excuse."

"A very good excuse," Dani said, shaking her head in disappointment, "You won't be with your boyfriend on Valentine's Day. At least Greg is here with me."

"Can we focus, please?" Hayden asked, "No more Valentine talk or boyfriend talk. If you've all forgotten, a two year old child disappeared into thin air and there's something upsetting the balance in the Spirit World. I think boyfriends and dates are the least of our worries."

"When you put it that way..." Dani frowned.

Lily looked at the group, "When Casey gets back he'll tell us what we need to do, until then, I suggest we check the Pai Zhuq once more for Engel. We have nothing better to do."

-----Afterlife-----

Kayleigh was leading the pack through the forest while carrying Engel on her back. The little toddler was growing tired very quickly. The sky was getting dark and fooling the senses to make it believe it was night.

Kayleigh and Master Guinn were too experienced to be fooled, but Engel was slowly giving into slumber.

"Aunt Guinn, maybe we should rest again," Kayleigh suggested, bringing the two year old around so she could carry Engel in her arms. "The little cub is getting tired."

_Release me!_

Master Guinn shook her head, "We can't. If we stop, the Beast will surely find us."

Kayleigh shifted Engel in her arms so they were both comfortable. She looked at her Aunt, "Why are you so worried, Aunt Guinn? The Beast is safe in the Dark Forest."

The Dark Forest can only hold its prisoners captive for so long," Master Guinn reminded her niece. "Your mother stepping foot into that Forest was no accident. Fate had its way. Dai Shi was destined to be released again, just as the Beast is destined to make its return."

"What's the big deal about the Beast?" Kayleigh asked, "It was destroyed by mother before I was born, and never spoken about again."

"The Beast was a terrible creature," Master Guinn said. "However, he needs help escaping."

"Is that why you never taught us about the Beast?" Kayleigh asked, "So that no one would help him?"

"Precisely," Master Guinn nodded. "Unlike the Dai Shi, the Beast would forever remain trapped, so long as no one discovered his soul and set him free. Dai Shi needed to be locked away in a box. We needed to teach students to be weary of that box to avoid accidental release."

"That worked out well," Kayleigh scoffed, "Aunt Guinn, do you expect Engel to fight this Beast and keep it tamed?"

"I pray that the Beast is not released," Master Guinn nodded, "You can't understand the destruction and chaos it would cause."

"But if it is?" Kayleigh asked, "Do you think this small child could save the Spirit World?"

Master Guinn didn't answer. She continued on her journey, stepping past her niece. Kayleigh looked down at the bundle in her arms and sighed deeply.

"She hasn't been the same since you died," she whispered.

Master Guinn heard the comment and lowered her head slightly. A few tears appeared in her eyes. Quickly, she wiped them away.

_Release me!_

Master Guinn shook head her, pushing back the voice that called to her. She couldn't set him free. Not again. She had already put her little sister in enough danger.

_Michelle couldn't sleep that night. The Beast kept calling her. Brushing away a few tears, she crawled out of her and her sister's bed and left the small hut._

_It had been a mistake to go off on her own to find the Beast. Now he had her. Forever he would be that voice inside her head._

_She needed to clear her thoughts if she wanted to drown him out. She walked to the river and dropped to her knees. She splashed some water on her face, waking herself up._

_Just as she was about to grab another handful, she spotted a reflection in the water. Frightened, she jumped to her feet, spinning around and coming face to face with the Beast._

"_We meet again," he smirked, touching her cheek. Michelle swatted his hand away and took a small step back._

"_What do you want with me?" she asked. The Beast chuckled._

"_You know exactly what I want," he said, "Release me now, before the Great is of age."_

"_So you can kill her?" Michelle shouted, "I won't let you harm my little sister."_

_The Beast grabbed her throat and threw her into the river. Michelle surfaced quickly and tried to catch her breath._

"_You don't understand my power, cub," he whispered. "I may not be at full power, but I can make you do what I want. You were a fool to come to me, just as your parents were."_

_Michelle jumped out of the water as her penguin emerged, knocking into the Beast. He roared, grabbing a tree and lifting it from the ground._

_A few voices could be heard in the distance as other people started waking up due to the noise. Michelle knew it was only a matter of time before her sister would wake and find she was not in bed. She needed to protect her sister._

_She barely dodged the tree as it was thrown in her direction, rolling to the side and ducking behind a rock._

"_He's here!" a voice cried, filled with panic. "He's found a victim!"_

_A falcon soared through the sky, ripping its way past the Beast and leaving a mark. The falcon landed on the ground as the Beast pulled away instinctively._

_Master Talon emerged from the Falcon and glared at the enemy. Several students, all bearing the badge of honour, gathered around him._

_Michelle peeked over the rock to take a look. When she noticed Master Talon, she knew she was in trouble. He would find out that she left on her own to complete her parents' mission and instead of defeating the Beast, she became his victim._

Master Guinn looked back at her family and sighed deeply. She couldn't release him again.

-----Afterlife-----

Jarrod and Casey were searching through the scrolls as Camille went to alert all students to stay inside their respective cabins.

"I don't get it," Jarrod started, tossing another useless scroll over his shoulder, "Dai Shi was defeated, twice! Who could be threatening the Spirit World?"

Casey pulled out a scroll from a dusty old box and turned around. He held it in his hands carefully and unravelled it slowly. He read it quickly before his face turned white.

"What?" Jarrod asked, "What is it?"

Casey turned it around. On the scroll, the ink was moving. Jarrod could make out an old forest, with the trees swaying gently from a light breeze. He could tell the sky was dark, because there was no sun, moon or stars.

As he took a closely look, he could see two women walking though the forest. One was slightly younger and carrying a small child in her arms. A few steps ahead of her was the other woman. The look on her face told Jarrod she was troubled by something.

He recognised the two women after a few moments.

"It's Kayleigh and Master Guinn!"

Casey nodded, "It is. And the little girl in Kayleigh's arms is Engel."

Jarrod looked back at the scroll closely and gasped.

"Engel is in the spirit world."

"Question is: how did she get there?" Casey asked.

"No, why is she there?" Jarrod corrected the Headmaster. The two glanced over at each other grimly. Casey rolled the scroll back up and stuffed it in his pocket.

Jarrod sighed, "What do we do?"

"I couldn't tell you," Casey said. "I don't even know what we're up against."

"Hey, you were in over your head back when you were a Ranger, and you kicked ass then," Jarrod smiled, "You'll pull through again. We'll figure this out."

"I can only hope."

"Maybe the other masters know something," Jarrod said.

Casey nodded, "I'll call RJ. If anyone could help, it would be him."


	28. History Repeats

The scroll still held the moving image as RJ stared at it intently. He was determined to figure this out.

Casey, Lily, Jarrod and Samantha were sitting silently, along with the others, waiting for the master to come to a conclusion. Finally, RJ's face lit up. Samantha almost jumped out of her seat.

"What?" she asked. "Did you figure it out?"

RJ shook his head, "No, but I did come up with a new item for the menu," RJ laughed, "Pizza, with the crusts on the inside."

Casey and Lily face-palmed while Jarrod looked up at the master questioningly. Samantha, however, was not amused.

"Figure this out," she hissed, turning her uncle's neck back to the scroll. RJ pulled away from her grip.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," RJ said, "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

"Nothing?" Samantha screamed. "What do you mean, nothing!"

Hayden grabbed her sister's hand and held it gently. She knew Samantha was about to jump the wolf Master, and she didn't want to have to clean her uncle off the walls.

"Sammy, calm down," she whispered, "I'm sure Uncle RJ has this figured out."

"He's stumped," Heather frowned, shaking her head. "I know that look. He's got no idea."

"I have an idea," RJ said, "I just can't act upon it."

"Why not?" Daniela asked.

"Well, normally when the spirit world is blocked off, one of the Masters would come unlock it to allow the Earth Masters access. But there are two problems with that. The first one being, whatever charm is keeping us out, is keeping them in."

"And the second?" Casey asked.

"We're not allowed to travel to the spirit world, remember?" RJ said. "It's only supposed to be a realm for the dead."

"Then why is my daughter there?" Samantha growled. RJ pulled away even further. He knew how far a mother would go to protect her cub.

"Remember, Samantha, your mother is the Greatest of the Greats. If the Spirit World needs her, it'll find her."

"The spirit world is in Danger?" Jarrod frowned.

"I knew it!" Lily cried. She looked over at Casey, "There's something up there!"

"Can you figure out what?" Casey asked her. Lily nodded and shut her eyes, falling into a deep state of mind. Casey turned to the group, "While she does that, I need the rest of you to search for any scrolls involving Past Monsters."

"Can do," Heather nodded. She grabbed Daniela so they could work on the search together. Hayden decided to help her sister, and Flynn joined their group.

Greg and Dawn worked together, looking through the more modern scrolls that were stored in a regular filing cabinet.

Lily felt her spirit leave her body and soar up into the spirit world. Though no one had access to the other realm physically, the charm wasn't stopping spirits from travelling.

Her ghost appeared behind Master Guinn, Kayleigh and Engel. Though she wasn't visible at all, she could listen in to their conversation and hopefully find out what was going on exactly.

"Aunt Guinn," Kayleigh called, jogging to catch up to her Aunt as Engel trailed behind, "We've been traveling for days and you've yet to tell me what we're doing. Please..."

"I'm taking you and your mother to a safe place," Master Guinn nodded, "You don't need to know anymore."

"Safe from the Beast?" Kayleigh asked.

Lily frowned, "The Beast?" she whispered to herself, "What the hell is that?"

Suddenly Engel's head turned back and she stopped walking. Lily shut her mouth and stood still, afraid that maybe the young child could sense her.

Master Guinn and Kayleigh stopped as well and turned to Engel, watching her curiously. Engel stepped closer to Lily and reached a hand out.

"Lady... friend!" Engel giggled. She felt something touch her hand and knew someone was there. She couldn't see the person, but something inside her told her that there was a friendly spirit around.

Lily tensed up, slowing her breathing to keep from giving herself away. She stepped back slowly.

Engel felt the spirit move away from her and frowned. She stepped in closer. "Leaving?" she asked it.

Master Guinn watched on curiously, before a voice rang in her head.

"_I would be careful if I were you."_

Master Guinn frowned, "Leave me."

Kayleigh, hearing her Aunt speak, turned to face her, "Aunt Guinn..."

Master Guinn didn't hear her niece; only the voice.

"_I know she's the one,"_ the voice whispered, _"I know she's the Great."_

"Leave her alone!" Master Guinn shouted, running over to Engel and scooping her up in her arms. She held her little sister tight, looking around for any sign of movement.

"_I'll kill her this time,"_ the voice laughed, _"This time I won't fail."_

"Go away," Master Guinn hissed.

Lily watched on. She could see Master Guinn was talking, but didn't know to whom. Finally, it became clear.

She saw something step out from behind a tree. It was dark and large, resembling more like the shadow of a beast than of a beast itself.

Looking around, Lily could tell that neither Kayleigh, nor Master Guinn nor Engel could see this creature, and by the look on Engel and Kayleigh's faces, Lily knew that Master Guinn was the only one to hear it.

"Give her to me!" the shadowy figure shouted, stepping directly behind Master Guinn and holding a hand out, ready to accept Engel in his arms, "Give the Great to me!"

"No!" Master Guinn shouted, but was suddenly thrown to the ground. She held onto her sister tight, making sure that Engel was safe.

Lily gasped. She didn't understand everything going on, but she knew Engel was in danger. For the moment, she couldn't care less about keeping her presence secret. She charged towards the Beast.

"Bring out the Cheetah!" she screamed, unleashing her spirit. The Beast turned to her, swinging his arm out to the side, breaking Lily's spirit. As the cheetah disappeared, Lily was thrown across the field.

"It seems I have company in the world of intangibles," the Beast laughed, leaving Master Guinn and Engel alone for a moment as he made his way over to Lily's spirit. "Tell me, cheetah, how did you get here? Are you, perhaps, a Special?"

"A what?" Lily frowned, not thinking the Beast could hear her.

"A Special," the Beast repeated, "You see things, don't you? When you were a cub, you saw emotions and memories."

"What are you?" Lily growled, crawling away from the menacing creature.

"You must be a strong Special to be joining me in this realm," the Beast continued.

Master Guinn, hearing everything the Beast was saying, quickly put Engel in her niece's arms and got to her feet.

"It's me you want!" she screamed, "Come fight me!"

"_Master Talon!" Michelle screamed as she watched her Master's death at the hands of the Beast. She sobbed loudly, cowering behind the rock as tears began to form. It was her fault he was dead. She went out to find the Beast, and he captured her soul. If she had stayed home to care for her sister, none of this would be happening._

"_Who's next?" the Beast roared. "I'll devour you all until my victim comes to me!"_

_Over in the distance, a door opened as a young child stepped out of her hut. She rubbed her eyes and looked around._

"_Michelle, where are you?" Evangeline called._

_The Beast smirked. He turned to Evangeline and pointed._

"_It's you I want," he said. "You're the Great!"_

_Evangeline glared at the Beast and crossed her arms, "You attacked my sister!"_

"_That fool!" the Beast laughed loudly. "I have no use for her anymore."_

_Michelle jumped out from behind her rock, "Beast! It's me you want! I can release you! Leave my sister alone!"_

The Beast turned to Master Guinn, lifting his hand. A powerful force knocked her off her feet and pinned her to the ground.

"_Not now, Cub," the Beast said, "Can't you see I'm busy?"_

_Michelle looked over at her sister, a feeling of panic washing over her as Evangeline ran back inside the house. The Beast ran after her, quickly making his way closer and closer to her sister._

Getting to her feet, Master Guinn jumped up and ran after the Beast, who was slowly advancing towards whatever spirit he was seeing. She needed to protect this Special from harm.

"_Michelle!" Evangeline screamed as the Beast tore the walls of the hut down and threw the dinner table aside. Evangeline was curled up against the farthest wall, shivering in fear._

She was too slow. She could sense the Beast drawing power from its soul. A loud screamed echoed in her head.

"NO!" she cried, dropping to her knees.

"_Eva!" Michelle sobbed as the Beast stuck her sister with such force that the young child flew through the wall and landed in a heap a few yards away. She watched, dreading every second as her sister lay motionless on the ground._

_As if it wasn't enough, the Beast called upon his own spirit, sending it down on the poor child. Michelle screamed in terror, calling forth her penguin to protect her sister._

Master Guinn shivered, waiting for the Beast's malicious laugh to tell her he had killed another soul in her place.

Again, she had failed: first her sister, now the Special.

The Beast chuckled, his voice ringing loudly in her head, _"How does it feel, cub? To know you've hurt two people by refusing to give in."_

Master Guinn wouldn't let him win. She couldn't. She got back to her feet and ran over to her niece and sister who were watching her with looks of terror on their faces. They didn't know what was going on or why Master Guinn was acting like she was. They couldn't hear the Beast like she could.

"Follow me," she said, "We need to find the safe place before sunrise."

_The penguin made it to the Beast just in time to stop the fatal blow and chase him away for now. When the Beast was gone, Michelle dropped to her sister's side._

"_I'm so sorry, Evangeline," she whispered, holding her sister in her arms. "When you wake up, I'll tell you everything, I promise! We'll defeat this beast once and for all."_

-----Afterlife-----

A loud, painful cry interrupted the search for the scrolls as everyone turned to Lily.

"Mom?" Heather called gently, before her mother collapsed. Heather jumped up from the floor and ran to her mother. Jarrod caught her in his arms, holding her back as RJ went to check up on Lily.

RJ knelt down beside her, tapping her cheek gently, "Lily? Can you hear me?"

Lily stirred, opening her eyes for a moment, "RJ..."

"Lily, are you okay?" RJ asked her. Lily's face twisted into a look of agony. Her eyes slowly started to roll back. RJ grabbed her arms, shaking her gently, trying to keep her awake. "Lily, stay with me."

"The Beast..." Lily whispered quietly. RJ couldn't make it out. He leaned in closer.

"What did you say?"

"The Beast," Lily said, "Look for the Beast."

Finally, the pain took over, causing Lily to give in. Her eyes rolled back and she fell completely limp.

RJ looked to Daniela. It was hers and Heather's job to search the early history scrolls.

"Look for a creature named the Beast! Bring up every little detail you can on him."

Casey fell beside RJ. He grabbed his wife's hand gently and gazed down at her body. RJ patted him gently on the shoulder.

"I don't know," he said, answering the question that was on everybody's mind.

"RJ, what happened?" Casey asked, turning to his master. RJ shrugged.

"Whatever it was, I'm sure Lily will pull through. She's not a quitter."

Heather finally stopped struggling in Jarrod's arms as she stared at her mother. Tears filled her eyes as Jarrod squeezed her tight, offering what comfort he could.

Dani wiped away her own tears as she pulled out every relevant file she could. Working fast, she placed the piles at RJ's feet before running over to her cousin and pulling her into a comforting hug. Heather's knees finally buckled and the two cousins dropped to the ground.

Hayden looked up at her older sister. Surely if something was powerful enough to take out their Aunt Lily, it was powerfully enough to hurt little Engel. She took her sister's hand, but Samantha pulled away.

The young mother darted over to RJ and helped him look through all the old scrolls. She couldn't allow herself to question whether or not her daughter was still alive. She needed to keep her mind busy, before it imagined the worst.


	29. Heaven and Hell

It had been hours since Lily suddenly passed out, and everyone was keeping busy anyway they could.

Heather was sitting with Casey, wrapped in his arms. They were both on the ground beside Lily. Casey held his daughter tight, while Heather held her mother's hand. It was easy to see Heather was starting to fall asleep. Her eyes were shutting periodically and her head would bob. But through all that, she never once let go of her mother's hand.

Casey was holding his daughter and looking over at the Rangers. Dawn, Flynn, Greg and Dani were putting scrolls in order. They had found every piece to the puzzle of the Great Beast; they just needed to put them together. Casey was helping them out whenever he could, using his knowledge of Pai Zhuq history to find the chronological order.

Hayden was sitting in the corner, watching as her sister grew more and more frustrated. Samantha was trying to help RJ. They held another half of the puzzle that the Rangers were working on. This part seemed to focus on the Great Master Evangeline and her triumph over the Beast, whereas the Rangers were working on the history of the Beast Himself.

It was obviously hurting Samantha to read about her mother (and daughter)'s history. Just by the look on her face, Hayden could tell Engel's spirit's history wasn't filled with rainbows and unicorns.

Finally, it seemed Samantha had it. She grabbed a scroll and threw it across the room, nearly hitting Dawn in the head. She grabbed her own in her hands and began to sob loudly.

Hayden ran over to her sister and dropped down beside her, pulling her in close.

"She'll be okay, Sammy," she whispered, "Engel's young, but she's tough."

"How can you say that?" Samantha screamed, pushing her sister away. Hayden fell on her butt and looked up at Samantha, a little shocked at the force, but not surprised. "She's two! She's just a baby! She doesn't know what she's doing! That thing up there..."

"Calm down," RJ said, putting a hand on Samantha's shoulder and pulling her back down, "Engel may only be a child, but she has the spirit of the leopard."

"Yeah," Hayden nodded, "When has the leopard ever been weak? And Master Guinn is up there looking after her. I'm sure she's fine."

"She better be," Samantha growled, "If she's not..."

"She'll be fine," Hayden assured her sister. She grabbed the scrolls before RJ and took Samantha's spot, "Why don't you take a break?"

"But..."

"Break, before I break you," Hayden said. Samantha sighed and went over to the corner to rest. Hayden began to work with RJ at getting the piece of the puzzle together. If they could figure out how Evangeline defeated the Beast the first time, maybe they could help Engel defeat Him now.

-----Afterlife-----

"Hide in here," Master Guinn said, leading her niece and sister into a cave. Kayleigh sat down against the wall of the cave, holding Engel in her lap. Master Guinn looked to the entrance of the cave, feeling slight relief when she couldn't see the Beast coming after her.

She turned around to look deeper into the cave to make sure it was safe, but jumped when she saw him, creeping out of the shadows, even though he was one himself.

What stuck out about him were the piercing red eyes. Master Guinn let out a slight whimper as she saw them. He growled menacingly, stepping closer and closer to the Master of the Spirit world.

Kayleigh had heard her Aunt whimpering and held onto her mother tight. She had never seen Master Guinn in a state of fear. Master Guinn had always been strong and able to keep her emotions in check, even when they didn't have to be. For her to show fear meant that something was very wrong.

"_Give in_." A voice echoed in the cave. Master Guinn, Kayleigh and Engel all heard it this time. It was deep and raspy.

"Leave us alone!" Master Guinn said, moving before her niece and sister, "She's just a child."

"_You aren't, cub."_

"Aunt Guinn..." Kayleigh said, glancing up at her Aunt, "Is that him?"

Master Guinn nodded slowly, "He's with us... I can't hold him off. Take the child and run."

"I can't," Kayleigh said, shaking her head. She held her mother tight as she rose to her feet, "I can't leave you alone."

"You can't fight him!" Master Guinn yelled, "Get out of here before he hurts you! Both of you!"

"NO!" Engel screamed, squirming out of Kayleigh's hands. Kayleigh put her down and Engel ran towards the inside of the cave. Master Guinn watched her sister running towards the Beast and gasped.

"Evangeline!" she shouted, taking off after her.

Before making it a few steps, Master Guinn fell to her knees, holding her head in pain. Kayleigh stopped behind her.

"Aunt Guinn..."

Master Guinn looked up at her niece, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I gave in..."

Kayleigh frowned, grabbing her Aunt at her upper arms and shaking her gently. "What do you mean, gave in? What does that mean?"

"He's got all the power he wants," Guinn cried softly, "I gave in."

Master Guinn suddenly fell limp, falling back into Kayleigh's arms. Worried for her Aunt, Kayleigh went to check over her, when she heard Engel screaming.

She placed her Aunt down gently on the stone cold grounds and ran further into the cave.

-----Afterlife-----

"Casey, RJ!" Jarrod cried, bursting into the room where the others were working. "It's opened up!"

"What's open?" RJ asked, putting the scrolls in Hayden's lap as he went to talk to Jarrod.

"The Spirit world!" Jarrod said in a rush, "It's been opened, something happened!"

"Aha!" Dani cried, jumping to her feet, "When the Beast is at full Power, he'll open up the Spirit world to the Human world and the Dark forest, setting everything free."

"This isn't good," Flynn frowned, "Last time I heard about the Dark forest, I became an Uncle."

Heather, who was finally wide away, stood up, her father rising just after her, "We'll take care of the Dark Forest," she said, "We'll keep those demons at bay. You guys go find Engel."

Casey nodded in agreement with his daughter.

"What about Aunt Lily?" Dani asked, pointing to her Aunt, "We can't just leave her here. We don't even know what's wrong with her."

"I'll look after her," Jarrod said, "Camille's already on her way. I'm sure together, we can figure it out."

RJ nodded, "Sounds like a plan. I'll help Casey and heather with the Demons. Something tells me they won't be easy."

Hayden nodded as well, turning to her team. Scott was absent, making her Leader.

"C'mon, guys. We have a baby to save."

Samantha rose from the ground and grabbed her sister's hand. Flynn held onto Hayden, and the others grabbed on as well until Greg took Samantha's other hand, making a circle. Slowly, they disappeared from this world and up into the Spirit world.

RJ, Heather and Casey did the same, only appearing into the Dark Forest instead of the Spirit world.

-----Afterlife-----

Kayleigh reached her mother in time, seeing Engel lying on her stomach on the ground, looking up at the Beast.

The Fox Master screamed, charging towards the Beast with great speed. She jumped high into the air, kicking him savagely under the chin.

"Leave her alone!" she screamed. The Beast stumbled backwards, holding his jaw in pain as he glared at the Fox.

"Who do you think you are?" he asked her. "No one can defeat me!"

"Only the Great Master!" Kayleigh said.

The Beast chuckled, raising his hand in the air as an invisible force pushed Kayleigh against a wall.

"Fool!" he shouted, "She's a mere child!"

Kayleigh felt something squeezing her throat, keeping the air from entering her lungs. She struggled for breath, but soon found her attempts were futile. She was trapped.

"Leave her 'lone!" Engel screamed, pushing her little body back to her feet, "Me you want!"

The Beast laughed, dropping Kayleigh on the ground and turned to Engel. He grabbed her roughly in his large hand, lifting her up.

"You're a very stupid child," he said.

Engel growled; furrowing her brow as rage consumed her.

_Evangeline glared at the large Beast as he tossed her sister aside like a ragdoll and laughed maniacally. The sky above him was as red as the blood staining the village grounds. All around the village, dark creatures danced in the glory of their victory over the many deceased Pai Zhuq warriors._

"_Pathetic," the Beast said, summoning his best demons at his side, "After years of searching, I find out the Great is nothing but a baby."_

_Evangeline clenched her fists. Her knuckles quickly turned white._

"_My victory over you humans shall be rather easy," the Beast said. He reached his hand out to grab Evangeline, but she screamed loudly._

_A bright, green light began to shine from her body, blinding the Beast. He pulled his hand back to his face, shielding his eyes. Evangeline cried out savagely before shoving the Beast, knocking him to the ground._

_The Beast looked at the small girl standing on his chest in horror._

"_Alakhal Ztero Huaw!" Evangeline shouted to the Heaven. The light on her body shone brightly, this time blinding even the demons and dying warriors. A green Leopard descended from the skies, running straight for Evangeline and the Beast._

_With a loud roar, she opened her jaw, biting down on the Beast._

Samantha and the others arrived inside the cave just in time to see the Beat prepare his final blow against Engel. Samantha ran forward, but the Beast saw her before she could make a move. He threw Engel at her mother, knocking them both down.

Samantha caught Engel in her arms on the way down, making sure she was safe as she landed on the ground, scratching up her arm. Engel smiled when she saw her mother, but quickly noticed the blood.

This meant war.

Engel crawled away from Samantha and stood before her protectively. The Beast laughed.

"You think you can protect her?" he asked, "You're a child!"

Engel's eyes flashed green as he body began to glow green. The Beast laughed. He knew what to do this time. He wouldn't let Engel win again.

However, from her body emerged another light, taking the shape of an older Engel.

Samantha covered her eyes just enough to keep the light out, but still open enough so she could see. She looked over in shock as the figure above Engel slowly became recognisable.

"Mom?" she frowned.

Hayden knelt down beside her sister, wrapping her arms around her as everyone looked up.

The Older Engel turned around, flashing her daughters a bright smile. She winked at them before turning back.

Engel held out her hand, pointing it towards the Beast. Evangeline did the same.

"_Alakhal Ztero Huaw!"_ both cried as a fully grown Leopard descended from the skies and landed on the Beast.

He tried throwing off the Leopard, but she bit down on his neck.

Hayden leaned in closer to her sister, "She's struggling," she whispered.

Samantha turned to Hayden and frowned, before looking back at her mother and daughter and noticing the pained look on their faces.

"Samantha," Kayleigh called, limping over to her sister's side. Samantha nodded and stood beside Kayleigh.

"Unleash the FOX!" they both cried, sending their spirits towards the Beasts.

With the two foxes, as well the Leopard, the Beast was overpowered. He cried out loudly and dropped to his knees.

Engel turned back to her mother, "Mommy, time out for bad monster!"

Samantha laughed and nodded, "Oh, he deserves a time out!"

Engel grinned and gazed back at the Beast, "Bad boy!" she shouted, and her Leopard roared. Evangeline smiled at the child and held her hands to the skies.

Suddenly, a dark hole appeared in the cave. As it grew bigger, everyone could feel its pull.

Kayleigh ran over to Hayden and the Rangers, gathering them together to keep them planted on the ground. Flynn and Greg helped her out, holding onto the smaller girls and using their weight to stay rooted.

Samantha ran over to Engel and scooped her up in her arms. The black hole's pull grew stronger and strong, and the Beast was suddenly pulled in. Samantha knew that if the big creature had been sucked up, it was only a matter of time before she was as well.

Just as she felt her feet lifting off the ground, a hand grabbed hers and pulled her down. Samantha looked up at her saviour and saw Master Guinn.

"You don't deserve Hell," she whispered.

Samantha frowned, "Hell?"

"Your mother has created another dimension; one for all evil. It will hold better than the Dark Forest."

"Hell," Samantha nodded.

Master Guinn pushed Samantha closer to her family, letting go of her hands. Samantha's eyes widened when she felt her Aunt letting go.

She turned around, "Aunt Guinn!"

Master Guinn was slowly lifted towards the hole, "I must go."

"Aunt Guinn..." Kayleigh called, turning around.

"If I stay, the Beast might come back as well."

Engel reached out for her sister as a tear rolled down her cheek, "Michelle..."

Master Guinn reached out as well, touching her little sister's cheek, "I never should have doubted your Power, Evangeline. Not now and not then."

Before anyone else could argue, Master Guinn turned around, jumping into the Black Hole. It closed up behind her and everyone was thrown to the ground.


	30. Honesty's Policy

When they got back to earth, no one felt much like celebrating. Heather and Casey carried Lily's still limp body to the couch at Samantha's house and laid her down. RJ sat beside his former student and watched over her while the others gathered around the table.

Engel had fallen asleep in her mother's arm and seemed to be the only one at peace. She was nestled up against her mother's chest, keeping close.

Samantha was obviously upset. Now, not only had her mother been lost to one of earth's greatest evil, but her Aunt had willingly walked into Hell. There was no turning back, and no longer had anyone left to explain what had just happened. There was no more Master Guinn, and her mother was dead. The spirit world was closed up, so it was impossible to contact Master Lope or Rilla and the Earth masters obviously didn't know about the Beast.

Hayden gently pulled Engel from her sister's arms and held her. Samantha looked to her sister, a little hurt.

"Hay..."

"I'll go put her down," Hayden said. "We need to talk."

"No we don't," Samantha growled.

Hayden nodded, "Yes, we do. We really do."

"I don't want to talk."

Hayden shrugged knowingly and carried her niece upstairs to her room. Everyone stared at Samantha as the former pink Ranger walked away.

Suddenly, Samantha jumped to her feet and ran upstairs, following her sister. She stormed into her daughter's room.

"WHAT!" she shouted, "What the hell do you want to talk about."

Hayden hushed her sister and led her out into the hallway.

"You're hurting."

"No shit," Samantha said sarcastically. "I thought you were a little more observant than that."

"Look," Hayden whispered, "I want to talk with you about this before it hurts us all. I know Master Guinn was your Aunt and..."

"She's gone, okay?" Samantha muttered, turning away from her baby sister, "My family... everyone... gone!"

"That's a lie and you know it!" Hayden screamed, stomping her foot on the ground. "Your family's not dead!"

"My mother's been dead for two years, Hay..."

"No, she's not!" Hayden argued. Samantha glared.

"Yes, she is! She's dead! Dai Shi killed her! And now this Beast took my Aunt into the Spirit world! I have no one!"

"Then what am I?" Hayden asked as the others gathered around the bottom of the stairs after hearing Hayden screaming. They wanted to see what was going on, and how they could help.

Samantha lowered her head, "Hayden, you know what I mean."

"You're my sister," Hayden said, "We're sisters. We have the same family. Your mother didn't die! Mom's still alive! Your spirit mother's dead! Your _adoptive_ mother."

"Hayden..."

"I feel for you, Sammy. I really do! I don't want to you to hurt but... You can't keep saying your family is dead! I'm alive, Mom's alive, dad's alive, Christian's alive and Summer's alive!"

"I'm sorry, Hayden," Samantha breathed. "I'm just..."

"Let's put it behind us, okay?" Hayden asked her sister awkwardly. "Whatever happened up there, with Master Guinn, Engel and Eva... it's done. We don't know what that was, and we probably never will. I don't want you to worry about it and turn away from us."

At that moment, Scott walked into the house. To his surprise he found all his friends standing in his hallway. He looked up and saw his wife and sister in-law standing outside Engel's door. Samantha and Hayden both looked like they were on the verge of tears. In his living room laid Lily, looking almost dead.

"What happened?" he asked his wife.

Hayden looked to Samantha, "Please, Sammy. I love them too. Eva is a mom, and Aunt Guinn was an Aunt... but I can't spend the rest of my life worrying about finding answers that no longer exist."

Samantha nodded and turned down to Scott.

"We found Engel," she whispered.

"Is she okay?" Scott asked, running up the stairs and taking them two at a time. He opened the door to his step-daughter's room and saw her sleeping soundly in her bed,

Samantha nodded, "She's perfectly fine. She was with her sister."

"Her sister?" Scott asked, gazing down at Samantha's stomach, "Are you..."

"NO!" Samantha said quickly, shaking her head, "No... I'm not. She was up in the Spirit world with Aunt Guinn. Her and Kayleigh were looking after her."

"How did she wind up there?" Scott asked.

"It's a long story," Samantha sighed.

"I have time," Scott nodded. Samantha looked to her sister and sighed.

"I don't even know the story," she said. "And I don't care. My daughter's safe, that's all that matters."

Scott smiled, hugging his wife, "I'm glad."

When he pulled away, he saw Hayden lower her head. He could tell that she wanted some more time to talk with her sister. He looked down at the others on the lower level and smiled.

"How about we all go for take-out?"

"You need us all to go for take-out?" Flynn asked his friend.

"Dani's got allergies," Scott shrugged.

"So you need us all to go, because Dani's the only one with allergies?"

"Yeah..."

Flynn shrugged, "Sounds fair. I'll drive."

As soon as the boys were gone, Hayden gazed up at her sister.

"I'm sorry..."

"That was selfish, Hayden, and you know it," Samantha interrupted.

"I know," Hayden nodded, bowing her head in shame, "I'm sorry, but..."

"But what?" Samantha asked, "But you didn't me to talk about my family?"

"It's our family!" Hayden frowned, "God, Samantha, you don't get it! I came up here to talk to you, but then I got distracted when you said your family was dead. What the hell am I?"

"You're my sister."

"Then act like I am!" Hayden screamed, "We're sisters. We have the same family."

"We were raised in different places. You know mom's not really like a mom to me."

"I know, and that's why I came up here to see if you needed a shoulder to cry on. It must have hurt to see Eva and Master Guinn both die again today. But when you say things like 'my family's dead', it hurts..."

Samantha nodded, realising her mistake.

"I'm sorry."

"You better be," Hayden said, looking up finally, "I love you, sissy Sammy."

Samantha smiled wrapping her arms around her baby sister.

"I love you too."

"And I promise, if you ever do want to talk about what happened up there, I'll listen, okay? Just say the word."

Samantha nodded, "I'll hold you to that."

-----Afterlife-----

Over in another part of town, Scott and the others were sitting outside a fast food restaurant, eating their burgers and fries. The weather was still cold, but the restaurant made sure their patio was protected from the elements. As long as everyone kept their jackets and hats on, they would be fine with the cold.

Suddenly, Dawn nearly choked on her burger as a man and his daughter walked outside the restaurant to eat their dinner. The man noticed her and frowned.

"Dawn?"

"Dean!" Dawn shouted, jumping up, "What are you doing here?"

"Emily wanted to come here for dinner," Dean said, letting Emily go find a table. Dean watched her go before turning back to Dawn, "So, finally decided to show you face, huh?"

"Look, Dean, about Valentine's Day..."

"You could have called," Dean said. "If you didn't want to celebrate the holiday so soon I would have been fine with it."

"It's not that," Dawn started, but Dean cut her off.

"Then to not leave any messages explaining why, god, Dawn, I thought you were a little more mature than that."

"No, you don't get it," Dawn started, "My niece, she's like, two. She disappeared and her mother asked us to find it! All of us!"

Dawn pointed to her friends around the table. They all looked up, with their mouths full of food and waved. Dean glared at them, disgusted.

"Really?" he asked, "Your two year old niece just walked away, and no one knew where she was for a week? And now you guys are out eating cheeseburgers instead of looking after her?

"Well... about that..."

"Dawn," Dean growled, narrowing his eyes. "I want the truth."

Dawn averted her eyes, "You would hate me if I told you."

"Well, I'm not in love with you right now," Dean said, crossing his arms, "So what do you have to lose?"

Dawn looked up, thinking about her answer for a moment.

_"I'm a former Venjix hybrid, programmed the end the world. I'm indirectly responsible for your daughter's missing arm."_

_"You little bitch!" Dean screamed, "I trusted you with me daughter! Now I find out you're just one of those no-good robots that killed off my family and left my daughter to struggle!"_

"Well?" Dean pressed, snapping Dawn back to reality as she continued to think of an appropriate answer.

Dani ran over to her friend, wrapping her arm around Dawn as she looked up at Dean.

"Okay, here's the truth," she started, "Greg, Flynn, Scott and I were the Power Rangers. You know; the people who saved this city's asses by putting ours on the line."

Dean nodded. This much he could believe. After all, the Rangers had been on the news, and now that Dani mentioned it, Dean did remember that he saw their faces before.

"Now, because we're Rangers, evil spirits come after us all the time. One decided to go after our niece Engel and we had to save her. The end, that's it! Now that she's home, we can all rest knowing she's safe with her mom and aunt."

Dean turned his attention to Dawn, glaring down at her, "Is this true?"

Dawn nodded, "It is."

Dean took a deep breath, "Look, Dawn. I'll believe this all this time. Your missing niece and all, I mean, the ranger thing... I can find out for sure if it's true or not... but next time, just don't try to hide the truth from me."

Dawn nodded slowly, refusing to look up. Dean placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head gently.

"No matter what you're hiding, you have to trust me, okay?" Dean said. "If we're going to be in a serious relationship, we can't keep these kinds of secrets from each other."

"Okay," Dawn whispered. Dean pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry I got mad. I was just upset you didn't call me. I was totally embarrassed at the restaurant. The waiters made bets on how long it would take before I started crying."

"I'm sorry," Dawn breathed. "I would have called..."

"Don't be sorry," Dean said. "To be honest; I probably would have done the same thing if Emily ever went missing. I know family's important to you... kinda."

"Yeah," Dawn nodded.

"So," Dean smiled, "Promise you won't keep anymore secrets from me? And I swear not to keep any from you. I'll be totally honest."

Dawn hesitated to answer, but felt compelled to lie and nod. If she didn't, Dean would know something was up, and she would have to tell him the truth here and now. She wasn't ready for that.

But now that she did, she was lying about being honest.

Dean smiled when he saw her nod and kissed her gently, "I'll let you get back to dinner now," he said. "I'm glad this was all just a misunderstanding."

Dawn nodded, "Me too..."


	31. Angels and Demons

"Wake up, human," Karly said, poking her nose against Lily's cheek as she sat on the cheetah's chest. "I demand you wake up to feed me."

Karly poked Lily again, "Wake up!"

Finally, Lily started to stir. Karly jumped off her, landing on the ground and looking up at Lily.

"I didn't imagine that would work," she whispered to herself.

Lily sat up, holding her head in pain. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where she was and how she got there. Suddenly, she felt weigh land on her lap. She opened her eyes and spotted a black and white cat.

"I want food," Karly stated, "A bowl full."

"What happened?" Lily asked. Karly shrugged.

"Everyone left. My two humans are upstairs with little human. I'm hungry and there's no one to feed me."

Lily twisted herself so she was sitting on the couch, with her feet touching the ground. She held her head in her hands, trying to ease the pain. Karly hopped beside her and placed her paw gently on her lap.

"What is keeping you from feeding me, human?" she asked.

"I have a headache," Lily said.

"Well, there is medicine in the top drawer in the kitchen," Karly said, "And while you are getting it, can you please open up a can of food and place it in my bowl. It's all I ask of your race."

Lily glared at the cat, "It's nothing medicine can fit. I was attacked."

"Go visit my human and she will heal you," Karly said, "And while you're up..."

"Karly," Lily interrupted, turning to face the cat, "Ever since Leanne's got her master title, she kept in touch with you, right?"

"Yes," Karly nodded, "We've bonded because she is my Master."

"Has she ever told you about a creature called Beast?"

Karly looked up at Lily in shock, before shaking her head.

"I don't think so," she said, "But the name sounds..."

"When I was in the spirit world... I saw this beast. He wanted Engel. He told me I was a Special."

Karly frowned, "Well, I do not doubt that you are..."

"I know what he meant!" Lily cried, jumping to her feet. Karly blinked.

"That makes one of us. How did you figure this out?"

Lily grabbed Karly, holding her in her arms.

"The Beast touched my cheetah. I saw his rage and memories and... everything! I know what happened to him!"

"What does this have to do with getting my food?"

"I was out cold because of that!" Lily cried, "His powers were too much for me. Yeah, hit attack hurt, but the link we had, in that moment, where he touched my spirit... I saw it."

"Saw what?" Karly shouted, "What did you see?"

Lily put Karly on her shoulder and ran to the bookshelf. Samantha always had a book on Pai Zhuq history at the ready. It was how she was taught. She didn't know world history, nor did she care about it. She was more interested in the history of the spirit world.

"The Beast was a powerful creature," Lily explained. "He was a lot like Dai Shi. He drew his powers from fear, pain, suffering and death."

"So, he's like the devil?" Karly frowned.

"He is the devil," Lily corrected. "If the Spirit world is a heaven for the Academies, then the highest ranking Master would be the god."

"Wasn't that Master Guinn?" Karly asked. Lily smirked and nodded.

"It was," she said, "But she wasn't the god. Evangeline was... is."

Karly tilted her head to the side, "I'm confused."

"The Beast can't walk in our realm because of the 'god's' powers. That's why he needed what he called a victim. Someone whose powers he could steal so he could become more than just a shadow and terrorize our world. Without a victim, he doesn't pose a threat. Master Guinn was the victim. It was through her the Beast manifested itself."

"So, with Master Guinn gone to the supposed Hell the others wouldn't stop blabbing about, the Beast can no longer come here?"

Lily nodded, "Exactly."

"Well," Karly frowned, "That's all good and lovely, but can I eat now?"

Lily chuckled and smiled, "C'mon, let's go."

As they made their way to the kitchen, Lily stopped. She looked over at Karly, still perched on her shoulder.

"You said Master Guinn was in Hell?" she said, "What did you mean?"

"I overheard the humans," Karly whispered. "Master Guinn disappeared into the portal that took the Beast into Hell. If they are right about it, she's not coming back."

"Master Guinn's... dead?" Lily choked, trying to hold back her tears. Master Guinn had been her mentor when Engel had been taken by Dai Shi. Though they hadn't had much contact since then, she was still connected to Lily in a way. For Lily to know that her special master was dead, and she didn't get a chance to say goodbye hurt her deeply.

Karly lowered her head, "I'm sorry..."

"No," Lily whispered, "It's okay... How about we get you that food now?"

Karly perked up and began rubbing her face against Lily's cheek, "I love you, human. You're the only one who understands me."

Around the corner, Samantha smiled as she leaned against the wall. She knew what happened with her Aunt and daughter and now she could finally relax knowing that Engel was going to be safe.

She looked upstairs to her daughter's room as she heard Hayden's soft voice lulling Engel back to sleep. Now she felt like she could move on from this little bump to really be with her family: the family who had been with her even when she didn't know them. Her true family.


	32. Tenaya Comes Out

"Okay," Dani said, grabbing a seat in front of her desk, with her cousin heather at her side. Once everything had been cleared up, and her Aunt Lily was awake and well, Dani wanted to get back to work on her wedding plans. She knew Greg was going to put off his duties to the last minute, and she wanted everything on her half of the list to be done before long, so when Greg started to struggle, she could help him. "Where to start."

"Where do you want it?" Heather asked. Dani looked over at the girl.

"Very good question," she nodded. "Hayden, Sam and Summer all had their weddings in a church. As pretty as it is, that gets really boring."

"Unfortunately you can't pull off a Hawaiian wedding," Heather laughed.

"Why not?" Dani frowned.

"Hawaii blew up, remember?" Heather said, pointing to the map of the world, which held only the two cities of Corinth and NewTech.

Dani nodded slowly, "Well, the guests would suffer radiation poisoning, but I guess..."

"If you're going to have party gifts, I suggest not handing out radiation poisoning," Heather chuckled, "People don't like it."

"You get cool powers!" Dani smiled, "Look!"

She shut her eyes for a moment.

"See!" she said, "I just told Greg that we need to pick a wedding location."

Heather rolled her eyes, "Whoo," she cheered sarcastically, "That must be awesome. You can ask your boyfriend questions with your head, and he can still not listen."

"He listens," Dani pouted.

"What did he answer?"

"I don't know," Dani shrugged, "The mental block's still up. Once we got control of this, we decided not to invade each other's privacy."

Again, Heather cheered sarcastically, "Powers you refuse to use! Wow, how exciting."

"It's more exciting that and animal spirit," Dani huffed.

"A dangerous, ferocious, man-eating animal emerging from your body and following your every command to destroy anyone who opposes you."

"How fun could that be...?" Dani frowned.

"Okay," Heather said, writing down a few notes on the paper, "Location, the Church."

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry, as Maid of Honour I take charge when the bride losses her head."

"Does that mean when I freak out before the wedding, you have to handle everything?"

"Yep."

"What if I get cold feet? Do you have to walk down the aisle and marry Greg for me?"

"Don't push it," Heather frowned, "I love the man, really, but brainy isn't my type."

"You and Summer seem to have the same type," Dani giggled.

"What type is that?"

"Brooding, bad boys."

Heather nodded, "Okay... well can we get on with the plans?"

"Yes," Dani smiled, "But no Church weddings. I don't think either of us is religious."

"So, you want Aunt Kaylee or the Colonel to marry you?" Heather asked.

"Oh, they can do that?"

"I don't know," Heather shrugged, "But I'm pretty sure once Aunt Kaylee hears you're not getting married in a Church, she'll worm her way into marrying you two."

"Okay, so put down the Garage as Location, and Aunt Kaylee will marry us."

"There," Heather smiled, writing it all down, "Now guest list. Before we think food, we need to know who's coming."

"Family," Dani said, "Our Family, the Rangers, and his family."

"Big guest list," Heather wrote down. "Are you sure you want our family? Do you remember how everyone scared Joey shitless when he married Erica?"

"Hey, it's a man's duty to protect the girls of his family," Dani said, "We just have a lot of men, and very few girls."

"Dad's still telling me stories about the day he married mom," Heather frowned.

"Yeah, well your dad's a wuss."

"Your dad pissed himself."

"And took the shovel speech like a man," Dani nodded.

"A man doesn't piss himself."

"Nor does he hide in the bridesmaid's room."

"Man, our dads suck," Heather said, leaning back in her chair. Dani grabbed the pen, crossing off her family from the guest list.

_Everyone except dad and Uncle Casey._

"That's mean," Heather laughed.

"They need to man up before I can invite them."

"But this time they'll be giving the shovel speech."

"They don't deserve to give the speech."

"Who's going to walk you down the aisle?" Heather asked.

"Mom?"

"Dan..." Heather thought for a moment, "It could work..."

"Ew," Dani said, grabbing the eraser, returning the guest list to normal.

"What?"

"I just picture mom as a dad. Not pretty."

"So, the guest list is now solid," Heather nodded. "Wait, can we have a plus one?"

"You want to invite Ben?"

"Yes..."

"Fine," Dani nodded, "But Dawn's inviting Dean."

"Isn't that up to her?"

"Nope."

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn was sitting nervously as Greg prepared Emily for the surgery. He was keeping her calm by explaining to her what was going to happen.

It was finally the day for Emily to get her arm back. Dean still wasn't very happy with the idea of Emily's arm being made of the same technology as the virus that took it away, but the look in his daughter's eyes at the mention of looking normal again was enough to let him agree. He sat beside Dawn, smiling as he watched.

"You know, Emily's been excited about this since you mentioned it," he said. "When you didn't show up on Valentine's Day and I thought we were over, I was hoping you wouldn't cancel this."

"Why would I?" Dawn asked, "No matter what happens with us, I'll always be here for Emily."

"Good to know," Dean smiled. He shifted in his seat. "So, the Rangers are your friends."

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"How does that happen?" Dean asked.

"My cousin's the Pink Ranger," Dawn said.

"Yeah, but how do you end up a part of it?" Dean asked, "Being in with the Rangers... that's gotta be a tough job. How do you prepare for that?"

"Well..."

"Weren't you afraid of Venjix, or of that robot bitch?"

Dawn gasped, jumping in her seat at the mention of Tenaya. If Dean saw the resemblance her secret would be out. She let her hair fall in front of her face to act as a shield. However, Dean brushed it away.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You're a little jumpy."

"I'm okay," Dawn nodded, pulling away.

"Is this a touchy topic?" Dean asked.

"You could say that," Dawn said. "Venjix and I didn't have a good past."

"What did he do to you?"

Dawn pulled away once more, "Nothing..."

"Hey," Dean said, moving in closer and taking her hand, "If you want to get it off your chest, we can talk about it. You've helped me and Emily. Let us return the favour."

"You already have," Dawn pointed out, "You pay me."

"We all know that's not what I meant," Dean said. "Remember, Dawn, you can be honest with me. You can tell me anything."

"No... It's okay..."

"Dawn," Dean frowned. "I want to help you. And if you can't get this off your chest now, it'll just keep hurting you. I don't want to see you hurting..."

"You won't like it."

"Try me."

Dawn nodded slowly, "Dean..."

As if on cue, Dawn heard her communicator going off. She pulled away from Dean and checked who was calling.

"It's Dani," she said, getting up from her seat.

"Ignore her," Dean told her.

"You can't ignore Dani," Dawn said, "I've tried. She just pops up."

"Ignore her for now."

"Dean, this isn't a good time," Dawn said. "I'm not comfortable."

"We promised to be honest with each other," Dean reminded her. "We have to go through with that."

"I'll tell you... one day..."

"I can't wait for one day," Dean grabbed Dawn's hand gently, "Whatever this is, it's hurting you. I can't see you hurt... I... I love you."

Dawn panicked when she heard this. She pulled away from Dean. When he tried to move in she couldn't contain herself.

"I was Tenaya 7!" she blurted out. "I was the robot bitch who worked for Venjix. I was right behind him as he destroyed the entire world and killed billions of people."

Dean stepped back fearfully. Emily and Greg both turned when they heard this.

Dawn saw the look on Dean's face and tried to calm him down, "I wasn't there physically... I was still being created."

"You're one of them?" Dean growled, stepping over to her his daughter. He picked her up and held her tight. "You're a Venjix drone, and you're implanting his technology into my daughter."

"No..."

"You're turning her into a monster!" Dean shouted.

"The technology is free of viruses," Greg tried to inform Dean, but Dean turned and shoved Greg into the wall.

"Stay out of this," he hissed.

"Dean, I'm not a robot anymore..."

A flash of silver and yellow appeared as Dani and Heather ran into the center.

"Dawn, you know what happens when you ignore me," Dani started, but stopped when she saw this wasn't the time. Dean seemed to be panicked about something. "What's going on?"

"Your little friend is the Venjix Bitch!" Dean shouted.

"I know," Dani nodded, "Why do you think I call her Killer Robot?"

"Get out of my way," Dean said, shoving past Dani and Heather. Dani grabbed his arm.

"Whoa, wait," she called, "You obviously don't know the..."

"Let me go," Dean growled, pulled out of Dani's grip, almost knocking her down. He looked over at Dawn, "We're done!"

"Men," Dani said, shaking her head, "They just can't get over the idea that dating a psychotic robot killer isn't a bad thing."

"This isn't funny," Dawn frowned, throwing her communicator to the wall. "I knew this would happen."

Dani shrugged, walking over to her friend, "You had to tell him at some point."

"Yeah?" Dawn asked, "Really? So, if I told him later, he would have been okay with it? You know, after I gave his daughter the Venjix technology. Surprise, she one of us!"

"You're not really a Killer Robot," Dani said. "You're all human now. Dean needs to know that."

"What will it change?" Dawn frowned. "I was still Tenaya. I killed people."

"I killed people too."

"One person; and that was self defence!" Dawn screamed, "I killed so many, Dani!"

Dawn sunk down into her seat, burying her head in her hands, "He loved me."

"He still does," Dani said, kneeling before her friend. "I know you can work through this. I've never met two people more right for each other."

Greg cleared his throat. Dani turned around.

"What?"

Greg shook his head, "Never mind, you won't get it."

"Now's not the time to be joking around, Greg," Dani scolded. Heather walked over to Greg and chuckled.

"If you aren't marrying her for brains, why are you marrying her?"

Greg shrugged, "I don't know anymore."

Dani ignored them both, keeping her focus on Dawn, "Look, leave him to calm down for a little while, then we'll all go talk to him, as a team. We'll be character witnesses."

"For what? More proof that I'm a bad person."

"You're a good person," Dani smiled, "You were a terrible robot. Now, that robot's gone, and only the person is left."

"It doesn't matter," Dawn sighed, "Because of Tenaya, I'll forever be that Venjix Bitch."

Dani hugged her friend, "Truth be told, I forgot you were Tenaya."

"You call me Killer Robot."

"Well, I can't forget that you were the killer robot," Dani smiled, "But sometimes I forget it was you we were fighting. I have to remind myself that T15 didn't always exist."

Dawn shook her head, getting out of her seat, "I need some air."

She brushed past Dani and ran for the door, slamming it behind her as she left. Dani turned to Greg and Heather and sighed.

"If you want to tell that joke now, we could use a laugh."

Greg rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up, "I give up."


	33. Wedding Plans

"Look, I'm really sorry about earlier," Dawn said to Dean, keeping her eyes on the floor. "I didn't want to blurt it out like that. I can understand if you can't trust me. I know who I was, and I know I'll never live that down."

Dawn took a deep breath, dropping her head back to keep the tears from falling over.

"You don't have to call me back... but if you do I'll explain everything, I promise."

Dawn put the phone back on the receiver and sighed. She had been trying to reach Dean all day now and he still hadn't answered. This was the first message she left on his voicemail, only because she couldn't call him again. It hurt too much to try and reach out to someone who didn't probably care enough to listen to her.

A hand fell onto her shoulder gently. Dawn turned around, burying herself into the arms of the person.

"I hate him," she whispered.

"I know," Hayden nodded, hugging her cousin.

After Dawn ran away from Dani she bumped into Hayden. Her cousin saw her in tears and Dawn told her about how she blurted out her secret to Dean and he ran off. Hayden found she couldn't leave Dawn alone during this heartbreak and took her home. Flynn would be at the garage, so they had plenty of time to talk privately.

"He ruined everything!"

"Guys will come, and guys will go," Hayden stated, "But family's always there. You do realise that it's because of Venjix that we're friends again."

"I know," Dawn grumbled, falling onto the couch. Hayden pouted as she turned to her cousin.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Dawn said. "But you're not my boyfriend! My first boyfriend."

"That would be awkward," Hayden smiled. "Thank god I'm not."

"Hayden!"

"I'm sorry," Hayden said, taking the seat next to her cousin. "How about you tell me what happened exactly."

"We were being honest with each other," Dawn explained, thinking back to the terrible moment where Dean left. "I didn't want to tell him but... I got frustrated and it came out in the worst way possible. And to make matters worse, Greg was prepping his daughter Emily for her surgery involving the Venjix idea."

Hayden nodded, "He'll come around. A lot of people were hybrids just like you and they live normal lives."

"But they weren't Venjix' right hand women!" Dawn groaned. "I played a role in the end of the world."

"You're also the reason we're all living safe and sound now. You destroyed T15, remember?"

"I was just in the right place at the right time," Dawn shrugged. "It could have been anyone."

Hayden smiled, crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the couch. Dawn, hearing no response, turned and found her younger cousin smirking.

"What?"

"It could have been anyone."

"Yeah," Dawn nodded. "It could have been you, Scott, Summer, Flynn, Ziggy!"

"Exactly," Hayden smiled. "It could have been anyone in your place. Now that I think about it, I was in your place... and so were my mom, and Summer and Dillon."

"What are you talking about?"

"A lot of Rangers and allies have been turned evil," Hayden mused. "Uncle Tommy started out evil... Aunt Tori, Uncle Shane, my dad..."

"Hayden... what the hell?"

"So, you were evil," Hayden said, turning to face Dawn with a sympathetic smile. "Everyone's evil. Engel once laughed at me when I stabbed myself with a fork, and she's supposed to be an Angel!"

Dawn chuckled slightly, but tried to hide it. Hayden noticed and smirked.

"I bet you Dean's evil too, in some way. But you have to be able to get past that," Hayden smiled. "Let him calm down for a few days, then go talk to him. I'm sure, if he really does like you, he'll at least listen."

Dawn nodded, "I hope so."

"And if not, I'll send my dad after him," Hayden laughed.

"Hay..." Dawn laughed, shaking her head. Hayden shrugged, getting to her feet. She started to the kitchen when she turned back to Dawn.

"If you're still upset, feel free to stay here for as long as you need," she said. "My first boyfriend was actually evil. I know how you feel."

-----Afterlife-----

"Do we have to talk about this now?" Greg groaned, trailing his feet as he walked to the kitchen. Dani and Heather were at the breakfast table, surrounded by papers. Lily was in the kitchen, washing the dishes from breakfast, and Casey was on the couch watching the highlights from the football game.

Greg reached into the cupboard, grabbing a bowl. Daniela looked up at him.

"Why do you think I invited you to sleep over?" she asked.

"Because we're engaged?"

"No," Dani frowned. "We only have two weeks before the wedding and we still need a guest list!"

"I thought we had one," Greg frowned, pouring the cereal into his bowl and reaching for the milk. He turned to Dani and leaned against the counter. "Our families and the Rangers."

"Yeah, but we need to sent out the invitations and see who can actually show up," Dani told him, while giving her cousin a look. Heather responded with a nod.

"Why?" Greg asked.

"So we don't make too much food," Heather answered. "This is already costing you a fortune."

"I thought we were doing it in my parent's backyard," Greg frowned. "When did plans change?"

"When Heather came into town and she and your bride to be got to talking," Casey called out. He turned off the TV and shifted in the couch so he could face Greg. "As the groom, it's your job to agree with everything the bride says."

"Is that what you did?" Lily smiled.

"I agreed to do everything your sister said," Casey smirked. He looked over to Greg and whispered, "Be thankful you're not doing a double wedding. Lily was a walk in the park compared to your mother in-law."

Lily walked over to her husband, smacking him on the back of the head. Casey smiled innocently at her as she left for the bathroom, but turned to Greg when she was out of ear-shot.

"Pray that Bridezilla isn't genetic."

Dani looked up from the papers, "By the way, who is your best man?"

"Best twins," Greg smirked. Dani's face dropped.

"Oh no..."

"What?" Greg frowned. "I promised them that if you said yes, they would be the best twins."

"Just no fireworks," Dani warned him, "or explosions, or anything. Promise?"

Greg nodded, "I'll talk to them."

"Please do," Dani begged. "You know I trust them with things that go boom, but I want our wedding to go off without a hitch."

Greg walked over to his fiancé and kissed her cheek, "I promise, everything will be fine. Just focus on it one task at a time, and it'll be perfect."

As Greg walked away, Dani called, "Oh, by the way, my cousin Bruce is coming down today to meet you. He says he wants to '_talk'_ with you."

"_Talk_?" Greg asked, stopping in his tracks and freezing up.

"Yeah... I couldn't imagine why he would say it like that..." Dani smirked, turning to Heather as they shared a small laugh.

Greg turned around, "And this Bruce... are you... are you two close?"

"He's like a brother," Dani nodded. "All my cousins are."

Heather cleared her throat. Dani smiled, hugging her cousin.

"Except Heather and Erica," she laughed.

Greg put his bowl back on the counter and went to the door, leaving the house before getting dressed or finding a decent pair of pants.

Daniela and Heather giggled.

"Do you think Greg's going to be okay?" Heather asked. "When Bruce met Ben, he scared him shitless."

Daniela shrugged, "I'll pull the, _but I love him_, card before he goes to talk to Greg."

Heather nodded, "I guess that would help a little bit."


	34. Bruce

Greg strolled down the street on his way to Gem and Gemma's. Even if he didn't want to plan the wedding (mostly because he was unsure of how to plan a wedding), he still wanted to make sure they both knew they were in charge of the ring. He was afraid they might mess up, because like him, they didn't know much about weddings.

He was just on his way when he bumped into an older guy, maybe in his mid thirties. He was definitely built and tall. Greg looked up at him in slight panic as he glared down.

Suddenly, the man smirked, extending his hand, "Name's Bruce."

Greg gulped, "Bruce? As In Bruce Chilman?"

The man, Bruce, smiled and nodded. "Yep. And you must be Hartford."

"How do you know?"

Bruce poked Greg in the shoulder, indicating the RPM jacket he was wearing, "My cousin told me she was dating the gold one."

Greg nodded nervously, "I'm Gregory."

"I know your name," Bruce grumbled. "Where is my baby cousin?"

Greg pointed over his shoulder, "She's back at her place. I didn't think you were coming so soon... I thought there were still a couple of hours..."

"I always come early," Bruce warned Greg, brushing past him. "Family's important to me."

Greg watched him leave before Bruce turned back, waving him over.

"Well?" he called, "Aren't you coming? You aren't leaving my cousin now, are you?"

"N-no, sir," Greg shook his head and followed the bigger man. He had faced evil computers and monsters without a second thought, but when it came to Dani's older cousins, he was terrified. Nothing scared him more than the thought of not being accepted by her family only days before their wedding.

Bruce grabbed Greg by the back of the neck (with a slight grip) and looked over at the houses on the street.

"Which house is it?" he asked.

Greg pointed, "That one, with the yellow car in the driveway."

Bruce grumbled, letting go of Greg, "You knew that pretty quickly. Are you there often?"

Greg nodded, "Yes..."

"Overnight?"

Greg gulped, "I uh..."

"Ever do anything to my cousin that you should tell me?" Bruce asked, looking down at Greg. "Because if you did and you don't come clean now, you're going to be in for a world of hurt when I find out."

Greg pulled away, "I can assure you, Dani and I..."

"You're nervous," Bruce said, "Why are you nervous."

"Bruce!" Lily called, standing outside the doorway with her arms crossed, "You haven't even gotten to the house and you're already terrifying the groom."

Bruce smiled as he saw his aunt. He walked over to the door and greeted her with a hug. Greg couldn't help but notice how gentle Bruce was with the women in his family, holding a high respect for all of them.

"Heather, Dani and Casey are inside," Lily smiled, pushing Bruce into the house, "Why don't you go say hi?"

Bruce nodded, making his way into the house, leaving Lily with Greg. The cheetah Ranger chuckled, patting her future nephew on the shoulder.

"Bruce is a real softy, believe me," she said. "He's just very protective."

"You can say that again," Greg frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sure he'll approve," Lily smiled. "And once he does, the other boys will follow."

"Are you sure?" Greg asked. "I mean, I'll do anything to keep this wedding on... but... if I have to go through all the others, I might pass out."

"You'll do fine," Lily said, adjusting Greg's shirt and noticing he was still in pyjama pants. She shook her head, "But you might want to wear something decent. I put your stuff in the bathroom so it doesn't look like you slept here."

"Thank you," Greg whispered, running to the bathroom to get changed. Lily laughed softly, shaking her head.

------Afterlife-----

"He's getting big," Dawn commented as Braveheart tugged on the leash, pulling her forward slightly. Hayden smiled, grabbing her cousin's arm so she didn't go flying forward. Braveheart was a strong dog, and many times he had pulled both Hayden and Flynn down the street.

"Dogs grow much faster than humans," Hayden nodded. "Before we know it, he'll be full size."

"How are you going to handle him then?" Dawn laughed. Hayden smirked.

"Like this."

She stopped and tapped her hands on her tights, catching Braveheart's attention. He turned to her, ready to play.

"Braveheart, what's over there?" Hayden said, pointing to a nearby tree. Braveheart turned and glared at the tree, waiting for Hayden to tell him. "Is it... a SQUIRREL?"

Braveheart jumped forward slightly, but remind perfectly still once her found his position, waiting for a small creature to jump out of the shadows so he could chase after it.

After a few moments, he dropped his stance and turned to Hayden, whimpering slightly. Hayden smiled, patting him on the head and pulling out a treat.

"Aw, it's okay, boy," she laughed, "Maybe next time you'll see it."

Braveheart devoured the treat in an instant, forgetting about this attempt to capture a squirrel before continuing the walk calmly. Dawn nodded.

"I'm impressed."

"I'm not," Hayden frowned, "But that might be because Christian does the same thing."

Dawn stopped and looked at her cousin.

"He does?"

Hayden nodded, "I don't think it's species specific," she said. "I think it's just males in general."

"Ah," Dawn said. Braveheart tugged on the leash, getting her to start walking again. She looked over at her cousin. "So, how long should I wait before calling Dean?"

"You've already called him," Hayden told her with a small frown. "If you leave another message that'll be borderline desperate."

"So?"

"So," Hayden said, "You attract the wrong kind of guys when you get desperate."

"I just..."

"He's probably still mad," Hayden continued, before Dawn could go any further with the conversation and bring herself down again. "I'm sure he'll snap back soon and you can talk."

"Are you sure?"

Hayden nodded, "Yes. He'll want to clear this up as much as you."

Braveheart suddenly pulled on the leash, wanting to go faster as he picked up a scent. Dawn was jerked forward before Hayden snatched the leash from her and pulled back.

"Braveheart!" she called, trying to calm him. "Braveheart, sit!"

Braveheart sat but started barking loudly. Hayden groaned, realising there was something bothering him. She stepped beside him, grabbing his collar.

"Stay," she ordered the dog, reaching slowly for the clip. Braveheart sat patiently, waiting for Hayden to let him go. He heard the snap, but didn't react. No until he got the signal.

Hayden looked up and down the street, making sure there were no cars that would come out and strike the dog. When she was sure the way was clear, she patted Braveheart on the back and he took off, following his nose.

Braveheart ran to the other street and stopped when a large man appeared in sight. He looked over at Hayden and Dawn. Hayden grabbed her dog, putting him back on the leash.

Braveheart turned to the girls, giving Hayden the look. Hayden nodded, pulling the leash in the direction of their home.

"C'mon, boy," she said. "There's nothing here."

Dawn grabbed her cousin's arm, "Hayden, what's he doing?"

Hayden looked over at the man and frowned. She saw him reach into his jacket and looked around suspiciously.

"Isn't that Dani's house?" Dawn asked. "That's her car."

"What's he doing?" Hayden frowned when the man started walking around the car. She turned to her cousin.

"Maybe he peeing on it," Dawn shrugged.

"He's walking," Hayden said. "How could he be peeing on it?"

"He's finding the right place?" Dawn suggested, "Braveheart needed to find the right tree. Maybe squirrels and toilets are both things that aren't species specific."

"I don't know," Hayden frowned, "Why would he be peeing on Dani's car?"

The man suddenly turned around, "HEY!" he shouted to the girls, causing them to jump, "What do you think you're looking at."

"Nothing," Hayden called, pulling on Braveheart's leash again, "C'mon, Braveheart. Let's go home."

The two girls and Braveheart took off, back down the street. When they got back to Hayden's place, they stopped in the driveway.

"Should we tell Dani's someone's in her driveway?" Dawn asked. Hayden shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "I mean, he did seem suspicious. Who do you think it could be?"

Dawn thought for a moment, "I remember Dani telling me her cousin wanted to meet Greg. Maybe it was him."

"Bruce?" Hayden asked. "No way. I know Bruce. He's not that big."

"Well, who else could it be?" Dawn frowned, "All of Corinth knows not to mess with the yellow car with the license plate 5P33D."

"Yeah," Hayden nodded, "Dani made that clear when the guy backed into her car last year."

"Only family would mess with her, right?" Dawn asked.

"I wouldn't," Hayden said, shaking her head.

Dawn frowned and ran back to the end of the street. She glanced down and spotted Dani's driveway in the distance, and saw the man wasn't there anymore.

"He's gone," she said when she got back. "I guess we missed out chance anyways."

"Does the car look okay?" Hayden asked.

"From what I can tell," Dawn nodded. "And I'm sure if he messed with it, Dani would find out. You know her."

Braveheart bit on the leash and pulled towards the house, wanting to go inside for some water. Hayden stepped forward slightly and he pulled harder.

"Okay, okay," she laughed.

-----Afterlife-----

The living room was silent as Dani and Casey brought drinks in. Bruce glared hatefully at Greg as he accepted his glass.

"So, you got a job?" Bruce asked, breaking the silence when everyone was seated.

"I work with computers," Greg said. "I'm actually in the middle of building a hospital on..."

"I hear you're the guy who ended the world," Bruce frowned. "It was a computer that you created."

"Bruce," Dani growled, eyeing her cousin. "We've talked about that."

"We've talked," Bruce nodded, "But I want to hear it from him."

Casey leaned over, "This is why Doc and I didn't grill you," he whispered. "Bruce'll do enough for twenty fathers."

"Great," Greg groaned.

"Are you going to answer my question, Hartford?" Bruce asked, putting his glass on the coffee table. "Did you end the world?"

"I played a part," Greg said honestly. He wasn't going to lie to Bruce, knowing that it would only make matters worse if he did, but he hated that the truth made him look bad.

"Why did you end it?" Bruce asked, "Did you not like it? Do you think you can play god?"

"I was trapped in a military think tank," Greg said. "I had no choice."

"Right," Bruce nodded, leaning back in his seat. "So you grew up alone."

"Pretty much."

"A guy can get pretty lonely," Bruce said. "How did you deal?"

Dani narrowed her eyes at her cousin, "Bruce..."

"Dani, it's routine," Bruce told her. "Joey and Ben both survived... barely."

"I treat Dani with respect, if that's what you're getting at," Greg said.

"That's not what I heard," Bruce frowned. "I heard you made my baby cousin cry."

Greg looked over at Dani, "I did?"

"Remember..." Dani nodded, "When we had that misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding?" Bruce smirked, "Well, I was bluffing, but it seems I've hit something."

"There was a misunderstanding?" Heather asked, turning to Dani. "Why don't I know about this? You tell me everything."

"It's in the past," Dani said.

"Not anymore," Bruce said. He got up from his chair, "Alright, Hartford, spill. What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," Greg said. "It was my friends."

"You let your friends make Dani cry?"

"No..."

"Then what happened."

"They thought I was looking at porn," Greg breathed. "I wasn't though."

"You've never looked at porn?" Bruce asked.

"No..."

"Not even once?"

"No."

"Have you thought about it?"

Greg stood up, "I love Dani."

"I'll need to see it to believe it."

Greg nodded, taking his seat again. Bruce crossed his arms. He was about to open his mouth when the phone rang. Dani raced over to pick it up, signalling for the room to be quiet so she could hear whoever was on the other end, giving Greg a moment to rest from the grilling.

"I'm in the middle... he'll die without me here... It's already awkward enou... fine! I'll be right over. You're such a baby."

She hung up the phone and grabbed her jacket, "I'll be back in like, thirty minutes. Flynn needs me to run to the store to pick up some supplies for the garage."

The door closed behind Dani, plunging the room into silence once more. Greg looked around awkwardly.

Bruce leaned forward in his chair, causing it to creak. He glared over at Greg.

"So, brain boy, ever do any drugs?"

Outside, Dani pulled out of the driveway and turned down the street, reaching the lights. She pressed on the brakes to try and stop for the red, but found she couldn't do so. Her car slid out into the intersection before stopping suddenly.

Panicked, Dani hit the wheel and tried to get her car starting again. Over the sound of the engine choking, she heard a car skid around the corner, coming at her at full speed. Before she had time to react, she heard a loud crash and her car was knocked over, flipping a few times before coming to a stop.

A man walked over from the corner of the street with a cigarette in his mouth. He opened the door to Dani's car roughly, tearing the destroyed metal off the car. He grabbed her seatbelt, undoing it before pulling her out and laying her on the road.

"Prison hasn't been the same since you," he whispered, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and tossing it into the wreck.

"C'mon, Mom!" he shouted to the woman in the other car as she pulled herself out. He held her hand in his as they took off, hoping to escape before anyone saw them.


	35. The Accident

They had heard the crash from inside the house and ran out to see what happened. When they saw a yellow car overturned in the intersection, Lily, Casey, Bruce, Heather and Greg all felt a lump rise up in their throats.

"Dani!" Greg shouted as he stepped forward, about to run towards the crash when Bruce grabbed his shirt, holding him back.

Suddenly, the group of five turned around, shielding their eyes and ears as a loud explosion sounded.

Greg turned back to the scene, his jaw hitting the floor. He looked over at Bruce.

"If you're going to die, I'd rather it be by my hands," he growled. He turned to his Aunt, but saw Lily was already on the phone with Ronny. Casey had the hospital on his line, waiting for the OK to hang up.

"They're on their way," Casey nodded. "It should be a few minutes."

Before anyone knew it, there was a long yellow streak along the street, stopping right in front of Lily. The cheetah dropped her phone at the surprise and looked up at her sister.

"Down there," Lily pointed to the intersection. "But I wouldn't go there if I were you. It's..."

Ronny turned around, spotting the accident. Her jaw dropped as she gasped. Flashes from her own car accident were going through her head as she stood frozen. Lily grabbed her sister's hand, holding it gently.

"Ronny, are you okay?"

Before Lily could get an answer, Ronny ran off, towards the accident.

"Aunt Ronny!" Bruce called, taking off after his Aunt. Ronny wasn't using her super speed to run, so Bruce caught up to her before she got too far. He grabbed her, pulling her back to the group and holding her tight.

The ambulance arrived not long after that as the paramedics rushed to the scene. All the others could do was watch as they took Dani away.

-----Afterlife-----

"Did you hear?" Samantha asked, placing Engel on the ground as she walked into her sister's house. "Daniela's in the hospital."

Hayden and Dawn looked away from the T.V.

"What happened?" Hayden asked, leaning forward.

"I got a call from Heather," Samantha said. "There's no point in going to visit. She's not conscious, but she's letting us know that the wedding might be delayed."

"Delayed?" Dawn frowned, "It's not for another two weeks."

"What happened?" Hayden asked again.

"There was an accident," Samantha answered. "Dani was the only driver on the scene. Until she wakes up, we won't be able to figure out what happened."

Dawn and Hayden exchanged looks. Not too long ago, they had seen a man walking around Dani's car. He hadn't seemed like the nicest person around.

"Did you check Dani's car?" Hayden asked. "There was a guy creeping around her car when we went to walk Braveheart."

"Apparently the car's destroyed," Samantha said, "There was a huge explosion. Even if someone tampered with the car, there would be no way we could figure that out until Dani's wakes up."

"Well, at least he can't escape the country or the city," Dawn shrugged.

"He could go to NewTech," Hayden frowned. "But... I guess everyone would know when he transferred over. Kira keeps tabs on everyone."

"What about the other driver?" Dawn asked, turning to Samantha.

Samantha shrugged, "I already said Dani was the only driver."

"And her car flipped?" Hayden frowned. "If she was the only driver, then the other car had to of been parked. If she hit another car, which I don't think Dani would ever do, her car wouldn't have the momentum to flip... or even sway... right?"

"It would take a lot of talent," Dawn nodded.

"So the other person must have run away!" Hayden cried out. Engel looked up at her Aunt, seeing the distress. She got up to her feet and walked over, hugging her Aunt's legs gently. Hayden grabbed the little girl, bringing her up on lap and holding her close. "We can't let them get away!"

"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked her cousin. "We have no idea who did this."

"The man," Hayden said. "The man around Dani's car. We find him and get our answers."

"Okay, where are we going to find him," Samantha said, leaning before her sister and looking in her eyes. "Hayden, just let the police deal with this."

"The police?" Dawn frowned. "Okay, Sammy, I don't know how the hell we're going to help, but if this guy was good enough to take out a professional driver with a car, and send a Ranger to the hospital with one good hit, I don't think this is police work."

"We have to go find Dani," Hayden said, hopping off her couch and putting Engel back on the floor.

"And do what?" Samantha asked.

"Save her!"

"The doctors already have it under control, Hayden," Samantha said. "You can't keep tampering with their work. What if Dani was the only driver? What if this was all just a freak accident?"

"What if it wasn't?" Hayden asked.

"What if someone made this happen? What if someone poisoned her to get her to crash... or something? If you heal her we'll never find out. You have to let her wake up on her own."

"What if she dies?" Hayden frowned.

"We have to let the doctors deal with this," Samantha breathed. "We're not RPM anymore, Hayden. We're done with that. We can't go using our powers every time there's a little problem."

"But I can help..."

"No," Samantha growled, grabbing her sister's arm when Hayden tried to go for the door. "Your powers enable you to heal, not the entire of the world. Let the doctors do their job, and let the police figure this out. Dani's a fighter, she'll get through it."

Hayden glared at her sister hatefully before letting out an annoyed sigh. She ran for the stairs.

"If she dies, her blood's going to be on your hands," she growled.

Samantha dropped her head back, sighing loudly. Until they knew what had caused the accident, if it was Dani herself or an outside force, they couldn't let Hayden tamper with the records. Samantha didn't want to see her cousin dead, but letting life run naturally was the only way they stood a chance in figuring this out.

She turned to Dawn, hoping for a little support. Instead, her cousin got off the couch and walked over to her, hate burning in her eyes.

"I'm not letting this happen," she said, before moving for the door. Samantha's gaze followed her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Dawn turned around sharply, "Right now it feels like Dani's the only one who's been a real friend. Yes she drives me crazy, but she's been looking out for me... Killer Robot or not, I owe her this."

"Where are you going?"

Dawn smirked, "I'm going to find that man."

-----Afterlife-----

Greg sat by Dani's bedside, holding her hand gently. His thumb was brushing the back of her hand softly as he stared at his fiancée. Her face had been torn apart in the explosion and was now covered in bandages, much like the rest of her body. Greg didn't want to look at her in such a state, but couldn't take his eyes away, afraid that if he looked away for just a second, he would miss something... anything.

To make matters worse on top of all the cuts, bruises and gashes, Greg couldn't find the ring. The engagement ring Dani wore to symbolise their love had disappeared in the accident. When she was brought into the ambulance the paramedics said they saw no ring on her finger. Back at the crash, while the police searched the area thoroughly for any clues, they didn't find any kind of jewellery.

It was already bad enough someone crashed their car into Dani's, ran away (which was Greg's theory on the situation), and leave her to die, but to steal her ring...

Greg let out a lour cry, dropping his head on the bed. He held Daniela's hand tighter.

The door to Daniela's room opened slowly and Bruce stepped in. He crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat.

Greg sat back up, glaring at the older man.

"What?" he snapped.

"You've been here all night," Bruce frowned. "The doctors said you needed to let Dani rest."

"I'm not leaving her," Greg growled, turning to look back at Dani.

"The doctor's know what's good for her," Bruce said. "If they think it's best to leave her alone, shouldn't you agree? Anything to make Dani better. That should be your focus."

Greg scoffed loudly as he got to his feet but kept hold of Dani's hand. He turned hatefully to Bruce as his eyes narrowed.

"I can't believe you're doing this now," he snarled. "Your _baby cousin_ is lying in a hospital bed and all you care about is if I'll make a good husband?"

"I care about her health," Bruce said. "If Dani needs to be alone to heal faster then leave her alone"

"What if she doesn't want to be alone?" Greg asked. Bruce let his stance drop slowly as Greg began to scream. "I'm staying with her. No matter what. I'll be here when she wakes up."

"Look at her!" Bruce shouted, pointing to his cousin. "She's in the hospital. You're not the one calling the..."

Greg rolled his eyes, turning away from Bruce for a moment, "How can you even think about grilling me right now when Dani might not make it!"

"Is that the attitude you have?" Bruce asked. "You don't believe your wife's going to make it? You don't trust that she'll be able to fight this? Do you not see a future for the two of you?"

"Of course I do!" Greg screamed. "I've always seen it! I've known for years now that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. I love her, and nothing you say or do will ever take her away from me."

Bruce walked around the bed and dropped his hand on Greg's shoulder. The smaller man glared up at him courageously.

Just then, Bruce began to smile and nod. Without another word, he tapped Greg's shoulder and walked out.

Greg dropped back in his seat. He was still holding onto Daniela's hand as he watched Bruce leave. When the door shut, Greg looked to his fiancée with a smile.

To his surprise, he felt Dani squeezing his hand. His hand went to her forehead, brushing away some of the hair before he leaned over and kissed it softly. Even with the bandages keeping her from feeling him, Greg was sure that Dani knew he was there.

-----Afterlife-----

Lily watched as her sister played absent-mindedly with a little yellow race car as they waited for news about Dani. The doctor already told them they had done everything they could, and the only thing left to do was wait, but they were all still nervous.

David walked over with a tray of drinks in his hand. He offered a coffee to Casey, one to Lily, a hot chocolate to Heather, and a coffee to Ronny.

The former Overdrive Ranger looked up at her husband and shook her head. David sighed, putting his coffee and the tray down on the table.

"Ronny..." he whispered softly, making the tears in her eyes fall over. He sat beside her, grabbing her hand. "She's your daughter in every sense of the word. She'll make it through this."

Ronny's eyes strayed over to a wheelchair that had been left in the corner, "What if..."

"I'll put her through the same treatment you went through," David assured Ronny before she could get her words out.

"She'll be okay, Ronny," Casey whispered.

Lily got her from her seat and walked over to her sister. Ronny grabbed her in her arms gently and held her. It was hard for her to watch her daughter go through the same experience as her, but it must have been harder for Lily to relieve this moment again, from the same side of the hospital door.

Ronny squeezed her little sister gently, causing Lily to look up. The cheetah smiled.

"I bet she won't make it," she said. Ronny chuckled softly.

"I bet she'll be fine," she said, gently turning to David and smiling. He nodded, letting out a small laugh.


	36. Looking Back's Not An Option

She woke up, finding herself in a room. She didn't know why she was in the room or how she got there. She looked around slowly, trying to name off the objects that could give her any clue as to where she was, until she saw a head resting beside her. Whoever it was who was in this room with her was sitting beside her, holding her hand.

She jumped back, letting go of his hand, causing him to stir. He rose up and smiled.

"Dani!" he called, reaching to hug her.

She pulled back farther, away from him.

"Where am I?" she asked.

He frowned, "You're in the hospital..."

"Hospital?" she interrupted. He nodded.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. She furrowed her brow only to realise she could feel something on her forehead. She reached up with her hand.

"You're bandaged," he told her slowly. "Dani, you were in an accident."

She looked at him, giving him a funny look. When she didn't answer, he hopped out of his seat and ran for the door. He swung it open wide and called for someone to come into the room.

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn was getting nowhere. When she first left her cousin's house, she had a plan: find whoever put Dani in the hospital and make them pay dearly.

Only now, after her rage had settled, did she see the flaws in her plan. She had no idea who would go after Dani, or why. She didn't even know if someone was responsible and what they did.

She sighed, resting on a bench as she debated whether or not to turn around and head home. Her decision was made for her though when she grabbed her phone from her bag and felt it vibrate.

_Dawn, she's awake!_

_Hayden._

Dawn jumped off the bench and turned back but caught a familiar face on the other side of the street.

"Dawn!" the person called, waving in her direction.

"Dean..." Dawn sighed. Now she was truly conflicted. He ran across the street to meet up with her, while she slowly came to a decision. She didn't know if she was ever going to see him again, or get the chance to talk to him about what happened between them, but if Daniela was awake, she wanted to be there to get information.

"Dawn," Dean smiled, stopping just before he got too close. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked around, keeping his eyes from meeting Dawn's. "I got your message."

There was a long silence. Dawn didn't know what to say. She still didn't know if she wanted to talk with Dean.

"Can we... talk?" Dean asked nervously. "I know I may have overreacted, and if this is nothing... I don't want to lose you."

Dawn nodded. If Dean was willing to talk now, what would be the chances he would wait for her? Dawn pondered this idea for a moment before her cell phone vibrated again in her hand. She flipped it open and checked the message.

_We have a problem. Get down here A.S.A.P._

_Hayden_

Dawn frowned, shutting the phone and dropping her head back, "Fuck..."

"What?" Dean asked, taking her hand. "Is everything okay? Dawn, say something!"

"Dani's in trouble," Dawn said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "I want to stay and talk, but... I have to go."

Dean held her arm, keeping her from leaving, "What's going on?"

"She was in an accident," Dawn said, pulling away slightly. "It was a very bad one. She's just waking up and Hayden says there's a problem."

"Is she okay?" Dean asked, genuinely concerned. "I'll come with you. Maybe I can help in some way."

"Can we talk later?" Dawn asked hopefully, looking into his eyes. "Please, Dean. She's my family... I have to go."

Dawn pulled herself free and began to take off down the street. Dean sighed loudly. It had taken him a lot of courage to come out and find her already. He really needed to talk to her, but he couldn't if she kept blowing him off.

He wanted to understand her past. She was a good person now, and he didn't want to lose her. He wanted to know why she had worked with Venjix, why she had served him as Tenaya.

He wanted to know if he could trust her.

-----Afterlife-----

The doctor sat down before Dani with a clipboard in his hands. Everyone else had to leave the room as he spoke with his patient.

He took his seat and smiled at Dani, trying his best to seem friendly and calm. He could sense that she was distressed and scared.

He held out his hand, "I'm Dr. Wood."

Dani looked at his hand curiously, as if wondering what to do with it. The doctor took a deep breath, pulling his hand away.

"Okay," he said gently, "I'm going to be asking you a series of questions, and I want you to answer to the best of your knowledge. Do you understand me?"

Dani nodded slowly, unsure about her answer. The doctor smiled though as he looked down at his clipboard.

"Do you remember your name?" he asked her.

"That guy called me Dani," she whispered.

The doctor nodded, taking notes, "Okay, that's a start, but do you remember if that is your name or not?"

"I don't know," Dani shrugged.

"Do you know how old you are?" the doctor asked.

"No..."

"Do you know your birthday?"

"No."

"Okay..." Dr. Wood continued to take notes, "Those were my easy questions. You're doing very well so far."

"I don't know the answers," Dani whispered.

The doctor leaned forward with a gentle smile, "There are no wrong answers. Whatever you say I take into consideration."

He leaned back, pushing his glasses back up on his nose, "Do you know where you are?"

"No."

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"No."

Dr. Wood got up, holding his clipboard close to his chest. He took a deep breath, again pushing his glasses up.

"Ms Marks," he started, aware Dani wasn't going to know for sure she was being addressed, however, he knew she was smart enough to realise that no one else was in the room, and this way he could at least confirm her last name, without pressuring it on her, "I'm afraid you have amnesia."

"I have..."

"You don't remember anything, is that right?" he asked.

"Yes," Daniela nodded, happy she could finally confirm something. However, she knew it wasn't good. She lowered her head. "I don't know who I am."

Dr. Wood smiled, "Your name is Daniela Marks. You were in a car accident just outside your home."

The memory started to come back, slowly. Now that the doctor mentioned the accident, Daniela could recall just vaguely sitting in the driver's seat.

Dr. Wood could see Daniela was thinking deeply. Something had triggered her memory. He waited for her to look back up at him.

"Hopefully it's only temporary," he said. "But you have a very loving family. I'm sure that no matter what happens, you'll find your place back home."

With that, Dr. Wood went for the door, opening it for David and Ronny. As his boss walked by, he whispered into David's ear.

"Dani's got retrograde amnesia."

"Thank you, Dr. Wood," David nodded, tapping his friend on the shoulder. For a moment, Dr. Wood looked back over at Dani.

"Daniela, these are your parents," he told her. "I've invited them in."

He closed the door behind him, leaving the Marks alone to speak. Ronny turned to her husband, waiting for him to tell her what was wrong.

David shook his head as he grabbed a chair, placing it next to his daughter, "Dani..."

"Is that my name?" Daniela asked. She trusted these two people long before Dr. Wood told her they were her parents. If they had answers, she would trust them.

David looked over at Ronny with a sad smile. She nodded.

"You're name is Daniela."

Dani sighed, "The doctor said that... I wasn't sure."

David nodded. He reached for Ronny's hand, pulling her in closer.

"Dani," he started, "I want to know what you remember."

"Nothing," Dani said, falling back into her pillow.

"Do you remember who we are?" David asked, "Aside from what Dr. Wood told you. What are our names?"

"I don't know," Dani said, pressing her hands against her forehead, feeling the bandages. "I can't answer these questions. I don't know who I am, why I'm here."

"You were in a car accident," Ronny told her daughter gently.

"Dr. Wood told me that," Dani said. "He told me... I can see it... but..."

"Look, Daniela," David took his daughter's hand gently; "I just want to know how bad it is. Does the name Gregory Hartford ring a bell to you?"

Daniela looked up for a moment, staring at her father (or at least the man who claimed to be).

"No."

-----Afterlife-----

"I came as soon as I could," Dawn breathed, stopping her run once she arrived in the waiting room. She placed her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. Dani's friends and family were already sitting, waiting to hear more news. It hadn't been too long since Ronny and David were called in, but they were all getting nervous.

Greg was sitting a little ways off from everyone, tapping his foot incessantly while playing with his hands. His eyes stayed fix on the door as he waited for more news on his fiancée.

The doctors didn't want to let him in. They said that due to Dani's condition, her parents should be the ones to visit her first. That worried Greg deeply. What condition would keep him away from his soon-to-be wife? He was sure the doctors were playing favourites or trying to get a raise from David by playing nice. Whatever it was, they didn't like it.

One doctor had told him that Daniela would need family by her side, until she was back up on her feet. It was like they didn't understand the concept of marriage.

Casey arrived from behind. He gently placed his hand on Greg's shoulder.

"Don't take it too hard," he said. "Lily and Bruce weren't allowed in as well."

"Something's going on," Greg said. "I may not be a doctor, but I'm no fool! I can help."

"These guys know what they're doing," Casey assured the gold Ranger. "Trust them."

Greg turned to Casey hatefully, "She didn't remember the accident."

"It's a traumatic event," Casey said. "I'm sure if you ask Ronny, she wouldn't remember her own accident."

"Not like that," Greg hissed. He saw Dawn was talking with the others, trying to get caught up on Dani's situation. He pointed to her, "Like that."

"Like Dawn?"

"Dawn had amnesia, remember?" Greg asked. Casey shrugged. He hadn't been aware of Dawn's situation before recently.

"Sorry," he said.

"I'm just... scared," Greg sighed, hiding his head in his hands.

Dawn saw Greg had pointed to her and was curious as to what he was talking about. He excused herself away from Hayden and Flynn and made her way over slowly.

"I heard what happened," she said. She sat down beside Greg, giving Casey his cue to leave them for a moment. "How are you holding up?"

"How do you think?" Greg asked. "My wife is behind those doors."

"At least she's alive," Dawn smiled.

"But in what state?" Greg frowned. He turned to Dawn, "She didn't remember the accident... and from the way things were going when I was in there, she didn't remember anything."

"Give her time," Dawn said. "I'm sure she was still a little woozy."

"Woozy from what?" Greg asked. "She's been sleeping for..."

Dawn touched Greg's arm, "Calm down," she interrupted. "You're overreacting. I'm sure whatever it is the doctors are doing all they can. I mean, she is Dr. David Marks' only daughter."

"When I find the person who did this..." Greg growled.

"Get in line," Dawn nodded. "As soon as we can, we'll ask Dani what happened and we'll kill him. No one messes with the most annoying person on the face of the planet and gets away with it. Not while I'm around."


	37. Amnesia

Dani was being led back into a house (her parents told her it was her house) by Ronny and David. They unlocked the door with a key she had given them when she moved in.

Dani stepped inside and looked around. She was unsure of where to go, or what to do. Her father set her bags down by the door before shutting it while Ronny went straight to the kitchen, holding the mail that had accumulated while Dani was away.

David handed Dani a small bag, "You can take this upstairs to your room. It's got all your stuff inside it."

Dani looked at the bag nervously as she took it, "My room?"

"Upstairs, first door to the right," David told her, letting her go off on her own for the first time. He watched her walk to the stairs slowly, still very unsure.

Ronny approached him, placing a stack of papers in his hands. He gave them a look before turning to his wife.

"Ron..."

"I guess it won't be happening," she whispered.

"Give her a little time," David smiled. "She'll get her memory back, eventually."

"Are you sure?" Ronny asked. David nodded, pulling Ronny into his arms.

"I'm positive."

He dropped the wedding invitations on the table by the door as he held his wife close. He kissed her on the cheek just as the door opened.

Greg poked his head inside, "Can I come in?"

Ronny pointed, "Dani's upstairs in her room."

Greg nodded, making his way to the stairs. Before he disappeared Ronny called out: "Be gentle."

Greg knew that Dani had amnesia. There was no avoiding that truth. However, he was unaware of just how serious it was. He had no idea Dani didn't know she promised to marry him in a little over a week.

He opened the door to her room, finding her looking around. It was a strange sight to see someone looking so intensely at their own possessions, trying to discover who the person who owned all these could be.

"Hey," Greg nodded, stepping into the room. Nervously, he tucked his hands in his pockets. Daniela turned to him with a shy smile.

"You're the guy from the hospital," she said.

"Yeah... Greg."

Daniela nodded, "Hi, Greg; nice to meet you. Thanks for... whatever you did at the hospital."

Greg was shocked. He looked at Dani with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" Dani asked when she noticed Greg looked very uncomfortable. Greg moved forward, taking her hand.

"Dani, it's me," he whispered hopefully. He held her left hand up to show her the engagement ring, "I'm your fiancé."

Daniela looked at her bare hand. There was no ring. She pulled her hand away and took a step away from Greg.

"I don't know you," Dani said. "How could I be engaged to you?"

Greg tried getting in closer again. The tears were burning his eyes. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't stand the thought of Dani never remembering who he was. He reached out again, taking her hand, "Dani, please... don't do this."

"What are you doing?" Dani asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Just... please... try to remember something... anything!" Greg held Dani's hand, pressing it to his chest, hoping that somehow she would remember him.

"I'm sorry..." Dani whispered. "I can't..."

There had to be some way for her to remember. Their wedding wasn't too far away. He didn't want her to marry him because she was told that was what was right. He wasn't even sure if she would agree to marry him again.

Daniela shook her head, pulling her hand away from his, "I'm sorry..."

She motioned to the door, telling Greg it was time to go. He needed to try something, make one last attempt at triggering her memory before she left.

He shut his eyes and focused, breaking down the barrier he and Dani set up between their minds. With Dani's current state, her mental block didn't have much power to it and he got over it easily, putting his thoughts inside her head.

_Dani, listen to me._

Dani looked up at him in horror, hearing the voices.

_Please, think, Dani. You have to remember me._

"What's going on?" Dani asked, glaring at Greg. "What are you doing?"

_I love you! Don't do this..._

Dani let out a loud scream and pushed Greg outside her room. She slammed the door shut behind him, leaning her back against it and dropping to the floor. She began to sob loudly as she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in her arms.

Downstairs, David and Ronny heard the scream and rushed to the stairs. They saw Greg standing outside their daughter's door with his head resting on the wood. Ronny ran up and pushed her way into Dani's room while David stayed outside to talk with Greg.

"What happened?" he asked his future son in-law.

Greg said nothing. He brushed past David, purposely bumping shoulders. David spun around, grabbing his arm.

"Greg, what happened?" he pressed. Greg pulled free, glaring hatefully.

"You could have warned me," he hissed.

"Warned you?"

"Dani doesn't remember me!" Greg shouted. "She has no idea who I am!"

"Why did she scream?" David asked. He was more concerned about his daughter's panic than her inability to remember Greg. Without any memory as to who her friends and family were, she was going to be a little fearful about every person she met. David wanted to be sure that Dani was at least comfortable while she was re-introduced.

"I got inside her head," Greg whispered. "I thought... maybe..."

"You got inside her head?" David asked.

"I tried to talk to her..."

"Gregory!" David snapped roughly. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I want her to remember!"

"She doesn't remember anything!" David yelled. "You probably scared her half to death with that little stunt!"

"I thought it would help," Greg whispered. "I thought it would trigger her memory somehow..."

David took a deep breath, calming himself down as he went to explain this, "Greg, her memory is... broken..."

"I know that."

"Getting inside her head to try and fix this won't do her any good! We still don't know the extent of your powers. You could have hurt her."

Greg lowered his head in shame, "I just... I don't want to start all over again."

"Do you think I want to?" David asked. "I don't want to hear my daughter call me dad with a questioning tone. I don't want her to look at me to try and judge me. I want her to be my daughter again. I want to be her father... but that's not going to happen right now."

"I love her..."

"I love her too," David nodded. "But until she remembers... if she remembers... you have to act like you just met her. No getting too close and absolutely no getting inside her head again! Is that understood?"

Greg sighed deeply, nodding his head yes.

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn's search wasn't over. No way in hell was it over. She had come up empty handed last time she went out to search for clues, but this time she was going in with a plan.

On her way home from the hospital she had spotted a camera monitoring the street outside the bank. This was normal. If there was a bank robbery, Kaylee and Colonel Truman wanted to know who they were after.

She saw another camera just outside the park. It was a wide open space, pulled away from the rest of the city to keep the peace. A lot of mugging and assault happened late at night in the park. The camera was used for safety.

There was another camera monitoring the traffic lights. Ronny had a strict rule against reckless driving and insisted Kaylee enforce the many driving laws.

Dawn put two and two together. Corinth city was shielded by a dome, and its citizens were constantly being watched. There was no escaping the eye of the camera.

"Big Brother finally pays off," Dawn whispered to herself as she stood in a small room. One wall was covered in TV screens, divided into four so whoever was inside could watch the city. Normally there was no one inside the room, and it was locked securely. The only time it was ever used was in case of huge emergencies.

Dawn considered this to be an emergency.

She waited for her evidence to finish copying onto the disk she inserted into the large computer, tapping her foot impatiently.

"C'mon, c'mon," she muttered. The disk finally ejected itself and she grabbed it, stuffing it in her bag. She turned to the door, about to open it, when it swung open.

Kaylee glared down at her niece, "What are you doing in here?"

Dawn tucked her bag behind her as she tried to act innocent.

"I must have heard her wrong," she said. "I was coming here to tell you about Dani. The lady downstairs."

"You know your way around the building," Kaylee frowned. She turned, signalling down the hall before looking back at Dawn. "Vasquez heard someone was in here and called a team to take you down. You're lucky I came in here and not Colonel Truman."

"I'm sorry," Dawn lowered her head.

"So, what are you doing here?" Kaylee asked again. "This room is for authorized eyes only. You're not authorized."

"I didn't do anything," Dawn said. Kaylee frowned, extending her hand.

"Give me the bag."

"What?"

"The bag," Kaylee said. "Give it to me."

Dawn groaned, sliding the bag off her shoulder and handing it over to her Aunt. Kaylee searched through it, finding the disk. She looked at Dawn.

"What's this?"

"It's nothing," Dawn said, "Just a DVD..."

"What's on it?" Kaylee asked.

"What... what's...?"

"Yeah. You said it was a DVD. What's on it?"

"I don't know... Greg just suggested it..."

Kaylee glared at her niece, "You don't own a DVD player, Dawn. I know this, because last time Dustin went to visit you, he broke yours and offered to pay you back. You said it was old technology."

Dawn bit her lower lip and sighed.

"What are you doing with this, Dawn?" Kaylee asked, waving the disk in front of her niece's face.

"Dani was in an accident."

"Yes, so?"

"So, c'mon, Kaylee, you know better than anyone that nothing in a Ranger's life is an accident!" Dawn said. "Someone wanted this to happen! I have to find out who."

"Dawn, this is government property!" Kaylee growled.

"I'm sorry," Dawn sighed, "But..."

"You should have just asked me," Kaylee smiled. Opening the door, she let Dawn out first and led her to her office. "I'm only letting you get away with this once, because I know you're not a threat to Corinth's safety."

"Can you tell Dean that," Dawn sighed. Kaylee frowned for a moment before ignoring that comment.

"If you ever do this again though I'm sending you away," Kaylee warned her niece. "I'm serious about this, Dawn. If the Colonel finds out I pulled some strings for you..."

"I already said sorry," Dawn said. "Help Dani."

Kaylee nodded, putting the disk into her computer. Dawn pointed to the intersection where the crash took place.

When Dani's car and the other car hit each other, Kaylee averted her eyes. She didn't want to see the immediate results of a crash. However, Dawn's gasp pulled her back.

"He moved her!" she cried, pointing to the man on the screen. She grabbed the mouse from Kaylee. "Pause it, pause it!"

"Hold on," Kaylee said, taking the mouse back and pressing pause. She grabbed the image with the man holding Dani and sent it down to an analysis team, asking if they could identify him.

Kaylee continued to play the footage, stopping when she saw the driver of the other vehicle step out. She quickly paused again and got an image of her face.

She didn't need to send this one down to know who it was. The image was blurry, but Kaylee remembered that face.

"Mom..."

Dawn frowned, "I thought your mom was dead."

"She is," Kaylee nodded. "That's Dani's old jail cell buddy."

"No... her name was Giggles," Dawn said, shuttering at the mention of the name. She few times she had met Giggles, the convict had rubbed her the wrong way. She was too... giggly.

Kaylee shook her head, "Not Giggles. The one before that. The one who made Dani's life in prison a living hell."

Dawn clenched her fists, "That bitch..."


	38. No Risk No Reward

Kaylee got through prison security rather quickly. With her Commander badge, there was no real need to run her through the system. She knew all the rules of the prison, and didn't need the quick briefing.

Dawn followed in her trail, sticking close to her Aunt as they walked by a few prison cells for new in-mates. The prisoners glared hatefully at her, but Dawn didn't cower in fear like most visitors did, instead giving them a hateful look in return.

Kaylee led Dawn to a large metal door where she quickly punched in the access code. It opened up and the two stepped inside.

"We have a problem," Kaylee said.

Hicks looked up from his paperwork, "King and Mom have escaped. I know."

"You know?" Dawn asked.

"I already have my best men on it," Hick informed the commander. "We're expected to..."

"They sent Daniela to the hospital," Kaylee said, cutting of Hicks. "They are a danger. I need to know when prisoners escape."

"It's still pretty recent," Hicks said. "They only broke out a few days ago. If this had gone on I would have let you know."

Dawn grabbed her Aunt's arm, "Kaylee, if we know who it is, can't we stop them?"

"That won't be easy," Hicks sighed. He turned his computer screen to face Kaylee and Dawn, showing them footage of Mom and King's escape. They took down the guards in their path effortlessly. "They're both tough and fearless to a fault. If they think it necessary, they will kill."

"What do they want with Dani?" Dawn asked.

"Mom hated Dani with a passion," Hicks explained. "When we put her in a new cell for safety reasons, she spent all her time planning ways to kill Dani. We didn't encourage it, but we never thought she would get a chance like this."

"Once they find out Dani's alive and vulnerable, they're going to come after her," Kaylee said, rubbing her temples slowly as she tried to think. "This isn't good."

"As long as Dani stays at home, she'll be fine," Dawn assured her Aunt.

Kaylee nodded, "I guess. But I'm not hiding her away until Mom and King decide to come back to prison. Hicks, call you men back and keep this prison under full lockdown. No one gets in or out without a full scan and exam."

"Who's going to go after Mom and King?" Hicks asked, grabbing the radio to contact his men.

"I'll have the Colonel send out a special team to inform everyone in the city to be careful," Kaylee said, "But I'm going to bring the Rangers in for this."

"All the Rangers?" Dawn frowned. "Half of them are in NewTech."

"You'll see who shows up," Kaylee smirked. "Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger."

-----Afterlife-----

"So, we're cousins?" Dani asked nervously, looking at the blonde figure beside her as they walked down the streets.

"Not genetically," Hayden smiled, "But we grew up together..."

Hayden paused for a moment and turned to Dani, hoping she would remember something. Ronny and David had tried endlessly to trigger her memory back at home by reliving old traditions from Dani's childhood. Baking cookies, watching Ronny's old Racing videos, bringing up the old toy doctor's kit... nothing seemed to work.

Dani's parents thought that maybe a person could be a trigger. They would have offered Greg, but he had been trying too hard to get Dani to remember, and the poor girl felt uneasy around him. They decided to try and set Dani up with Hayden. Aside from Heather, she was the closest thing to a sister Dani had. If anyone could understand Dani's past and get her to remember, it would be Hayden.

The former Pink Ranger turned off the sidewalk onto a path. It went around a small park and stopped in front of a rather large forest. Dani looked up nervously, but Hayden smiled. She pushed a few branches aside and cleared the way for Dani to step through.

"When we were kids we would always find cool places like these," Hayden explained. "The trees in here are really good for climbing up high, and some of the branches fall down at just the right angle to make cool tree forts."

"Do I know how to climb?" Dani asked, stopping in front of a large tree. Hayden came up beside her and shrugged.

"I don't know," she smiled, "Why don't you figure that out yourself?"

Dani looked up the tree nervously but decided to give it a go. Unlike Greg or Ronny or David, Hayden wasn't trying to tell Dani who she used to be. She was giving her the facts, such as how random strangers seemed to know her, but she left Dani to figure out who Dani was on her own.

Trusting Hayden, Dani grabbed onto the lowest branch and pulled herself up. Hayden smiled.

"Good. Now move up one more so I can join you," she said. Dani reached a shaky hand out to the next branch and grabbed on tightly. Moving slowly, she shifted her body onto the next highest branch, pulling herself up. Hayden grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself up rather quickly.

"Are you okay with going higher?" Hayden asked.

Dani looked up at the tall tree. She was nervous about being off the ground, but for some reason she still wanted to climb. She wanted to see how far up she could go. She was afraid, but that wasn't stopping her from feeling the need to always be one branch higher than Hayden.

"Give it a go," Hayden smiled, nodding to Dani. "You won't fall, I promise."

Dani grabbed the next branch and climbed up. Unlike last time, she didn't stop on this branch to consider her next move, she continued to climb up. Hayden followed her closely, making sure she was always under Dani in case she missed a step.

When Dani couldn't get any higher she stopped. She looked down for Hayden, who was getting comfortable on the branch just below her.

"I guess you can climb," Hayden said.

"Did Dani climb?" Dani asked.

"When she was little; she and I would play in forests just like these. She hasn't done any tree climbing lately."

Dani nodded before looking out at the city. She could see over the small buildings from where she sat at the top of the tree. The view was wonderful.

However, it seemed to stop suddenly once it hit a fence. It was more of a barrier that went all around the city. Above it was a sky that wrapped around the city, but Dani could see no further than that.

"We live in a dome," Hayden explained. "A few years ago a computer virus took over earth."

"A computer?" Dani frowned.

"It's advanced technology," Hayden laughed. "People used to put virus to give them to other people using a thing called the internet. They were jackasses, but they were nothing compared to Alphabet Soup."

"I think my mom tried to make that for me last night," Dani said.

Hayden chuckled, "This is a different kind of soup. It's really an organisation that developed weapons and technology. They created a virus that was unleashed onto the world. It was so powerful and took over everything. Before we knew it, it was programming nuclear weapons and bombs to go off. Billions of people died and the one who didn't now live inside Corinth City, or NewTech City."

Dani listened to the story intently before a memory hit. Much like when she remembered the car accident, this memory was very fuzzy and Dani couldn't indentify much.

She saw herself trapped under a rock. Her whole body felt numb and she couldn't see. She remembered trying to push the rock away, but she couldn't move.

Around her, she heard people screaming, crying out for help as sirens began to sound.

She remembered called out to someone: _"M-mom... help..."_

Dani shook her head, wanting to get the memory out as soon as she could. It was painful.

She glared down at Hayden, "I know what you're doing."

Hayden looked up at her cousin, confused, "What?"

"I don't like it!" Dani screamed. She made her way down the tree, carefully manoeuvring herself around Hayden.

The pink Ranger followed her down, "Dani, what's wrong."

Dani stopped in her tracks, grabbing her head painfully as another memory hit.

_She made out the image of her mother, turning off a communicator before turning to her. Dani heard herself asking: "We're not going to leave them, are we?"_

_"I'm sorry, kiddo," Ronny nodded sadly. "You heard the man, we have to go."_

_Suddenly a bomb was dropped in the middle of the city and the force of it managed to kill a great deal of people in sight. The rest of them were left injured or were knocked off their feet. Dani watched, thankful she hadn't been caught up in the explosion before she felt someone grab her arm and pull her off._

Hayden ran over to her cousin, placing a soft hand on her back as she caught her breath.

"Dani, are you remembering something."

"You're all the same!" Dani screamed. "It hurts."

"Who's the same?" Hayden asked.

"You... all of you..."

Before Hayden could say anything in response, Dani took off, running deeper into the forest. Hayden groaned loudly and was about to give chase when her communicator went off.

"_RPM, I need all of you back at the Garage ASAP for an emergency mission. I don't care where you are or what you're doing. This is important."_

Hayden clutched her morpher and groaned, "Mom, I took Dani on a walk to try and jog her memory, but she panicked and ran off."

"_Jog her memory?"_ a new voice said.

"_That's the emergency,_" Kaylee said, _"Hayden, go find her before anything happens."_

Hayden nodded, "On it."

-----Afterlife-----

Dani ran as fast as she could, cutting through the trees and jumping over logs to escape Hayden and everyone else she had met so far. They were all hurting her or making her remember things she didn't like. She wanted it to stop, but they were all so desperate to get their friend back, they weren't going to give up.

She finally stopped, doubling over to catch her breath before a large gust of wind hit her back. Leaves, dirt and twigs flew up from behind her, trapping her in a storm of dust for a moment before settling.

Dani looked around, dazed. Surely she hadn't run too far, but she seemed to be so deep inside the woods. She could no longer see Hayden anywhere, nor could she see the city just outside the forest.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, spinning in circles to try and spot something familiar.

"It's called super-speed," a large man said, stepping out from behind a tree with a tall woman. "It's a superpower."

"A what?"

"You were running away, right?" the man asked.

"Who are you?"

"That's not important," the woman said.

"How do you know... what... what's going on?" Dani asked.

The man and woman smiled as they each moved beside Dani, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Normal humans don't run at super-speed," the man explained. "That woman over there, the one who was trying to be your friend... I wouldn't trust her."

Dani frowned, "She said she was my cousin."

"She lied," the woman whispered. She stepped in front of Dani, raising her voice slightly, "They all lied!"

"What...?"

"We saw it all," the man said. "Those people you're with, they created you."

"Created me?"

"Let's explain this in a way you'll understand," the man sat Dani down on a rock gently. "Those people have been working years to create humans with super powers. They take innocent victims and destroy them..."

"We lost our son to them," the woman breathed sadly.

"They leaved themselves with only a body. The person inside is dead," the man continued to explain. "Using the body, they work in a lab to bring to life on of their own. You're the first person who seems to have survived the process."

"But..." Dani frowned, looking back to try and find Hayden, "We're cousins..."

"Do you really think that's true?" the woman asked. "She's trying to get you to trust her. Once they have your trust, they'll get you to do anything they want."

"I don't get it," Dani said.

"Come with us," the man smiled, offering his hand to help Dani up, "We'll protect you."

Suddenly another man tackled the first one down, pinning him to the ground and slamming his head to keep him momentarily off his back. He got off the man as the woman tried to charge at him. He grabbed her arm and twisted it, catching it behind her back and ramming her into a tree. He threw her down and ran over to Dani.

"The name's Dillon," he said, offering a hand.

Dani looked at him, mortified by what she had just seen. Dillon fumbled through his jacket pockets and pulled out a NewTech Police badge.

Dani took it and examined it. It seemed real enough, but was NewTech really a city. After what the two strangers told her about Hayden, she didn't know what to believe anymore.

"I won't hurt you," Dillon said soothingly. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a morpher, "I'm a Power Ranger. My job is to protect people like you."

"I... I..."

Dillon sat down beside Dani on the rock and smiled, "I had amnesia once too."

"How do you...?"

"There are people out there looking for you," he said, "Good people who really care about you."

"I don't know who is good," Dani whispered.

"You'll figure that out," Dillon smiled and nodded, "I promise. But to do that, you're going to have to take a risk and trust me."

"That doesn't sound good..."

Dillon noticed Dani's hesitation and wished he had listened to Summer and been friendlier with the Rangers while he had the chance. He remembered Dani used to have a little motto. If he could remember it, maybe she would too and she could trust him. He needed her to feel safe with him if he wanted to take her home to her family.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. He turned to her with a very un-Dillon-like smile.

"No risk, no reward."

Dani turned when she heard this. It sounded familiar... and ironically enough, safe. When Dillon stood up and offered her a hand for help, she grabbed it.

"I trust you."

"Good," Dillon nodded. "Let's go find the rest of my team."


	39. Who To Trust

Dani watched as Dillon entered a code on a control pad just outside what looked to be an oversized garage. She stared curiously when the garage door slowly began to move upwards and Dillon, refusing to wait until it was fully lifted, bent under it.

"Where are we?" Dani asked him when the door was open.

Dillon invited Dani inside, keeping in front of her as they walked over to a couch area. Dani could see heads poking over the couches and frowned.

"Who are they?" she asked.

Dillon groaned, "Did I ask this many questions when I first came here?"

The heads turned around with big smiles. Some of them even got up, walking over to Dillon and Dani.

"No, Ziggy did," someone said in a thick Scottish accent. "You were more..."

"Strong silent type," another man said.

Dani looked at all the new faces until she spotted a few she recognised. Greg and Hayden were here. She moved closer to Dillon, hiding behind him in case those two tried something that would again mess with her head.

Greg saw this and lowered his head in shame, feeling completely useless. Hayden, however, got up from the couch and walked over to Dani slowly.

"I know I freaked you out," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were going to remember Venjix."

Dani looked at Hayden. The apology seemed sincere and Hayden had been nothing but nice to her before the memory came up, but Dani still wasn't sure if she could trust her, or anyone. After what the two strangers told her, she couldn't be sure if her memories were actually memories, or if these people had programmed them to be memories.

Dani stepped a few paces back, and was slightly surprised to see Dillon didn't move with her, instead he gave her her space.

Over on the couch, Scott nudged Summer, pushing her to her feet. The yellow Ranger got up slowly and moved over to Dani. Before she reached, Dillon held out his arm, wrapping it around her waist to keep her from getting too close.

Before Dillon and Dani arrived, the others all agreed to have Summer talk with Dani. She had already been successful at getting two amnesiacs to trust the Rangers. She was their best bet if they wanted Dani's trust.

Dillon turned to face Dani.

"This is my wife, Summer," he said. "You don't have to believe anything she says, but I want you to listen to her, okay?"

Dani nodded hesitantly. Summer took another step forward.

"Summer," she introduced herself, extending her hand. Dani took it slowly.

"Dani."

Summer smiled. At least Dani knew her name.

"Dani, I have one question for you," Summer said gently. "I want you to answer honestly."

Dani nodded.

"What do you want?" Summer asked. It was direct and to the point.

Dani took a deep breath. This was the first time someone had asked her that. Everyone else she met wanted her to look back, a task that was impossible for someone with no memory. Summer was asking her what she wanted, not what she remembered.

"I want to know what's going on," Dani whispered.

"Found you!" Dawn shouted, bursting into the garage with Kaylee trailing behind her. In her hands she held a small disk. Dani jumped at the sudden outburst and pulled in closer to Dillon and Summer, finding them to be the only safe ones at this point. Either she didn't know the others, or they had hurt her in some way.

"Why are we all here?" Dawn asked, stopping in front of the couch. She wasn't surprised that the whole of RPM was together again, but more at their choice of location.

"My house was too small to fit everyone," Samantha said. "That and everyone already knew how to get here."

"What did you find out?" Scott asked, pointing to the disk.

Kaylee took the small disk from Dawn's hand and placed it into the computer.

"After talking to Hicks we searched the city for any signs of Mom and King. Two people that big don't go by unnoticed," Kaylee said, turning on the computer. Two images popped up: one of Mom, and the other of King. A quick scan went over their bodies, bringing up the details on height, weight and age. Another scan was performed, and the computer searched the Corinth files for their reasons of arrest.

Dillon frowned, "Those were the two people in the forest."

Hayden turned. She had been in the forest when Dillon found Dani, but once he had contacted everyone to let them know she was safe, she turned and headed for the garage.

"There were people in the forest?" she asked.

"Them," Dillon said. He looked to Dani, "They were talking to you, right?"

Kaylee frowned, "You met them?" Dani nodded. "What did they say to you?"

"That you were the bad guys..." Dani said, looking at everyone in the room.

"Them?" a boy in green asked, pointing to the screen. "They're liars."

"Ziggy," Kaylee frowned, giving the boy a warning. He looked at her.

"What?"

Kaylee shook her head before walking over to Dani. She knew she couldn't introduce herself as her Aunt. Dani didn't remember anything.

Pulling out her Commander Badge, Kaylee held it up so Dani could see.

Dani grabbed it and examined it. Just like with Dillon's it seemed real, but there was a fine line that separated truth from lies. Dani could tell, just from the technology in this room, that anyone could recreate a badge that looked convincing enough to fool a girl with no memory.

"I'll give you the facts, Dani," Kaylee said. "I'm the commander. This city you're in, it's mine. The people here are the Power Rangers. They work for me to protect this city from bad people."

Kaylee walked back to the screen and pointed to Mom and King's images.

"These people were arrest when Corinth's shields first went up. They've been held in prison until recently when they escaped. They are bad guys."

"So you say," Dani said. "How can I trust you?"

Kaylee smiled softly, "You have no memories; no past experience to tell you what's right and what's wrong. You don't need someone you can trust, you need someone who can protect you."

"Protect me?" Dani frowned, "From what?"

"From the world," Kaylee said. She pointed again to Mom and King, "From them."

"And from us," Summer added.

Everyone looked at the blonde and frowned.

"From us?" Flynn asked. "But we're the good guys."

"No we're not," Summer said, "not to her. Dani still hasn't figured out who is good and who is bad. Right now it's all... on the fence."

Kaylee approached Dani slowly, "Who do you trust?"

Dani hesitated, looking around the room. She remembered giving her trust to Dillon back in the forest, but that was only to get her here, where she thought she would be able to find answers. She knew Summer had a point with what she was saying. Dani didn't know good from bad. She couldn't tell who was being honest and who was trying to play her. Everything seemed so good, so innocent.

"Think long and hard," Kaylee told her. "Get inside your own head; look for a name or a face. Anything that makes you feel safe."

Over on the couch, Greg looked up. Kaylee was no longer asking Dani a simple question. She was going to have Dani search deep inside her head for an answer.

Dani's memories were suppressed there, deep in her mind. If she went searching, surely she would remember something, and given the nature of her search, Greg hoped she would say his name.

He gazed at his fiancé longingly, holding his breath as he wanted for an answer.

Dani tried to think back, back before she woke up in the hospital.

_They all lied_, she remembered. The woman on the screen, Mom, had told her that. Everyone she had met had lied to her: Gregory, her parents, Hayden. Now the people around her were telling her that Mom and King had lied to her. They were liars, not Greg, her parents and Hayden.

"I... I..." Dani stammered. "I..."

Greg wanted to jump up and tell her the truth, tell her anything to get her to believe in him again. He wanted her to say his name so he could take her in his arms and protect her from the rest of the world. But he knew he couldn't. He promised David he wouldn't interfere or pull any stunts. If Dani was going to remember, it had to be on her own time and in her own way, not because someone told her so.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring Bruce found. The big man had found it on the streets when the ambulance had come to take Dani to the hospital and forgot to give it to Greg until recently. A huge weight had been lifted off Greg's shoulder when the ring was back in his possession, but he still carried a small burden with him because he was the one holding the ring. The weight wouldn't fully disappear until this ring was back on Dani's finger.

"Take your time," Kaylee whispered to Dani.

Dani lowered her head and her body began to shake. Everyone could see she was tense except for Greg. He knew she was hurting. She was scared and alone.

He stood up, "She doesn't trust anyone."

All eyes turned to him. Everyone was surprised he was going to say something. They knew his attempts to getting Daniela to remember had backfired on him and didn't expect him to say a word while in her presence.

He walked over to Kaylee, "The only person she can trust is herself."

Greg turned to Dani and saw her pull away from him. He sighed deeply, fighting every instinct that told him to try and get close. If he couldn't earn her trust with the link they shared, he would do it naturally.

"You can't trust us," Greg told her. "We've hurt you. But you know you can't trust them if you've been saved from them. You're alone."

"Greg..."

"No," Greg snapped at Summer. He turned back to Dani and looked at her softly as the words hesitated to come out. He knew he had to say them if he wanted Dani to come back eventually, but he couldn't bear to utter them. He took a deep breath and mustered up the courage. "Leave."

"Greg!" Hayden shouted, but he held up his hand, never taking his eyes off Dani.

"Until you know who to trust, you can't trust anyone," he told her. "Don't let anyone close. Don't listen to a word they say until they've proven themselves to you. Find your own place, where you feel safe, and stay there. Until you believe you know you've found a group of people who want what's best for you, I don't want you to come back here. Is that understood?"

Dani nodded.

"Good," Greg said. He pointed to the door, "Get out."

Dani did as she was told and ran for the door, leaving Greg to lower his head.

"What the hell was that?" Hayden asked the gold Ranger.

"I don't want her to trust us because we told her to do so," Greg explained. "I want her to trust us, because she knows she can."

"So, you let her run out there defenceless?"

"Nothing will happen to her," Greg said, though his voice didn't sound convincing, even to him. "But we all know that if she does get in trouble, we'll be there to help."

"But she doesn't know that," Hayden frowned.

"Nor does she know there are people out there trying to kill her."

"So you're going to let them have easy access to her so we can save her. You're planning on making yourself look good? That's manipulation, Greg. You don't earn someone's trust by manipulating them."

"It's not manipulation!" Greg shouted. "We're her family; we want what's best for her! We know what she needs and sometimes..."

"You can't do this!" Hayden growled. "At least if she stayed here we could protect her."

"But her trust would be based off us telling her to trust us."

"So?"

"That's not trust."

"Nor is manipulation."

"Okay, okay," Samantha got her to feet and pulled the two apart. "I'm going to go talk to Mom and King."

"What?" everyone asked while staring at the Angel.

"The only way we're going to solve this is by staying active in Dani's life," Samantha said. "We need to leave her to find herself on her own, but we know she's in danger."

"So you're going to talk to the bad guys and ask them what? Please don't go through with your plan?" Mike asked.

"There's a reason we didn't try that on Venjix," Flynn frowned. "It doesn't work."

"Just... trust me," Samantha smiled, taking a communicator as she ran out the door. "I know what I'm doing."

-----Afterlife-----

Samantha didn't know where two jailbirds would be hiding, but she figured this would be the place. A small rundown apartment where nobody bothered to enter. They wouldn't be found, or disturbed. The place was too dangerous to enter because it hadn't been inspected in so long.

Samantha opened the door by lifting it off its hinges. She leaned it against the wall and started her way up the stairs. They creaked loudly, worrying the Angel that they might crumble under her feet.

She extended her wings out from her back, keeping them at the ready in case the stairs did fall. Luckily for her, she did so just in time. The stair under her feet couldn't hold the extra weight and snapped. Samantha lost her balance, nearly falling backwards, but flapped her wings fast enough to get her feet off the ground.

From the air, she watched as the entire set of stairs crumbled into nothing but a pile of wood.

"Great," she muttered, "Remind me to stay away from the elevator."

She soared up to the top floor, finding only one door. She knocked after retracting her wings and waited for someone to answer.

A big man opened the door and glared down at Samantha, "Who the hell are you?"

Samantha pushed her way into the room, finding a woman standing in front of an old TV, trying to get it to work. When the woman spotted her though, she stopped.

"What's this?" she asked, dropping the remote on the bed and gazing at Samantha.

"I want to talk to you about Dani," Samantha said.

"Red?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, whatever," Samantha said as King walked back over. He crossed his arms over his chest as he listened. Samantha looked from Mom to him. "We know you want her dead."

"You must be one of those Rangers," Mom smirked, looking to her husband. "The little bitch spoke fondly of you back in prison."

"Have you come here to arrest us?" King asked. "Because one little girl won't be enough."

"I'm not here for that," Samantha said. "We both have a problem."

"We do?" Mom asked.

"You want Dani dead but you can't do that because there's always going to be someone looking after her," Samantha explained. "We want the old Dani back, but she doesn't remember, and she doesn't trust us."

"Well then," King laughed softly, dropping his pose as he reached into the fridge, pulling out three beers. Samantha wondered just how old the bottles were when King offered her one. She refused, leaving it for him. He shrugged, and placed it on top of the fridge, "It seems we do have a problem."

"Given that Dani can't trust either of us, and we both want something different from her, I'm offering you a deal," Samantha said. "We'll each send out one person to get close to her. I'll be that person for my team, and one of you can be the person from the other team. While Dani walks the streets and tries to figure herself out, we'll both be like... protectors."

"Protectors?"

"You stay close to your target and work at earning her trust, and I'll stay close to my friend and do the same. By the end of it, Dani will hopefully trust one of us enough. When that happens..."

"She'll leave the other person," King smirked. "We'll get her alone."

"Or we will," Samantha added quickly. "But until she chooses, and not a minute before, neither of us will try and convince her of anything. We won't get her to believe we're the good guys, and you won't do anything to hurt her or get her alone."

"So what are you saying, blondie?" King asked.

"I'm saying we both stick close to her and we work naturally at earning her trust."

Mom and King exchanged looks, "Sounds like a plan."

"So who's coming with me?" Samantha asked.

"I'll go," King said.

"Come on," Samantha went for the door. "Sorry about the stairs, by the way."

She spread her wings and lowered herself slowly to the main level while King figured out another way to get down.

Samantha hoped her plan was going to work. She didn't want to leave Dani alone in case Mom, or King, or anybody tried to take advantage and she wanted Dani to trust her.

She needed to give Dani a reason to trust her and her family. Her plan was only going to work if King and Mom broke their agreement and tried to kill Dani. It was a risky move, letting those two get so close to Dani, but if they showed her in any way they couldn't be trusted, and Samantha came in to save her, she knew she would have Dani's trust.


	40. The Truth

Dani found a place to stay in an old house. It wasn't nearly as old as the place Mom and King were staying, but she was positive she wouldn't be bothered while she was there.

There was still some furniture left over from the last owners, giving Dani a less than comfortable couch and a bed that would have to do for the next couple of nights. She wasn't bothered by her living quarters, however. Simply being away from all the chaos was good for now.

She as she got settled in her living room, the door rang. She furrowed her brow as she went to answer it.

A rather large man stood on the other side of the door with a smile on his face. He had a large bad slung over his shoulder that was covered in NASCAR pins.

"Daniela Marks?" he asked. She nodded.

"So I've been told. Who are you?"

"Bruce Chilman. I have a stock car team that's supposed to race tomorrow morning and our driver is out of commission."

"Really?" Dani frowned. "And this interests me how?"

"I've heard from some sources that Daniela Marks was one of the best," Bruce said. He reached into his bag, pulling out a file and handing it to Daniela. "I got these files from the owner of the track."

Daniela looked at the papers and was stunned to find herself inside. It had all the information on her that she needed to confirm who she really was. Apparently her "family" wasn't lying when they told her her name was Dani.

"Your mom was the best in the business," Bruce said, flipping the pages for Dani, bringing her to a file on Ronny Robinson.

"That's my mom?" Dani asked, looking up at the older man. He nodded.

"Sure is," he smiled. He pulled out a card from his bag and handed it to Dani. "One of my cousins can fill in for our driver for tomorrow's race, but we'll need a permanent replacement soon. How about you drop by tomorrow and check out the team?"

"I guess I could," Dani nodded.

"Great, we'll see you at three."

Bruce turned to leave, but bumped into Samantha and King on his way out. King brushed by him, not noticing the man, while Samantha stopped and frowned.

"You're her cousin," she whispered so Dani wouldn't hear. "What are you doing here?"

"Offering Dani her life back," Bruce said. "Maybe if no one forces memories on her, she'll remember faster and the wedding can be back on."

"The wedding is..."

"I'm a big dreamer," Bruce interrupted, getting in his car. Samantha sighed, rolling her eyes at the bigger man before walking inside the house. She stopped at the door when she heard King talking.

"Documents can easily be faked," he was telling Dani. "You just need to slap a date on them and forge a signature. Any company could do that."

"It just looks so real," Dani said. Samantha move in closer, keeping out of sight so as not to interrupt the conversation, but close enough so she could hear. If King was trying to mess with her little cousin, she wanted to know what his plan was.

"Look, kid," King groaned, rubbing his temples. "Humans with superpowers is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"But it exists?"

"Only a handful of people," King said. "And those people are bad people. Remember, we told you. They kidnapped out son and tried to turn him into one of them."

"Then why don't you stop them?" Dani asked.

"Because right now we're trying to help you," King whispered, just loudly enough for Samantha to catch. "We're not about to watch another innocent soul die at their hands. They've probably sent someone over here now to try and earn your trust."

Daniela looked around the room, "No one's here."

King looked as well, "They'll be here soon."

He grabbed Daniela by the arms and held her tight, "Listen, kid. I'm the good guy. I don't want to hurt you. When whoever walks in, don't believe a word they say. I'll protect you, I promise."

"O-Okay," Daniela nodded. Samantha took that as he cue to walk in.

"I know Greg said we were to leave you alone," she said, holding her hands up defensively. "But until you know who you are, it's best to keep an eye on you."

King leaned down over Dani's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Translated, it means: as soon as the fat guy's out of the way, I'm taking you back."

Daniela stepped back, closer to King after he said this. Samantha glared at the big man.

"This wasn't a part of the deal."

King wrapped his arms around Dani. This was the perfect time to snap her little body in half, but he knew he had to hold back. Samantha was in the room and she was watching his every move. If he tried something he would not only blow his cover, but he would lose the trust he earned from Dani that would make kidnapping her and killing her much easier. Instead he stayed with a touch hold.

"The only thing that concerns me is her protection," he growled. Samantha shook her head.

"Whatever. I'm going to make dinner."

She moved to the stove, hesitantly turning it on as she set a bag of food down on the counter.

King whispered again in Dani's ear, "Don't eat her food."

Dani looked up, "Why? I haven't eaten in days. I'm starved!"

"Drugs," King whispered. "Very easy to hide in food."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a chocolate bar.

"Here, eat this. Sorry about the bite... a big man's got to eat."

Daniela looked at it nervously before taking a bite. It tastes odd to her, but she didn't remember what chocolate tasted like. She ignored it and finished it up before Samantha had time to notice.

-----Afterlife-----

Dean was determined to get answers now. It had been days since he last saw Dawn and he was more than ready to understand her past and fix things up.

He had been told by a few of his neighbours that the Rangers had once again taken up residence in their Garage. He knew where to find it and made his way over as dropping Emily off at school.

When he rang the doorbell, he was surprised to find that Dawn was the one answering the door.

"Dean?"

"Can we talk?"

Dawn looked over her shoulder. Dani was gone and until someone called for her, she wasn't needed. She nodded and stepped outside.

Dean looked down at the girl with a smile on his face, "After I calmed down, I realised that maybe I overreacted to your little secret. But you have to understand that Venjix robbed me of everything. Nothing that I have left has been left untouched by him. You've seen Emily."

Dawn nodded, "I know... and I guess I could have been gentler with the whole... truth."

"I pressured you," Dean sighed. "It's not your fault."

"It is," Dawn said. "We made a promise to be honest with each other. If I had told you then, maybe things would be different. I wasn't supervising the guy who created Venjix to put a Venjix arm on your daughter at that moment."

"I'm willing to look past this," Dean smiled. "You obviously care very much about your friends and family. A robot wouldn't... but maybe if you give me some time to get used to the idea that my girlfriend used to be a ruthless killer robot..."

"Granted," Dawn chuckled. "And if it helps, you can come inside and see the work we're doing at saving Dani. Maybe that'll calm your mind about me being dangerous."

-----Afterlife-----

For reasons she couldn't understand, Dani was beginning to feel very tired. She couldn't hold her head up over her plate as everyone say around what used to be called a dinner table. Samantha was eating her food slowly, looking between Dani and King with a suspicious gaze. She had overheard King saying something about her food being drugged and assumed that was the reason Dani wasn't eating. She didn't know, though, why she was so tired.

However, King seemed to be happy at the fact that Dani was falling in and out of consciousness. After the umpteenth time Dani's head dropped out of her hands, King got up.

"I'll take her to bed," he said.

"No," Samantha frowned, pushing her plate away. "I made the meal. You do the dishes."

"How can I trust you with her alone?" King asked.

"You know very well who's being honest," Samantha growled. She walked over to Dani, placing a gentle hand on her back. "C'mon, kiddo. I packed some extra blankets for you in the bag."

She helped Dani to the stairs, grabbing the bag off the counter on the way and went up the stairs. Once Dani was in bed, she searched her pockets.

Samantha found a chocolate bar that still hadn't been finished. She didn't believe Dani would have the money to afford a candy and wouldn't have the heart to steal it, so she assumed it was King's. She put it to her nose and smelt it.

"I knew it!" she cried, taking a sniff. She turned and glared at the door, "You son of a bitch."

She walked over to the top of the stairs and shouted down, "I think I'll go to bed too."

Knowing King didn't want to leave Dani alone with her for two long, she was sure he would come upstairs as soon as he could. Samantha retreated back into Dani's room and lowered herself behind the bed, grabbing Dani's arm and pulling it off the bed.

When the dishes were done King tip-toed to the stairs. He walked up slowly and looked around at the rooms. He crept into one, finding Dani on the bed. He knew she wasn't going to wake up for a while, no matter how loud he was. He walked over to her and pulled the blankets down.

Samantha took Dani's hand in hers once more and kissed it softly, cancelling out the effect of the drugs King put inside the chocolate bar that were in her system. While it would do nothing to help her amnesia, Samantha knew this was the moment where the truth would come out.

King lifted Dani off the bed just as she started to wake up. He saw her eyes flutter open and realised he needed to act fast. He could no longer drag her across town and take her to Mom so they could both enjoy the torture. If they wanted her dead, he would have to do it now.

Before Dani had a chance to figure out what was going on, she felt a big arm wrap around her neck, squeezing the air out of her. She struggled to break free of the grip, grabbing the arm to try and pull it lose so she could worm out.

Samantha jumped up from the other side of the bed, flipping over and hitting King in the face with her foot, causing him to stagger backwards. He held Daniela in his arms, but had to momentarily release some of his grip to put her back into a proper position.

Samantha stood before him, ready to attack.

"Let her go," she growled.

King wiped the blood from his nose and laughed, "Why would I do that?"

"Two reasons," Samantha smirked as her wings sprouted, one at a time, from her back. Dani was wide-eyed when she saw this.

"You're an angel?" she managed to croak before King tightened his grip again, squeezing the life out of her.

"What's an Angel going to do to me?" King asked. "Kill me with your harp music?"

Samantha stood very still, waiting for Dani to fall limp. She knew that once that happened, King would let go, thinking his job was done, and Samantha would have a clear path to him. She didn't want to risk hurting Dani and breaking the trust she was earning while King sabotaged his own with his attempt at her life.

Finally, Dani's eyes shut and her body fell limp. King let go and headed for the window. Samantha rushed over to Dani, kissing her cheek gently to revive her as King jumped out of the room.

Dani woke up, finding Samantha standing over her. The Angel grabbed her in her arms, as she got to her feet.

"What's going on?" Dani asked.

"Trust me?" Samantha smiled. Dani nodded. She had to trust the person who saved her life, even if she wasn't entirely sure of anything at the moment. Samantha grinned, "Good."

She ran for the window, curling her wings around her body as she jumped through it. She could feel the glass slicing her wings, but knew it was better her wings take the damage than any other part of her body.

Dani couldn't see anything past the white feathers, but was well aware she was falling. She whimpered in fear, burying her head in Samantha's chest. The blonde smirked as her wings stretched out to the side and she straightened out in the air.

"I'm going to take you home," she whispered to Dani. "But first..."

She caught up with a running King and flew next to him for a while before her wings tucked around her again and she rolled in the air, knocking King to the ground. She landed on her feet before the big man and set Dani down on the ground.

Just when Dani was feeling safe with Samantha, the Angel took a few steps back.

"I want you to trust me," Samantha said to the red head, "But that's not going to happen if I take you home. I want you to choose to come home."

Dani looked from Samantha to King. She knew what the Angel was doing. She was leaving her with a choice. Either Dani could choose to stay with her and go back to the people who said they were her family, or she could go with King, who swore her would protect her.

Dani trusted an Angel over a murderer and ran towards Samantha, who wrapped her arms around her gently.

"I knew you would make the right choice if I waited," she whispered, kissing Dani's cheek again.

King slammed his hands into the dirt before pushing himself up.

"You little..."

Samantha smirked, flapping her wings, causing the dust to rise. King screamed as the tiny pieces of dust got in his eyes, nose and mouth. While King was distracted, she jumped into the air and flew home.

-----Afterlife-----

Everyone was sleeping soundly around the couches when Samantha brought Dani home. Samantha decided to take advantage of the peace and walked Dani to the middle of the room.

"You trust me," she said, to which Dani nodded. "So whatever I told you about my friends, you would believe?"

"I guess," Dani nodded.

"Good," Samantha smiled. She walked over to her mother's desk and grabbed a picture of the Seven Sisters. She handed it to Dani and pointed to Ronny.

"That's your mom," she said. "Ronny Robinson. She's loves you dearly. It's killing her that you're in this condition."

Dani looked at her mother in the picture while Samantha grabbed another one. This was of the Seven Brothers In-Law. She pointed to David.

"Your dad," she smiled. "He works at the hospital that treated you. When the doctors were looking over you and trying to save your life, he had to sit on the sidelines. Everyone knows how much it killed him to not be able to help."

Finally, Samantha walked over to Greg's sleeping form. She was going to present him to Dani when she saw something shining in his hand. She opened it up slowly and found Dani's engagement ring. A smirk appeared on her lips as she held it up for Dani to see.

"Before the accident, you were engaged to Greg," she explained. "You were supposed to get married. The wedding was set for March 17th. If you look on the calendar..."

Daniela did just that. She looked down at the calendar on the desk.

"That's tomorrow."

Samantha put the ring back in Greg's hand and closed it up slowly. She turned to Dani.

"If you have to trust anyone in this world, it's those three people," she said. "No matter what, they'll do anything to protect you. They love you, Dani."

"So, what are you?" Dani asked, pointing to the wings.

"I'm technically supposed to be dead," Samantha chuckled. She saw Daniela frowning and smiled, "You'll understand. Just promise me you'll give these guys the chance get close. I know they may seem pushy with trying to get you to remember what you clearly can't... but they love you... we all love you. We only want what's best."

"I guess," Daniela nodded. Samantha smiled brightly.

"Good."


	41. Family Orientation

When morning hit, Dani was sitting at the breakfast table. Samantha was upstairs taking care of Engel while the others slept, leaving Dani to stare at the card in her hands.

Bruce had invited her to a race this afternoon and she really wanted to go. She felt a calling to the race track, even if she wasn't sure what it entitled exactly. She was hoping that once she was there, maybe memories of who she was would come flooding back.

"You're back?" Ziggy asked, surprising Dani as he walked up from behind her and went to the fridge. She jumped in her seat and frowned.

"When you did you get up?"

"Early riser," Ziggy grinned, grabbing the carton of milk. "The question is: when did you get home?"

"Last night," Dani answered. "There was an incident and I learned who my real friends are."

"Well, you made the right choice," Ziggy smiled. He poured the milk into a glass and handed it to Dani. "There's no better family than this one."

"Yeah, I found that out too," Dani nodded. Ziggy looked at her hands and read the little card. He smiled as he pointed to it.

"You're going to see a race?"

Dani nodded, "Yeah. Some dude invited me to check it out."

"Are you going?" Ziggy asked. "Because the Dani I used to know loved cars."

"She did?"

Ziggy nodded and pointed to Flynn, sleeping on the couch with Hayden wrapped in his arms. "She owned a garage with Flynn. Business hasn't been booming yet, but the occasional customer does keep them busy."

"Maybe that's why I want to go," Dani smiled. "If I really am the Dani you all say I am... then I would love this."

"She was actually getting started in racing before the accident," Ziggy told her. "Some hot-shot offered she race for him to promote his track and she did."

"Did she like it?"

"She signed a contract to start a career," Ziggy chuckled, "I hope she liked it."

The former light-green Ranger smiled at his friend, "If you want some friendly advice, go to the track. Maybe you'll remember something, maybe not. But I'm sure it'll do you a world of good."

"Thanks... uh..." Dani paused. She knew she had been told the name of the man standing before her, but she couldn't quite remember."

"Captain Awesome," Ziggy grinned.

"Sure," Dani giggled.

"Even the amnesiac knows you're not awesome, Ziguardo," Dillon chuckled, walking into the kitchen and slapping his friend gently on the back.

"Ziggy!" Dani beamed.

"I would give up," Dillon chuckled.

"Whatever," Ziggy groaned. He turned his attention back to Dani, "So, you taking anyone to the race?"

"I can do that?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure they'll understand if an amnesiac brings a few friends along, especially if you got a special invite."

"I guess."

-----Afterlife-----

Once everyone was awake, and aware that Dani was back home, they all went their own ways inside the garage. Kaylee and most of the team wanted to keep a look-out for Mom and King. Even though Dani was home safe with them, they knew the criminals weren't going to stop until she was dead, or they were back in prison. Samantha had let King go free, so he was still out there.

Dani and Samantha had gone to the track to watch the race. Dani had invited Greg along, hoping he would join seeing as he was her supposed fiancé. However, he declined. It was already hard for him to be around a Dani who didn't know him. He wasn't sure if he would be able to go out on for an afternoon with her.

Instead, he offered to stay at home and watch Engel while Samantha was out. Scott would be too busy helping Hicks locate Mom and King to take care of her. Greg hopped that maybe Engel could distract him for a few hours.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Hayden and Flynn were sitting in the girls' old bedroom on the bed. Hayden had called Flynn up to discuss something rather important.

She took her husband's hand, holding it gently as she looked in his eyes.

"Flynn, you know I love you, right?" she started. Flynn looked down at her, a little surprised.

"This doesn't sound good..."

"No... no," Hayden shook her head quickly, "It's not that."

Flynn breathed a sigh of relief, "Good."

"I've been thinking," Hayden smiled, squeezing her husband's hand, "It's just the two of us."

"I'm fine with that," Flynn nodded.

"Well... I was hoping you would say otherwise," Hayden bit her lower and touched her stomach. Flynn saw this and began coughing loudly, trying to get over the shock.

"No..."

"No," Hayden nodded. "It's not that... well, not yet. I wanted to talk about it."

"Doesn't it just happen?" Flynn frowned, "You know... naturally?"

"Yeah, but it's better to be prepared, right?" Hayden asked. Flynn shrugged.

"I don't know. When the teachers tried to teach me this I put my hands in over my ears and hid my face. I was just a lad! I didn't think I would be involved."

"You're lucky you didn't have my mom," Hayden groaned. "I heard all about this growing up."

"So... what do we need to do?"

"I hope you know the answer to that one, Flynn," Hayden frowned. "But I don't wanna just do it. I wanna make sure it's something we both want."

Flynn moved in closer on the bed, pulling his wife into his arms.

"Of course I want this," he whispered softly, holding her close. "I just... I don't..."

"Do you think we'll be able to handle it?" Hayden asked. "I mean, you saw how busy Sammy was when Engel was first... um... appeared."

"How hard can a baby be?" Flynn frowned, looking down at his wife. "You put them to bed for a few hours, then I hand it to you to feed, then we take turns changing diapers."

Hayden sat up and turned, glaring at her husband, "You really didn't listen in health class, did you?"

"What?" Flynn frowned.

"It's a baby! It's the most complicated thing in the world."

"It's easy with Engel..."

"She's not ours," Hayden frowned. She pulled away, moving down the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Never mind... just... forget it."

"No..." Flynn scooted over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck gently. "Hayden, I want to talk about it. I want to be ready."

"You don't sound like it."

"I was a lad!" Flynn frowned. "A wee lad! No lad wants to hear what happens down there!"

"Flynn, I'm talking eighteen years worth of pay checks! That's 432 of your pay checks that'll go to keeping a roof over junior's head, feeding junior, clothing junior, sending junior to school..."

"I know... I know," Flynn nodded.

"And not just that, but raising a baby is very stressful. They cry, they smell, they puke on your favourite sweater, even when you're not wearing it!"

"But they're so tiny, and precious," Flynn smiled. "Hayden, I know what it means to be a father. I want a baby."

"But are you ready?" Hayden asked. "Because if you say yes, eighteen years starts now."

"I want a baby," Flynn nodded, pulling his wife in closer and kissing her cheek. "I want it all. Sleepless nights, baby barf, mommy barf... I want to see the little Flynn or Hayden get on the school bus for the first time. I want to play catch with my son in our front yard, or wear ridiculous dresses just so I can have tea with my daughter and her various dolls."

"You'll really put on a dress?"

"Only if it's a girl," Flynn warned his wife. "There is no other reason I would wear a dress."

Hayden grinned, pushing Flynn down on the bed and leaning over him.

"And what if your little boy wants you to wear a dress?" she asked. "Would you do it to put a smile on his face?"

"That depends," Flynn frowned, "Would mommy be peaking into the room with a camera?"

"Maybe," Hayden grinned.

"Thinking of me in a dress isn't turning you off?" Flynn asked when he noticed Hayden was now sitting on top of him with a smirk on her face. He knew what that smirk meant and was surprised it was still on her lips through the conversation about a dress. He didn't know fashion, but he was pretty sure he didn't have the body to pull off a dress in any style or colour.

"Kinda," Hayden nodded, "But the thought of you doing anything for a child... our child, kinda cancels it out."

"Really?" Flynn grinned.

"I'm a woman with a passion for family," Hayden shrugged. "Now, are you going to take those off or do I have to do it?"

"What if the others walk in?" Flynn asked, pointing to the door after pulling off his shirt.

"We'll give them amnesia," Hayden smirked, grabbing Flynn's belt and pulling it off. She then kissed Flynn on the chest, moving up until she was looking at his lips. She stopped for a moment and the two locked eyes.

"Works for me," Flynn shrugged, kicking off his pants and throwing the covers over himself and Hayden.

-----Afterlife-----

Dani walked back into the garage after coming home from the track and threw her stuff on the floor. She had come close to having a memory, she could feel it, but nothing was strong enough to break through. It had frustrated her that she was so close, yet so far.

"Dani..." Samantha sighed, reaching out to touch her friend's shoulder, but Dani storm over towards the couches, wanting to be alone.

"Mani!" Engel cried, dropping her building blocks at Greg's feet and running over to her Aunt. She hadn't seen Dani since before the accident and missed her fun Aunt Dani.

Dani stood stunned. She didn't know there was a kid in the house. She knew Samantha had gone upstairs a few times in the night to check up on Engel, but she thought Engel was a pet cat or something.

"Whoa," Greg called, grabbing Engel before she could latch onto Dani. He picked her up and held her in her arms. He picked up a teddy bear from the floor and gave it to niece while he looked at Dani softly.

"How was the race?" he smiled.

Dani couldn't answer. She felt memories building up in her head, trying to break through whatever barrier was holding them back.

"Mani?" Engel asked, holding out the bear for Dani. The red head still didn't respond.

Afraid of what might happen, Greg set Engel down on the couch and picked up a children's handheld game for her.

"Here, sweetheart, play with this while I talk to Aunt Dani, okay?" he told the two year old. Engel was instantly distracted by the new toy as she turned it on.

Greg reached out, touching Dani's arm gently so she wouldn't freak out.

"Dani? Are you okay?" he asked her.

-----

_"Hey, chicken, what's roasting?"_

_"My skin in the sun."_

_"Ouch, you know, sunscreen could help."_

_"I know, Dani." _

_So, think we can talk? Because, you know, our moms are best friends and all, and I'm sure they would love it if we..."_

_"Actually, Dani, I think I'm going to rest in the bus. Can we rain check?"_

_"Um, yeah, sure... I guess so..."_

_----_

_"I spent all day looking over my emotions and feelings and I got nowhere. So, I decided to jump right in, see what would happen."_

_"And?"_

_"I think... I love you."_

_"I love you too."_

_----_

_"Why? Why come back?"_

_"I love you. And no matter how hard you try to protect me, I'll always fight beside you. Until the end. We're a team, that's what we do."_

_"Did you seriously get bad grades in school? Because right now, I think you're the smart one."_

_"Math, science and all those other subjects confused me. How was I to know pi wasn't a dessert?"_

_"I love you, Dani. Don't ever change."_

----

_"You bought this necklace for me ten years after my disappearance and waited many more for the day I returned. When you gave it to me, I made you a promise. You didn't want to lose me again. I promised you that one way or another, we would get married. I gave you two years to find the courage to propose, Gregory Hartford. You haven't done that yet!"_

_"I'm sorry. But in my defence..."_

_"Will you marry me?"_

_"What do you think the answer to that is? I mean, I was the one with the magazine?"_

_"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"_

_"How is it you get to pop the question and answer it?"_

_"I'm just that awesome."_

_"I've always known that. Don't ever change. I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

_----_

"March 17th," Dani whispered. "March 17th, 2010. You and I... we were supposed to get married."

Greg frowned, holding onto Dani tight. She was speaking again, but she was looking into the distance, as if in a trance.

"Dani? Are you okay?"

"We were making plans, Heather and I... Bruce was over... Flynn needed help at the garage... I got in the car..."

"Dani..." Greg said a little louder this time catching the attention of his friends working in various places around the garage.

Dani's eyes finally returned to normal as she looked at Greg with a smile.

"I love you," she whispered before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell back. Greg caught onto her, holding her in his arms as she others rushed over. Samantha took Engel off the couch, leaving room for Greg to place Dani down.

"What happened?" Summer asked, rushing over to the couch and touching her cousin's forehead. She looked up at Greg, asking again, "Greg, what happened?"

"She remembers," he smiled, kissing Dani's hand.


	42. Wedding

"That worked," Hayden said breathlessly, grabbing her shirt off the floor and sliding it on.

"You think?" Flynn asked her, wrapping the sheets around his waist. "Did it really work?"

"I meant us having sex with no one knowing," Hayden smiled. "I'll have to wait a little while before I know for sure."

"How long?" Flynn asked.

"When it happens," Hayden grabbed his pants off the floor and tossed them to him, "Now get dressed. I hear the others downstairs."

Flynn did as he was told, sliding on his pants then his shirt while Hayden went to fix up her hair. Last thing she needed was for her mom, older sister and cousins to find out what she had been doing up here. It wasn't that they were going to disapprove, but more to keep private things private.

"You look fine," Flynn told her as he went for the door. "The others won't know."

"My mom's got a sixth sense for babies."

"That'll be good news, then," Flynn smiled. He walked over to the mirror and wrapped his arms around his wife's stomach. "Wasn't that the point?"

Hayden turned around in his arms, kissing him, "You're right."

"C'mon," Flynn smiled, pulling her to the door, "Before they really do get suspicious."

The couple walked out of the room and approached the railing to check out what was going on downstairs, hoping they weren't going to have to sneak around. They looked down and saw Dani was lying on the couch, with everyone huddled around her. The two exchanged looks before running down.

"What's going on?" Hayden asked, pushing her way into the middle of the group.

"Dani remembers," Greg smiled as he glanced up for a moment.

"Why is she passed out?"

"Memory overload, I guess," he shrugged.

Suddenly, Dani bolted up, "I'm late!" she cried out, hopping off the couch. Greg grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back.

"Late for what?" he asked.

"I still have a wedding to plan!" she said. "Where's Heather? There's still a million things to do!"

"Dani, it's okay," Greg smiled, pushing her back onto the couch gently, "We can postpone the wedding until its ready."

Dani shook her head, launching herself into Greg's arms, "I want to do it now. I was to marry you and be with you forever."

"We'll have time for that."

Dani slapped Greg in the shoulder and pulled away from him. He sighed.

"Do you really want to do this?" he brushed her hair behind her ears, looking into her eyes softly. "Are you sure you're ready for this."

"I've been ready for two years," Dani nodded. "I want to do this now before anything else happens."

"I'll call your families," Kaylee grinned. "I don't see why we can't have it now."

"I don't have a dress!" Dani cried out. "I don't... we can't do this!"

"We don't have to," Greg chuckled.

"But I want to."

Kaylee giggled, grabbing Dani gently and pulling her up, "She's definitely the bride," she said. She pointed to the door, "Boys..."

"On it," Flynn and Scott smirked, grabbing Greg and pulling him away from Dani.

"Where are we going?" Greg asked.

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding," Scott told his friend. Greg nodded as the other guys gathered around him to take him to another place.

On the way out, Dillon tapped Flynn on the shoulder and gave him a knowing smirk. Flynn turned to the black Ranger curiously.

"What?"

Dillon raised his hand in the air, waiting for Flynn to high-five. The blue Ranger did so, out of pure confusion.

"I still don't..."

"Summer and I were thinking the same thing," Dillon smirked. "Looks like you beat us to the punch."

Still in the garage, Daniela was panicking. She wanted the wedding to take place that evening, but she knew she wasn't ready.

"You're an oddball," Summer chuckled, holding her cousin's arm, slightly afraid Dani was pushing herself to hard.

"Duh," Dani giggled. "Where's my maid of honour?"

"On her way," Kaylee smiled, hanging up the phone. "Though I can imagine your mother will..."

Dani disappeared suddenly behind a yellow streak as Ronny bolted into the garage.

"... be here shortly."

Ronny pulled out from the hug and smiled at her daughter, still holding her close.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, mom," Dani chuckled. "Might be having a heart attack, but I'm perfectly fine!"

"Sorry," Ronny smiled.

"Dani!" Hayden called after running upstairs unnoticed by the rest of the girls. "You said you needed a dress?"

"Yes, why?" Dani asked, looking up at her cousin. Hayden hung three dresses from the railing from her own wedding, Summer's wedding and Samantha's.

"We don't have time to go out and choose one, believe me," Hayden grinned, "And seeing as we already have three, would you mind hand-me-down?"

"A hand-me-down dress?" Dani frowned. It wasn't ideal for her wedding day, but she understood that picking out a dress was very time consuming. However, she did like her cousin's wedding dresses, and for every wedding she attended, she always pictured herself in the bride's dress, waiting for the day Greg would ask her to marry him.

"We can tailor it a bit," Samantha smiled, "So it fits and it doesn't look exactly the same."

Dani nodded and smiled. It was a good thing she wasn't a picky bride, or she would have been throwing a fit right now. All she really wanted was to say 'I do' and be married to the love of her life. It didn't matter if the dress was designer, hand-me-down or non-existent (though going in the nude was not an option).

She pointed to the dress in the middle, favouring it over the others. It was simple and though it was a little big for her, she trusted Samantha would do a great job at fixing it up.

"Summer's," she said.

"Yeah, ruin my wedding dress," Summer laughed. She held her arms out for Hayden to drop the dress down. Summer caught it and held it up to Dani. Samantha walked over, examining the girl.

"Oh, I can do this," she smirked. "C'mon, Nascar, this won't take long."

"And on wedding days, that translates into forever," Hayden called from the top of the stairs as her sister and cousin ran into the laundry room to get the dress to fit.

Heather, David, Rose and Lily ran in at that moment. Summer pointed to the laundry room so Heather could go do her duties as maid of honour, while the rest of the women got the garage ready for a quick wedding.

"We need dresses!" Hayden called.

"We all have our bridesmaid dresses from the other weddings," Summer told her.

"They don't match."

"Will Dani really care?"

"No... oh!" Ronny called out, grabbing the old RPM leather jackets. She handed them to Summer and Hayden, and then turned to Rebecca.

Rebecca was also a bridesmaid in the wedding. Because she was Greg's best friend, Dani thought it would be nice to include her. However, she didn't have a leather RPM jacket like Hayden and Summer did.

"This will not be easy," Ronny groaned.

"I got this!" Lily smiled. She looked over at Kaylee with a malicious smirk. "Give me your mentor jacket."

"What?" Kaylee frowned, tossing her old jacket to Lily. The former yellow grabbed the patch on the back of the jacket and ripped it off.

"HEY!" Kaylee called, running over to Lily. The cheetah pushed her friend away.

"Trust me; I'll fix it up after the wedding."

-----Afterlife-----

"Choking! Choking!" Greg gasped as Gem tried fixing up his bow-tie.

"I'm doing the best I can," Gem frowned. "This is all too fast."

"Dani always liked fast," Greg shrugged.

Gemma walked over to her brother, pushing him out of the way and grabbing Greg's bow. "I got this, Gem. You go check up on the rings."

"You have the rings?" Greg frowned.

"Of course we have the rings," Gemma nodded. "Your best man is half woman."

"Right."

"I can't believe we're pulling this off," Gem giggled as he took the rings out of their box and placed them in a small bag. "This is so awesome! It's a speed wedding!"

"There's my new cousin!" Bruce called, leading a pack of men into the Hartford estate, where the men (and Gemma) of the party were getting ready. The four men behind Bruce glared at Greg, but Bruce held them back. "Whoa, guys. It's good. He's good."

"Thanks, Bruce," Greg smiled.

"You know, everything that happened before the accident, with you and me," Bruce started as he grabbed a chair, "You did good."

"I thought you hated me."

"Naw," Bruce laughed, waving his hand, "I like you, Greg. You seem like an awesome guy."

Greg smiled, "Thank you. You know I would never do anything to hurt Dani."

"I know that," Bruce nodded, "I just needed to make sure. She is the baby of our family. But if you can stand up to me, then..."

Bruce stood up and offered his hand to Greg, "Welcome to the family."

Greg took his hand with a wide smile, "I'll make you proud."

Bruce ruffled Greg's hair, "Make her proud, bro. That's all I ask."

"The girls just called!" Mack said, poking his head inside the room before seeing his son all dressed up, ready to get married. "They said it should be a few hours and they'll call again when the room is set up."

"Thanks dad," Greg nodded.

Mack looked around the room, "Hey, uh, guys. Do you mind if I have a moment with my son before his big night?"

"No problem," Gem and Gemma nodded, leading the pack to another one of the rooms so the two Hartford men could talk.

Mack offered his son a chair as he sat down.

"I'm proud of you, son," he smiled.

"Thanks dad."

"You know..." Mack started, holding back the tears in his eyes, "I remember when you left for school..."

"Alphabet Soup?"

"Your mother and I thought it was the best thing to ever happen to you," Mack continued. "We were stupid..."

"You didn't know," Greg assured his father. "And look! I turned out fine! I'm getting married!"

"I know," Mack nodded. He pulled his son into a hug, "I'm so proud of you."

When the hug ended, Mack pulled away and wiped his eyes, "You know, your mother will be crying at the wedding."

"Like you are now?" Greg teased.

"These are man-tears," Mack chuckled, giving his son a light punch on the arm. "It's not crying."

Greg nodded, "I love you, dad."

"I love you too."

-----Afterlife-----

"Okay, sweetie," Samantha smiled, kneeling before her daughter and handing her a bouquet. "I want you to hold onto this tight, okay, and follow Christian to your seat."

"Pretty!" Engel giggled, smelling the flowers. Samantha nodded, getting back up to her feet and touching up Engel's hair. She looked at her little brother and fixed up his suit.

"It's itchy."

"You think this dress is comfy?" she laughed. "Deal with it. On your wedding I'll buy you a comfortable tuxedo."

"Why doesn't Karly need a suit?" Christian asked, pointing to the cat that was sneaking her way over to the caterer's van.

"Heather!" Samantha called to the maid of honour as she pointed to the cat, "Save the dinner from fancy cat!"

She turned to her little brother, "Karly's a tuxedo cat. She's already dressed for the occasion."

Heather walked over to the group in the room, holding Karly in her hands. "Okay, everyone's already in their seats and Greg is waiting for Dani at the end of the aisle. The music's going to start playing soon and we need to be in line."

Scott came over, taking Samantha by the arm as they took their position between Summer and Ziggy, and Hayden and Flynn.

Gem and Gemma ran into the room, out of breath. They spotted Dani and rushed over to her.

"Everything's ready!" Gem told her.

"You look so pretty!" Gemma smiled, hugging her friend.

Dani was beaming, "Thanks guys."

"How are you feeling?" the twins both asked.

"Still recovering," Dani nodded. "But I know this is what I want. I don't want to have it postpone any longer."

"Sounds fair," Gem smiled, "We'll just go find our..."

"Right here," Heather called. The twins turned to the brunette, lacing their arms with hers as they took their position.

David opened the doors to the garage slightly as he snuck in, "C'mon, guys! Go, go, go!" he called, kicking off the wedding.

While the others were walking down the aisle, he found his daughter, the bride, and kissed her on the cheek.

"You look beautiful," she smiled. Dani was blushing as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks, dad."

"When this wedding is done, I want you to come over," David told her. "I know it's supposed to be the honeymoon, but with that head injury of yours I don't want to take any chances."

"I'm sure Greg's on that same boat," Dani nodded. "We didn't even have a wedding planned, dad. What makes you think we would be ready for a honeymoon?"

David smirked knowingly as he took his daughter's arm. The music started to play gently.

"Christian, Engel," David whispered, "Walk slowly."

Christian held the rings up on the pillow and walked down the aisle, holding Engel's hand gently to make sure she knew what to do. He made his way slowly towards his mother, who was standing at the front of the garage beside Greg. He was very nervous as he walked down, seeing all eyes were on him and Engel. Engel must have felt the same way, because as soon as she saw her mother she bolted.

"Mommy!" she cried, running into her mother's arms. All the guests laughed, until Dani and David walked down.

Greg caught sight of his bride and couldn't take his eyes off her the whole time she was approaching him. She still had some scars from her accident, but she couldn't look any better than at this very moment.

Before he knew it, Dani was standing right beside him, and Kaylee was waiting for his attention to begin.

"You two are adorable!" Kaylee cooed, pinching Greg and Dani's cheeks.

"Aunt Kaylee!" they both groaned.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Kaylee giggled, "Now where were we?"

"Right at the st-"

"Right here," Dani smiled, pulling Greg in for a kiss. The whole Garage erupted into cheers except for Kaylee. She opened her palm and looked down at her "cheat-sheet"

"Wait a minute!" she called, breaking the two apart, "The vows come first!"

"I do," both Dani and Greg chuckled before kissing again. Kaylee rolled her eyes and let it happen naturally. After all, this wedding was already out of the ordinary.

"Backwards, then," she smiled. "Great."

She looked at her niece and nephew with a huge grin, then out to the crowd, where their families were crying tears of joy. Even Dani's strong male cousins were wiping their eyes.

"Congrats," she whispered to the two as Heather and the Boom-twins stepped forward to give the rings.


	43. Income

Flynn was in shock. He couldn't believe the results that were printed on the documents before him. Never had he imagined this would happen to him.

"Flynn, are you okay?" a distant voice asked him, touching his shoulder. Flynn tried to say something, but he couldn't figure out how to put sounds together to make words. He felt himself being pushed down into a chair as a hand touched his thigh.

"Flynn, you have to say something. You're scaring me."

"I... I..."

"This isn't going to be easy but, remember, we talked about this..."

"I didn't think it would happen..."

Flynn gazed up at Dani as he slammed the papers down on the table, "We're in debt."

"No..." Dani shook her head, "We're not in debt. We're still earning money."

"Aye, my last check had a full dollar!"

"You got a dollar?" Dani gasped. "You lucky son of a bitch!"

"How did this happen?" Flynn frowned, looking back at the papers.

"The garage has been closed for days, Flynn," Dani reminded him while pointing to her head, "Remember, I couldn't!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got that!" Flynn nodded, "But we had that big job..."

"In January," Dani finished for Flynn as she pulled out a clipboard. "Our last big job was in January."

"But we've had a few little jobs."

"Yeah, change the oil, or selling spare tires or... ohh! There was that time when we sold doughnuts!"

"We _bought_ doughnuts, Dani, remember?"

Dani shook her head, "Not really, everything's still a little fuzzy up here, but dad says..."

"This isn't funny, Dani!" Flynn shouted, rising to his feet and throwing the papers to the ground. "We're not making money."

"We're making $1.98!" Dani shrugged. "We're still trying to get this off the ground. We just hit a bump because we've been blowing off work!"

"I can't afford a bump right now," Flynn groaned.

"You and Hayden are making enough money to support yourselves," Dani said. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"We're not making money," Flynn groaned, "Its money her parents and my dad gave us as wedding gifts."

"How much do you have?"

"Not enough," Flynn sighed.

"Everything's going to be fine," Dani assured her friend as she knelt down to collect the papers. "Now that everything's settled we can keep the garage open longer! Once customers see that we're not blowing off work for family matters, they'll bring their cars down for repairs! And I'm starting my racing career! When I win my first tournament business will be booming!"

"We can't do that," Flynn groaned.

"Why not?" Dani asked. "It seems like a good plan to me."

"I can't run this place on my own. That's why we closed when you had your head thing."

"Injury?"

"Whatever," Flynn nodded.

"You won't be alone," Dani said. "I promise I'll help out! I won't leave you with all the work this time."

Flynn dropped back in his chair, "You can't promise that."

"Of course I can."

"No..." Flynn shook his head before looking up at the red head, "Can you keep a secret?"

Dani nodded, "Yep!"

"Can you keep two?"

"Yep!"

"Can you act?"

"I... uh, what does..."

Flynn grabbed Dani by the arms and sat her down on the counter. He looked around the garage for a moment before turning back to her.

"Two weeks ago you and Greg got married," Flynn stated. Dani frowned.

"That's not secret," she said, holding up her left hand. "It was fast, but it wasn't secret."

"What do couples usually do after the wedding?"

"Honeymoon?"

"What did you and Greg do?"

"Go to the doctor's."

Flynn nodded, "Exactly."

Dani tilted her head and furrowed her brow as Flynn went to the front door of the garage and looked outside.

"I don't get it."

Dani hopped off the counter and ran over to Flynn. She grabbed his arm and spun him around. "No playing with my head. What the hell are you trying to say?"

"Have yours or Greg's parents given you a wedding gift yet?"

"No..."

"Have a great honeymoon, Nascar," Flynn groaned, saluting his friend. "What do you think they've been planning?"

"We're going on a honeymoon?"

"Scott and the Eagle Squad discovered an oasis not too far from the border of Corinth City. Rose, Mack and your parents have been setting up a nice little place at the oasis for you and Greg to spend a week. You'll be alone in the most beautiful place known to man... literally."

"Aw, that's so nice!" Dani beamed until she realised she would be leaving Flynn alone to restore the Garage's reputation. She and Greg had been invited to dinner at the Hartford's, and her parents were going to be there. It was obvious that tonight they were going to tell her and Greg about the honeymoon, and they would be leaving soon afterwards.

Dani sighed deeply, "Well, once I get back we can open up for good. No distractions."

"I need the money to start _now_, Dani," Flynn said.

"Why?"

"You can't tell a soul!"

"Flynn, are you buying drugs?"

"Hayden might be pregnant!"

"Oh..." Dani breathed and the room suddenly fell silent. "I was far off."

"A little," Flynn nodded. "Dani, you can't tell anyone. Not even Greg."

Dani nodded, pretending to lock her lips then locking her head, "He won't find out."

"Good."

"So when did this happen?" Dani asked excitedly. "I want details. Well, not details but... you know."

"The day of your wedding," Flynn said. "Well, the morning before."

"Ew... and you just ruined my wedding day for me," Dani frowned.

"Hayden and I talked about having a baby and decided we were both ready for it. I thought the garage would be making a little more money than this. If I don't come up with something soon, there'll be no way I can support a family."

"Calm down," Dani told him, "It's going to be okay. Is Hayden pregnant for sure?"

"She's at the doctor's now."

"Maybe she's not pregnant. It doesn't work every time. Maybe your little swimmers just aren't that fast."

Flynn glared at Dani, "That's insulting."

"Sorry, but you seem distressed. I'm just trying to hope for the best."

"I want a baby," Flynn said. "But after seeing this check..."

"You just worry about your wife," Dani smiled, "In nine months us girls will throw Hayden a baby shower. We'll be buying you guys a lot of the essentials then! You'll be fine."

Flynn picked up a wrench and started playing with it mindlessly, "What if the garage doesn't pick up?" he asked.

"How about you go home?" Dani suggested, "Go find out if you are a father to be or not, then we'll take care of it. I'm sure once the others hear they'll..."

Flynn shook his head, "You can't tell a soul. I'll figure this out!"

"You go home," Dani insisted, pushing her friend to the door. "I'll man the shop for today."

Flynn looked around the room and sighed. Dani wasn't going to have a hard time working on her own for the day. They had yet to see another person walk into the garage. Even Braveheart, who was curled up in a corner was staring at the door, bored out of his mind.

-----Afterlife-----

Flynn walked into the door of his home, finding Hayden's shoes were kicked to the side, meaning she was already home. He hung up his jacket and walked into the kitchen.

"Hayden?" he called, looking around for her.

"Upstairs!" Hayden's voice rang. Flynn followed the sound to the spare bedroom and found Hayden staring at the wall.

"Have you lost it, lass?" he asked her, coming over and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I want to get started," she smiled.

"Started on...?"

"The nursery," Hayden turned around, shining a bright smile to her husband, "I have some news."

"We've run into money?" Flynn whispered, but Hayden heard him. She frowned deeply.

"No, I'm pregnant!" Hayden's frown disappeared and a smile appeared on her face as her excitement started to bubble. "We're going to be parents!"

"Yay," Flynn cheered, but his voice lacked the enthusiasm Hayden was expecting. She looked up at her husband before smacking him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "Are you deaf? We're having a baby!"

"No, no, I know," Flynn nodded. He squeezed his wife gently before reaching to his pocket, pulling out his pay check, "It's actually... this."

He handed the paper to Hayden to see.

"Flynn, is this a joke?" Hayden asked, shaking the check to see if some zeroes would start appearing. "What's this?"

"Our spending money for the month," Flynn said. "You know when I told you Dani and I would be opening a garage."

"Yes..."

"Things just don't take off overnight," he told her. "Sometimes it takes a while before business starts picking up."

"You're the only garage in Corinth," Hayden frowned. "How can you only be making a dollar?"

"Well with taxes and equipment purchases and that deadweight business partner stealing half..."

"Flynn..."

"The garage is running into trouble, Hayden. Dani and I close early pretty much every day because of some kind of emergency. We're not loyal to our business hours and that causes a lot of people to lose trust in us as serious businessmen."

"You're not businessmen," Hayden told him, "You're mechanics."

"Well, whatever we are, we're not making money," Flynn sighed.

"Maybe if you get some help around the shop," Hayden offered, "Ask your dad if he can come out of retirement..."

"I can't do that," Flynn frowned. "We can't afford another employee."

"Well, I can ask my parents for money," Hayden said. "Mom's still got royalties coming in and she gets paid a fortune for running the city."

"No, it's okay..." Flynn sighed. "I'll figure this out."

"Flynn, I'm sure it's no problem."

"I don't want to ask your parents for money..."

"We're having a baby," Hayden told him, "We need to be ready. We need money."

"I'll figure this out," Flynn said. "I don't want to borrow any money!"

"Then what are we going to do?" Hayden asked. "Obviously this is something we can't just ignore!"

"I'll take up another job, Hayden."

"But don't you need to be at the garage."

"I'll work nights."

"I want you at home."

"It'll just be until the garage starts earning some real money again," Flynn said. He touched Hayden's stomach and smiled. "I'll take care of you and the baby. I promise. You just need to worry about morning sickness."

"The doctor gave me medicine for that," Hayden said, pointing to the bag lying by the door.

"Good," Flynn nodded. He kissed his wife, "I'll take care of this."

"If you say so," Hayden sighed. "Now, can we do a happy dance? You kinda bummed me out about this pregnancy."

Flynn chuckled before wrapping his arms around his wife and spinning her around. When he set her down, he kissed her passionately.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Hayden smiled.

"You and baby will have a good life," Flynn said, "I promise."


	44. Financial Woes

Flynn was just finished setting the table for dinner when the phone rang. Thinking it would be Kaylee or Dustin to call and ask if they needed to bring anything, he jumped for the phone and picked it up before Hayden could get to it.

"Hello?"

"_So?"_

"Dani? Is that you?"

"_Yeah. Greg and I are on our way to his parent's house."_

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"_Of course not. So, did you talk to Hayden?"_

Flynn chuckled. He knew what Dani was referring to and couldn't help but smile, "Of course."

"_And?"_

"If I tell you she'll kill me."

"_You suck," _Flynn could already hear Dani's excitement had completely faded away.

"I've already spoiled too much of your life," Flynn said. "We'll talk to you and the others later, though. Have fun at dinner."

Flynn hung up the phone just as the doorbell rang. He could hear Hayden going for it and ran to cut her off.

"Whatever you do, don't tell them about our financial troubles," he told her. "I can handle it."

"Flynn, they're my parents," Hayden frowned. "They have to know."

"You're a grown woman, Hay. We're in this together. You're parents aren't a part of us."

"But we might need help."

"We won't," Flynn assured her. "I promise. I'll figure this out."

"I know..." Hayden nodded before going to the door. She put on a wide smile as she opened it, letting her parents inside. Flynn took the jackets while Hayden welcomed her parents with big hugs. Flynn was thankful she was acting so naturally. Given the fact that Hayden and her mother were so close, if Hayden's mood was a little down due to her knowledge of the financial difficulties, Kaylee would suspect it right away.

That was the reason Flynn choose not to invite his father for dinner today. Like Hayden was close to her mother, he was very close with his father. He didn't know if he could act natural around his father if questions about raising a baby came up, and decided it was best to tell him when he could put on a happier face. He didn't want anyone giving him money out of pity.

"So, what's the occasion?" Dustin asked, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "You've never had us over for dinner."

"We haven't been here long," Flynn chuckled, putting on a mask. Hopefully Kaylee and Dustin wouldn't be able to read him tonight.

"You've had your sister over," Kaylee pouted, looking at Hayden.

"And we've eaten hamburgers and hotdogs cooked over the fire pit," Hayden chuckled. "It's Engel's favourite because after we get marshmallows and she gets all sticky. It's so cute!"

Flynn smiled as his wife got excited about her niece and wrapped his arms around her. He could tell she was already imagining herself with their son or daughter, having the time of their life in the backyard roasting hot-dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit. It didn't take him long before he too could see it in his head.

"Whoa, hello?" Dustin called, waving his hand in front of the couple's face, "We're not having dinner alone, are we?"

Hayden and Flynn snapped back to reality and shook their heads, "Sorry."

-----Afterlife-----

After the meal, Hayden got up to get the dessert from the fridge, leaving her parents with Flynn. She grabbed the cake and placed it on the counter before putting on the decorations. She made sure everything was in its right place before cutting it up and putting it on four different plates. She carried the plates out and served herself and Flynn first. Normally she would have served her guests before herself or her husband, but given the circumstance, Hayden wanted to be ready for when her parents got their dessert. She set their plates down before them quickly and looked to her husband and they looked down at their plate.

Dustin grabbed his fork before he read the little message Hayden wrote on his cake. He looked up at his daughter and frowned, "Hay, why does my cake say grandpa? Did the baker mess up again?"

"No, I made the cake," Hayden smiled. She stood behind her mother as Kaylee read what was on her cake.

"I'm not that old!" Kaylee frowned, shoving the cake away before it sunk in. She jumped out from her seat and grabbed her daughter in a hug. Dustin realised what Hayden and Flynn were trying to say not long after and got up as well, giving his son in-law a hug as well.

"Congrats, guys!" he smiled. "I didn't know you wanted kids so soon."

"We discussed it and we think we're ready," Flynn nodded.

"When are you due?" Kaylee asked, looking at her daughter's stomach. Obviously Hayden wasn't showing yet, but just the thought of life growing inside her baby girl kept a wide smile on her face.

"Early December," Hayden said, beaming with joy. "The doctor said I should have the baby before Christmas at the latest."

Kaylee turned to Dustin and squealed happily. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"We're going to be grandparents!" he cheered, "Real grandparents!"

Kaylee nodded furiously as she started to bounce up and down. "I love Engel, I really do, but it's hard to consider myself the grandmother of the child who raised my first daughter."

"Well, a toast!" Flynn called, raising a glass of wine. Kaylee and Dustin did the same, while Hayden grabbed her glass of grape juice. Not only was she pregnant, but she was also under the drinking age. Wine wasn't an option for her yet. "To family!"

"And new beginnings!" Dustin nodded. "Congratulations, kids, welcome to parenthood!"

After dessert, Dustin and Kaylee offered to do the dishes for the future parents. Hayden and Flynn were in the dining room while Dustin was at the sink and Kaylee was wiping the counters. Her hands were wet, so she was trying to avoid touching the papers that had been left on the side.

"Why do I need to clean the dishes?" Dustin asked. "This is the hard job!"

"Dustin, when you wipe the counters you move the dirt around," Kaylee chuckled, pinching the papers between her thumb and index fingers as she cleaned the counter underneath.

"I'm an earth ninja," Dustin chuckled, putting a pan in the other sink to let it dry. "It's what I've been trained to do."

Kaylee smiled at her husband as she went to put the papers down. She tried to flap them so they wouldn't bend, but a smaller paper flew out from the pile and landed on the other side of the counter.

"Good job, babe," Dustin laughed as he finished the dishes.

Kaylee rolled her eyes and rounded the counter to pick up the paper she dropped when she noticed what was written on it. She frowned as she got back up and looked at Dustin.

"This is Flynn's pay check," she said.

"Are you snooping?" Dustin asked his wife as he leaned against the counter. He frowned slightly, "Kaylee, I know she's your baby girl, but you have to trust that she and Flynn will be..."

Kaylee put the pay check on the counter and looked up at Dustin. He read it and his jaw dropped.

"What's this?"

"A dollar," Kaylee said.

"How is Flynn only making a dollar? He works, doesn't he?"

"Well, the garage only opened up recently after that rat thing..." Kaylee frowned, "then it had to close again because Dani had amnesia..."

"So, they're expecting, and this is all Flynn can bring home?" Dustin asked. "By the time you were pregnant with Hayden I was getting a decent salary from the Academy, and you were making a fortune from your record sales! We were loaded."

Kaylee nodded and pulled out a handheld computer from her belt. She pulled up the calculator on the screen and pressed a few buttons.

"What are you doing?" Dustin asked.

"Remember the wedding money we gave the kids?" Kaylee asked. "With Flynn's Dad we gave the two about $50, 000 to get started."

"Most of that went to this house, didn't it?" Dustin asked. Kaylee nodded.

"They don't have much of it left."

Dustin sighed, dropping his head slightly, "Oh boy."

"If they want a baby, they're going to have to start bringing in the cash," Kaylee stated. She walked into the hall and looked into the dining room, where it looked like Flynn and Hayden were having a serious talk. Dustin came up behind her.

"There's no way he'll take it," Dustin said.

"What are you talking about?"

"The money you're thinking of loaning them. There's no way Flynn will take it."

"What makes you say that?" Kaylee asked, looking up at her husband. Dustin pointed to the blue Ranger.

"He's a man, with pride! It's his job to bring home the money and take care of his family."

"So?"

"It's a guy thing," Dustin explained. "It's humiliating to accept money from other people. If he can earn it, he needs to do it."

"You didn't earn the big bucks though."

"But I took care of my family," Dustin smiled. "And it took me a while before I was really comfortable with the stay-at-home dad deal. Flynn's not the kinda guy who's going to sit back and let his now pregnant wife go to work and earn all the money while he wallows in self-pity."

"I can't just let them struggle though," Kaylee sighed. "We have to help them somehow."

"The best thing we can do is support them," Dustin said. "And I don't mean financially. If they're going to be parents, they'll have to learn to get themselves out of these situations."

"But... I want to help," Kaylee pouted as she looked up at her husband. "It's a mom thing."

Dustin shook his head, but Kaylee didn't take her gaze off him. Before long, her pout turned into a puppy face, the same puppy face Dustin could never resist.

He sighed deeply, "You're not going to sleep until you do _something_, are you?" he asked.

Kaylee shook her head, but kept her puppy face in hope Dustin would give in.

"Fine!" he groaned, throwing his hands up, "We'll talk with them."

"Yay!" Kaylee cheered.

"We'll bring this up casually. How about tomorrow you take Flynn out for lunch and subtly slip in a question about the garage. I'll pop by the house while he's at work to check up on Hayden and pretend to be worried."

"You're not worried?"

"I am," Dustin nodded, "I meant worried about the baby. I'll pretend to the overly paranoid father of the expectant mother."

Kaylee grinned and turned back to face the living room. Before she could head over to Hayden and Flynn, Dustin wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back.

"Kayl, promise you won't get too involved?" he asked. "They aren't kids anymore."

"But... it's my baby... carrying my grandbaby..."

"Kayl..."

"This goes against every mothering instinct I've developed over the years," Kaylee sulked. Dustin smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"They'll be fine."


	45. At the Garage

The following morning Dani clocked into work, swiping her card through the punch clock before meeting Flynn in the front room. He was sitting by the front counter, bored out of his mind as he waited for someone to walk into the garage and pay him to do something. With a baby on the way, he needed money, desperately.

He was surprised when Dani walked into work. By now she should have been off on her honeymoon with Greg. He looked up at her as she sat next to him, setting down some papers before him and smiling.

"Shouldn't you be halfway to Oasis by now?" he asked. "I imagined you and Greg would have taken off after learning about the honeymoon."

"I was," Dani smirked, "But I know your problems. I couldn't just leave you to work here on your own. If people walk in and see it's just you, they might walk away."

"I can handle it," Flynn replied. He didn't bother look down at the papers Dani had given him. They were more likely just bills. "A lot of mechanics do jobs on their own."

"Yes, but they take one job at a time," Dani nodded. "You, on the other hand, are going to need a lot of work to get the money back in your pocket."

"Dani, just go on your honeymoon. This isn't your problem."

"I am going," Dani nodded, "This afternoon. Greg's at home doing all the packing for the both of us while I'm here."

Flynn pointed to the emptiness of the garage, "We're losing money by you being here," he said. "Go home, Dan. Go on vacation. Have a good time."

"But... I got you a job," Dani smiled, pointing to the papers. Flynn looked down and his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

"It's a job from your cousins," he said.

"Yeah, I have a race coming up when I get back from the honeymoon and I need the car to be ready. Jameson is unloading it in the back as we speak. You can go check it out. I'll do all the paperwork for you."

Flynn smiled as he hugged his friend. "Thank you, Dani. I totally owe you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dani nodded, putting on her baseball cap as she grabbed the forms from the desk and a pen to fill them out. She went to the back of the garage, staying out of sight to keep any customers (if by miracle they walked in) from distracting her.

Flynn waited for her to leave before running to the back, where Dani's cousin Jameson had parked the car. He had about a week to finish preparing it for the big race. It gave him plenty of time to work on the car, as well as take on another job if one happened to show up.

Jameson greeted Flynn with a nod before the two men shook hands. He ran Flynn through the list of everything that needed to be checked and tuned up on the car to be sure that Dani would be safe while driving at such high speeds. He was almost through it when the bell on the counter rang.

Flynn excused himself and ran for the customer waiting. He saw Dani was doing the same. Obviously she didn't want them to get away either. She may not have been as stressed out about money as Flynn, but she did need it to a certain degree.

"Hi, how may I help you," both mechanics greeted, stopping just short of hitting the counter as they looked up, Dani gasped immediately, pulling behind Flynn when she saw the faces of the customers.

At first, Flynn couldn't understand why Dani seemed fearful, but when the two customers reached into their jackets and pulled out guns, he could only assume why. He put himself in front of Dani protectively and glared at the couple.

"Get out of my garage," he said.

The big man chuckled, poking Flynn in the chest, "We'll leave when we have the girl."

Dani stood on her tip-toes and whispered into Flynn's ear, "It's King and Mom. They're the ones who want to kill me."

"I can see that," Flynn nodded towards the backdoor, "Jameson's back there waiting."

Dani quickly turned to run, until she heard a gun click. Her body froze up as she turned back to Mom and King. The gun was pointed at her with the safety turned off. Mom was ready to shot, and Dani knew the woman well enough to know that if given the chance, Mom would take the shot.

Again, Flynn moved so he was positioned between the gun and Dani. Mom frowned.

"Move," she instructed, "I don't want to kill you."

"Good," Flynn said, "Than I have nothing to worry about."

"She doesn't want to kill you, little man," King chuckled, "but that doesn't mean she won't do it."

Flynn smirked, "I'm not scared."

"Flynn, don't tempt them," Dani warned him. "They're evil, conniving and vicious people. They want me dead because they think _I_ made prison a living hell."

King hopped up on the counter and pointed his gun down on Dani, aiming just over Flynn's head, "What were you saying, Red?"

Dani shrunk away, "Nothing..."

Flynn stuck his hands in his jacket pocket and stepped closer to Dani. Over his shoulder he whispered: "Braveheart's sleeping in the backroom. On my go, we run and let him loose."

"He's a puppy."

"Trust me," Flynn smirked. "Ready?"

"No..."

"Set?"

"No..."

"GO!" Flynn yelled, pushing Dani to run as he took off towards the back door. Both Mom and King shot at them, but the bullets just missed. Dani ducked behind the counter, covering her ears while Flynn opened the back door.

Braveheart had heard the guns going off and was already awake from his nap. When the door opened he bolted out of the back room, barking loudly as he jumped on Mom and bit her arm.

"AH!" Mom screamed, dropping her gun to fight off Braveheart.

King hopped off the counter and landed in front of Dani. The former silver Ranger reacted the only way she knew how. She kicked her legs out, hitting King in the shin as he dropped to the ground, holding his leg. Dani got to her feet and ran again for the backdoor.

King growled loudly as he held up his gun with one hand and shot in Dani's direction. The bullet didn't hit her, but hit the door just before she went to open it. Dani stopped in her tracks and turned around.

King got back up, limping slightly as he approached Dani, keeping the gun levelled at her head. Dani shut her eyes, waiting for death until she heard a loud grunt.

She opened her eyes again and saw Flynn, shaking his hand as King stumbled over, holding his eye. The bigger man glared at the former blue Ranger with hate.

"You're messing with the wrong man, little guy," King said, pointing the gun at Flynn. "Any final words?"

"Meet my mother in-law," Flynn smirked as the doors to the garage swung open and several men dressed in military uniform flooded the room, holding up guns. Half the men pointed their weapons at King, while the other half pointed their weapons at Mom.

"What the hell is this?" King asked as Flynn called Braveheart to his side and a soldier grabbed Mom, locking her in handcuffs.

Kaylee walked in, pulling off a regulation helmet as she glared at King and Mom. She nodded at the soldiers, giving them the O.K. to approach King. He pulled away, ready to knock the men to the ground, when the soldiers disarmed him and held up their own weapons.

King responded aggressively, trying to pounce on the men, but Braveheart wouldn't have it. The retriever barked angrily and jumped on the big man, biting his arm and pulling him down. King tried to pull his arm free, but Braveheart held tight, swinging his head, and King's arm, from side to side before finally taking the big man down. He stood over King, still holding his arm. The soldier with the handcuffs locked a cuff around that wrist, before Braveheart let go and they could roll King over and lock the other cuff to the other wrist, behind his back.

Kaylee smirked when King and Mom were standing side by side before her, "You two really are stupid," she said. "You just couldn't let it be. You had to come out of hiding and blow your cover just to see if you could, maybe, murder one of the most famous people in the city and get away with it."

Kaylee shook her head in disappointment before the men took Mom and King to the police cars to take them back to prison. While they were gone, Kaylee approached her son in-law and her niece.

"Well, that's taken care of," she smiled.

"How did you get here so fast?" Dani asked, running to her aunt and giving her a hug.

Flynn pulled his hand out of his pocket, bringing out a communicator.

"Don't you just love modern technology?"

Kaylee smirked and nodded, "I got the emergency call from Flynn and sent a team out right away. And seeing as he's my grandbaby's father, I had to come and see if he was okay."

"Yay, you told them!" Dani cheered, her mood changing instantly when she heard Kaylee mention the baby that was growing inside her best friend's stomach.

Flynn nodded, "They were over for dinner last night, Dan, of course I told them."

"But you didn't tell them about the... you know, right?" Dani whispered. Flynn glared at the red head, but Kaylee shook her head.

"No, he didn't."

"It's nothing," Flynn said, thinking Kaylee was going to ask what Dani was referring to. When he realised Kaylee was serious about this matter he turned to her and frowned. Kaylee's face softened.

"Don't tell Dustin I told you," she started, "But... we know about your last pay check."

Flynn's jaw dropped, "What? How...?"

"When I was washing the counter last night," Kaylee said. "I lifted the papers to get underneath, and your pay check slipped out."

"Likely story," Flynn grumbled. Dani whistled as she started for the front door.

"I'm just going to go," she said. "This is obviously a matter that doesn't involve me... even though I brought it up."

"Dani!"

"What's that, Greg? You want to make sure nothing happened to me? Coming!" Dani answered to a non-existent call before she ran out the door.

Kaylee rolled her eyes at her niece before turning to Flynn, "I want to talk..."

"I would love to, Kaylee," Flynn said, "But a crime just happened in my garage. I need to clean this place up and take care of my dog..."

"Flynn..."

"Kaylee, I don't need your help," Flynn said. "I need the garage to look professional, not like someone just tried to commit murder in here. I want to attract customers."

Kaylee sighed loudly, rubbing her temples, "Flynn, I know what you're dealing with."

"Then stop pestering me," Flynn said as he bent over to pick up the papers that had been blown over by all the running around. "I need to do this on my own?"

"But why?" Kaylee asked him. She grabbed Braveheart's collar and led him back to his room, making sure to grab the jar of treats and feeding him a few before letting him go for a well deserved nap. The older woman looked back at Flynn, "Why does it have to be _you_ who makes the money."

"I can't let someone else take care of my wife and my kid! That's my job! If I can't do that then I fail..."

"There's more than one way to get to Rome," Kaylee smirked before pausing, "Well, Rome's not a city anymore... so there's no more path that'll lead to Rome but..."

She looked over at Flynn, "What I'm trying to say is, isn't the most important job to make sure your family is safe?"

"Yes."

"So who cares how you do it?"

"You won't get it," Flynn said. "It's a guy thing."

"Dustin said that too," Kaylee nodded.

"Just, let me figure this out."

"I will," Kaylee nodded, "But, maybe you need to think outside the box. I'm not giving you permission to rob a bank, but you need another way to make money. This garage, I'll be honest, isn't working out for you right now."

"I'll get it going," Flynn said. Kaylee shook her head.

"How?" she asked. "Today it was Mom and King, tomorrow it'll be morning sickness... you're self employed and it's keeping you from working and making money. There's no one yelling at you because you didn't show up for work today, and up until now, you haven't needed that money."

"What does this have to do with...?"

"You need someone to disappoint," Kaylee smirked. "Someone to yell at you when you don't show up to work because you have '_better things to do_'."

"Where do you suggest I go?" Flynn asked. "Nowhere is going to be flexible enough to suit my needs."

Kaylee smirked knowingly, "That's where you're wrong, my Scottish friend. How do you think RJ met Kelly?"

"Um, Kayl, we're talking about my family, right now..."

"She taught him the key to being a successful entrepreneur. Balancing real life and work life while getting your business started and making money. If anyone can help you it's her."

Flynn frowned, "Okay, but I need the garage too..."

"You know how to repair and upgrade dirt bikes, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I'll tell Kelly to send her business this way," Kaylee grinned, "Storm Changers has been around for almost 30 years now and is a very trusted name in mechanics. If she's recommending this place, people will come."

"That's great!" Flynn smiled, but Kaylee raised her hand slightly.

"But... I'll have her set up work hours for you, and your punch clock will be wired to hers. She'll know if you show up late, or if you miss a shift. If you do that, then she'll stop helping you immediately. Do you understand?"

Flynn nodded, "I do."

Kaylee smiled, "Good."

She turned to leave but Flynn caught her arm, "Kayl?"

"Yes."

"Thanks for letting me do this on my own," he said. "You don't know how much it means to me to be able to look after my own family."


	46. Ways to Make Money

Kelly had been asked by Kaylee to stop by the Garage and have a look around. If she was going to help out Flynn and Dani, she was going to have to know what she was getting into. She wasn't going to sponsor their Garage if it would give Storm Chargers a bad name.

Flynn rolled out from under Dani's stock car and grabbed a rag. He wiped the grease off his hands before approaching Kelly and offering a hand. She took it and smiled.

"It's cute."

Flynn looked around the room, "It's..."

"The Garage... it's cute."

"Thanks... I think."

"Well, it is good, but you need a more professional look. You need to look like you know what you're doing."

"How do you want us to do that?"

Kelly turned to face the window that was covered with a curtain and empty boxes that had yet to be put away. The window was big, and if opened would provide a lot of natural sunlight to flood into the room. But when Dani and Flynn moved everything in from the RPM Garage, they needed to put a curtain over it to keep the public from seeing the mess inside.

But even after all the boxes were unpacked, the Garage was still untidy. The curtain had to stay there so that customers wouldn't turn away from the shop by appearance.

"Get rid of the boxes," Kelly shrugged.

Flynn frowned, "Well, thank you, captain obvious."

"Recycle them if you're having trouble, and I don't mean wait for garbage day. Use one of the boxes in the backroom to hold Braveheart's toys, or lay a box flat under cars to keep oil leaks from... well leaking."

"How is this going to help?' Flynn asked.

"If you open up that window, people can see you inside. If they see you working, they'll already start to trust you a little more. Nothing more convincing than a working man."

Kelly walked over to the backroom and opened the door. She turned to Flynn, "Customer's don't see inside this room, do they?"

Flynn shook his head, "Not really, no."

"So, shove the boxes back here."

"But they'll get in the way."

"Of?"

"Dani and I do after hour paperwork back there."

"So if they get in the way, won't you be more willing to get rid of them?" Kelly smirked. Flynn went to answer when he stopped. Kelly did have a good point. The red head nodded, "I'm going back to Storm Chargers. I'll put up a few flyers to advertise this place. Call me when you're done the clean up and the curtain's up."

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden was just making herself a grilled cheese when her doorbell rang. She turned off the burner and rushed to the door.

"Hey, dad... what are you doing here?" she asked, stepping aside to let her father in. "There are no leftovers. I gave you and mom everything last night."

"Just stopping by," Dustin shrugged, "You're pregnant and home alone. I want to make sure my daughter's okay."

Hayden glared up at her father, "You're a little paranoid," she said. "Dad, I'm fine. I'm not even a month pregnant."

"But this is the time where you have to be really careful," Dustin said. "You should start getting yourself used to pregnant life. I know your mother..."

Hayden covered her ears, "No offense, dad, but I would rather talk about pregnancy with mom. It's not creepy when it's with her."

"I just want to make sure you're ready," Dustin said. "You're only nineteen. You're still young. You have to take every precaution possible."

"Dad, seriously. I'll have this talk with mom."

"Hayden, just hear me out. You have a lot to think about now. How are you going to take care of the baby? No... before that... do you know what pregnancy means?"

Dustin wrapped his arm around his daughter and led her back to the kitchen. He sat her down.

"Look, baby girl. When a woman is pregnant, her body goes through a lot of changes..."

Hayden looked down at her grilled cheese, waiting for her on the counter. She sighed heavily and tossed it into the garbage before glaring back up at her father.

"Did mom tell you to do this?" she asked. "Is this some messed up plan she came up with to make me go to her? Honestly, if she just wanted to talk, she could have stopped by."

"Your mother's at work, Hayden."

"You know, people don't spend their entire day at work. There is something called the end of the day."

Dustin nodded, "I know... I just, I want to be sure you're ready to commit to a child. Do you know what it means to take care of a baby?"

"Yes, dad," Hayden nodded. "I've talked with Sammy about this many times before."

"What about the commitment?"

"Talked with Sammy."

"And financial support?" Dustin asked. Hayden looked up at her father for a moment before turning away. Financial problems were the only issue Hayden had to deal with right now. After Flynn brought home his last pay check, Hayden was really starting to worry about how they would support their child.

"Dad..."

"Hayden, babies are expensive. That TV your mother yelled at me for getting... didn't even cost a fraction of the price you did."

"Thanks, dad."

"I'm serious, Hayden. You have to be set financially when you have a kid. You're lucky, right now. You have nine months to get ready. Your mother and I had seven."

"Dad, its okay..."

Dustin sighed. He knew Hayden was lying. He saw Flynn's pay check the night before when it fell off the counter. He was trying to get her to admit she was having trouble, but she was holding strong. She definitely was Kaylee's daughter.

"Hayden, if there's ever anything you need, you know your mother and I are always ready to lend a hand."

"Dad..."

"Hayden."

"Dad."

"Hayden."

Hayden and Dustin glared at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to crack. Hayden wasn't quite sure what her father was trying to get at, but she was sure he was over for the reason.

Finally, Dustin let out a breath, "Okay, baby girl. Are you sure there's nothing to discuss?"

"I'll be sure to let you know."

Dustin turned to the door slowly, hoping that Hayden would give in now that his back was turned. He took a few steps then paused. He reached his hand out slowly to the doorknob...

"Dad?"

He turned around swiftly, "Yes?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

Dustin nodded, "I'm a Power Ranger, sweetheart. I can keep a secret."

Hayden went to the kitchen and grabbed a stack of papers. She pulled a smaller document out and handed it to her father.

"This is Flynn's last pay check," she said. "He's only made a dollar with the Garage."

"Well," Dustin said, stroking his chin. He didn't want Hayden to know he already knew about the pay check. It would seem like he and Kaylee had been spying on them. The last thing he needed was his pregnant daughter resenting him. "That's not good."

"I know it's not," Hayden sighed. "Flynn doesn't want me to tell anyone. He wants to handle it on his own, but I'm worried about it. He says he'll work harder at the Garage so business will pick up, but what if it doesn't? You said it yourself, a baby's not cheap. I don't want to wind up on welfare raising a baby we weren't ready for."

Dustin nodded and took Hayden to the couch. He sat her down and wrapped her in his arms.

"Hayden, everything's going to be fine," he said.

Hayden shook her head and looked up at her father, "How do you know, dad? Flynn refuses to ask anyone for money. Even if we plan on paying them back."

"I know," Dustin nodded. "It's a guy thing. If you're going to support your family, you're going to do all you can."

"But if we're stuck, shouldn't we do anything we can, even if it's asking for help?"

"See, this is where guys and girls are different," Dustin told her. "But, that doesn't matter. You're not going to get Flynn to change his mind. What you can do though is find a way to make some extra money."

"Me?" Hayden asked, "Nowhere is going to hire me when they know I'm only going to be working for eight months, then leave."

"They can't discriminate," Dustin told her. "Hayden, you're getting to a point in your life where you have to make a very important choice. Stay-at-home mom or working mom?"

"I don't know..." Hayden frowned. "Flynn won't be making enough for me to stay at home... but we won't be able to afford a babysitter for a while... I feel stuck."

Dustin nodded, "You'll have to find your way around that, Hayden. Part of being a parent is making hard choices like this. Sometimes, you'll encounter a decision where you lose, no matter what. But you'll have to choose what's worth keeping, and what's okay to lose."

Dustin squeezed his daughter's hand, "Hayden, what's worth keeping?"

Hayden looked around, "This house," she said. "The family, the stability..."

Dustin smiled and nodded his head, "And what's okay to lose?"

"I... I don't know."

"What do you do during the day?" Dustin asked her. He wanted her to come up with her solution on her own, but he was finding it difficult to steer her in the right direction without flat out telling her what he was trying to say. Hayden was old enough to no longer need parents to make her decisions, but she was still very young for the kind of life she was living. She didn't have the experience to make certain decisions on her own.

"I don't know," Hayden frowned. "I don't do much. Sometimes I go help Dawn with the center. But there's still not much to do over there. People are still trying to figure out what it is."

"Well, what can you do to help out?" Dustin asked. "If you're looking for money..."

"I can get a job," Hayden said. "But I'm not exactly trained for anything except fighting crime. But I highly doubt the police force will hire a pregnant woman. That's not discrimination, that's policy."

"Yes, but your mother has a lot of jobs available in the command center," Dustin pointed out. "I'm sure you can find something to do that won't endanger the baby."

"Paperwork?" Hayden groaned, "Whoo..."

"Do you want money?" Dustin asked her. Hayden sighed heavily and nodded.

"Alright, I'll talk to mom," she said. "But... don't tell her about this. Flynn wouldn't kill me."

"You're pregnant, sweetheart," Dustin chuckled, "You have his child in your stomach. He can't kill you just yet."

"I guess you're right," Hayden nodded. "But..."

"I won't breathe another word," Dustin smiled, hugging his daughter.


	47. It's About Trust

Flynn was wrapped up in his work. He was going through the list Jameson left him on the things he needed to do for Dani's big race, and he wanted to make sure he did it all right. After her accident, he was slightly paranoid something would go wrong in the race. As long as the car was working fine, Flynn could keep his mind at ease until the race.

He was so absorbed in his work he didn't hear the bell on the counter ringing as a man stood with keys in his hands, waiting for service. When he saw the feet under the car weren't reacting, he rang the bell again.

"Excuse me."

Flynn finally heard the voice and bell and rolled out from under the car.

"Oh, hey!" he smiled."How can I help you?"

The man smiled back as he put his keys down on the counter, "My car won't start."

Flynn chuckled slightly as he pulled out a clipboard, "That's a bit of a problem."

"My friend owns the tow company and brought my car over here. I heard from Kelly Holloway that you're the man for the job. She recommended you."

Flynn nodded, "Aye; been working with them since I was just a wee lad."

"So, think you can figure out the problem?" the man asked.

"I'll need to keep the car here at the garage for a few days," Flynn said. "But I'll be sure to have a look and call you when I've figured this out."

"Thank you!" the man smiled. "My wife and I are going on a trip to NewTech next week, and we were afraid we were going to have to cancel."

"I'll be sure to have it back to you before you go," Flynn said as he finished up the forms and handed them to the man, "I'll just need your signature, then I'll take a look at the car."

"Great!" the man nodded, "It's parked in the back. Will you be able to get it in?"

Flynn smirked, "I'm a mechanic; I'll figure it out."

The man left his signature and his phone number on the form and handed it back to Flynn. The former Blue Ranger waited for his customer to leave before diving for the phone. He dialled the number and waited impatiently for the person on the other end to pick up.

"_Hello?"_

"Hayden! Guess what!"

"_What?"_

"I got a job!" Flynn exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air, even if his wife couldn't see it. "A customer just walked into the store. He said Kelly sent him over here! He's giving me a job! We'll be making money!"

"_That's awesome!_" Hayden cheered on the other end before Flynn heard a ding.

"Um, what was that?"

"_You know how money's a little slow?"_ Hayden started._ "I got a job working for my mom."_

Flynn sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Hayden..."

"_I didn't tell _her_ anything."_

Flynn nodded, "I know you didn't... but she knows already."

"_She knows? I thought you didn't want to tell anyone!"_

"She saw the pay check by accident when she was over for dinner," Flynn said. "She's the one who talked to Kelly about helping me and Dani out with this place."

"_So dad knew!"_

Flynn frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"_My dad stopped by at lunch to check up on me and... I told him."_

"You did what?"

"_I'm sorry Flynn, but he was talking about how expensive a baby could be and how we needed to be sure we were ready financially. It kinda freaked me out! I needed some help and he was right there... I'm so sorry, Flynn but... it's weird being on this end."_

"Hayden... you weren't supposed to tell anyone!"

"_I know... but I have this human being growing inside me and I want to take care of it! I have no idea what I'm doing with all this and... This financial thing freaked me out."_

"You could have told me."

"_I did! And believe me, if my father hadn't been so... pushy about this, I wouldn't have told him! It's just... I was... he started talking about pregnant bodies and changes and troubles and money and babies... it's all so... scary."_

Flynn shook his head. He was disappointed Hayden had gone behind his back and told her father about their personal problems. He knew Kaylee had found out, and was pretty sure Dustin knew as well, but Hayden didn't know that her father was aware, and still told him.

"_Flynn..."_

"We'll talk when I get home, Hayden," Flynn muttered. He heard Hayden sigh dejectedly on the other end.

"_Okay... I love you."_

"I love you too," Flynn told her. It wasn't that he was mad at her. He could understand her worries about the future. He just wanted to talk about her going behind his back and telling her father something she promised not to breathe a word of.

-----Afterlife-----

Over at the command center, Hayden stepped into her mother's office as she put away her phone. Kaylee looked up from her computer screen and smiled.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Did dad call you?" she asked. Kaylee nodded.

"He did," Kaylee said. She pulled out a few papers and got out of her seat to walk Hayden over to her new desk. She motioned to the chair, inviting Hayden to sit down. "You're going to have a very important job."

"I am?" Hayden asked. "Mom..."

"Paper work is boring as hell, and very stressful," Kaylee told her daughter, before Hayden could say anything about her new job. "The last thing an in-debt mother to be needs is boredom, long hours and stress."

"So what will I be doing?" Hayden asked, looking at her desk. It had a few forms that looked like they needed to be filled out. There was a pretty sophisticated computer, as well as a monitor placed beside it. Hayden wasn't really sure what anything around her really did, or how she would be using them.

"My Eagle Squad Dispatcher's decided to bail on me," Kaylee said. "He's decided to retire a little early to spend some time with his wife. They'll have the rest of their lives together, but whatever. I need to fill that position, and now I have you."

"Eagle Squad Dispatcher?" Hayden frowned. "What the hell? Isn't that Scott, Gem and Gemma?"

"You know how they leave for missions?" Kaylee asked. "You'll be the one to send them on those missions."

"Oh!" Hayden giggled. "I get to tell my brother in-law what to do?"

"More or less," Kaylee nodded. She flipped the switch on the computer, bringing the screen and the monitor beside it to life. She pointed to the monitor first. "This is a scanner. Right now it's scanning the Wastelands looking for signs of life. It reaches just past the Oasis Scott and the Twins found."

"Oh, are those two dots Greg and Dani?" Hayden giggled, pointed to the two green dots on the monitor. "Ew, they're right on top of each other."

Kaylee frowned and touch a button on the monitor, putting it into sleep mode so it wouldn't distract Hayden, but it would beep if something came up.

"It means they're close together," she explained before pointing to the computer. "This computer will allow you to get a satellite image of a sector in question. Before you send Scott, Gem and Gemma out, you need to take a look at the area to make sure it's not too dangerous for them, and to be able to brief them on what it is they'll be jumping into."

"Okay..."

"And you only need to fill out these forms when there's an emergency," Kaylee told her daughter as she pat the forms on the desk.

"So, my job is to wait for this thing to beep?" Hayden asked. "That's easy."

"Well, it's a 24/7 job," Kaylee said. She opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a handheld device. "This is a smaller version of what we have here. You'll have to keep it on you at all times in case the systems pick something up. I don't want to do this to you, but if this thing goes off in the middle of the night, you need to get up and check out the problem."

Hayden shook her head, "That might be a problem," she said. "However, with this thing, will I need to get out of bed to verify the situation and dispatch the Eagles?"

"No," Kaylee said. "But in the morning you'll have to get up early to fill out the paperwork."

Hayden kicked her feet up on the desk and leaned back in her chair, "I can so do this job. It's like being a Ranger, but I don't have to get my ass kicked. Scott does."

Kaylee smiled and pat her daughter on the back before going back to work. Hayden's job was pretty easy for the most part. Scott, Gem and Gemma did leave for missions every few days, but there were never anything big. It was usually the scanner picking up an unidentified object or people outside the dome. Since the defeat of T15, it had never been anything life-threatening (aside from the mutant rats, but that was a case inside the city).

As far as Hayden's job went now, so long as there were only two dots on the scanner, she would be getting paid to sit on her ass and fill the time doing whatever it was she wanted.

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden got home later that she was expecting to. On her way out of the command center she had bumped into a soldier who recognised her as Kaylee's daughter and asked her a series of questions on what it was like to be the daughter of the woman who owned the world. Hayden had tried to worm her way out of that conversation, but the soldier wouldn't let her go. Obviously from the way she had spoken of Kaylee, she was a huge fan of everything the Hanson woman had done.

Now, finally, Hayden was getting home. She dropped her stack of books on the table by the door and found Flynn working in the kitchen. She walked over and took her seat on a barstool.

"Hey," she smiled, a little nervous. She didn't know if Flynn was mad at her, or if he was just disappointed. Flynn looked up from the stove with a small smile.

"Hey, where were you?"

"I got a job," Hayden whispered. "I was going to tell you earlier when we were on the phone. Dad offered I got to work for Mom to make a little more money."

Flynn nodded, "Good."

When he said nothing more, Hayden took a deep breath, "Look, Flynn..."

"I told you not to tell anyone, Hayden," Flynn said, cutting her off. "I told you I could handle this, and that we would be fine."

"I know," Hayden whispered, "But it's still scary."

"With Kelly's help the garage is starting to get some business! And Dani's going to have her crew pay us a fortune for tuning up the car!"

"I know..."

"Hayden, you have to trust me," Flynn said. "We're in this together."

"I know..."

"Why did you tell him?" Flynn said. He put down the spoon and placed the top on the pot before walking over to his wife. "Are you okay, Hayden?"

"I'm fine," Hayden nodded. "But, like I told you earlier... he freaked me out. I know a baby's expensive, but hearing it from him... are you mad?"

Flynn shook his head as he wrapped his arms around his wife, "I'm not mad, Hayden. I just... I want to make sure something like this won't happen again. We're going to be parents. We need to be a team."

"I know that," Hayden nodded.

"I won't go behind your back, please don't go behind mine," Flynn whispered.

"Sorry," Hayden sighed. Flynn pulled back and looked down at her.

"For what?"

"I got a job without telling you," Hayden said. "I should have talked to you before..."

"We're in a little trouble, Hayden," Flynn nodded, "I knew you weren't just going to sit by and wait for money to come in. This doesn't surprise me. What did surprise me was..."

"I only told my dad because I knew he could help us find our own solution," Hayden explained. "The others still don't know, and dad told me he wouldn't tell a soul!"

Flynn chuckled, pulling Hayden back in his arms. She sounded slightly panicked; like she was afraid he was furious at her even if he clearly told her he wasn't. She was carrying his child, for crying out loud! He couldn't really be mad at her for the next nine months.

He was just afraid that if he didn't have this talk with her, something else like this would happen again, and with parenthood just a few months away, the two of them needed to really learn to work as a team. He had seen how hard it was for his father to take care of him without his mother, and couldn't imagine how much more difficult it would be if both parents were around, undermining each other and going behind the other's back.

He held his pregnant wife tight and kissed the top of her head, "It's okay, Hayden. We're in a funny situation. I shouldn't have told you to keep this a secret anyways."

"But you did... and I promised I would..."

Flynn chuckled as he looked down at his wife, "Hayden, are you okay?"

"I don't know," Hayden said as she began to sob. "I'm not supposed to be like this for another little while."

Flynn chuckled again, "It's a stressful time. It might not be your hormones going all crazy. Maybe, you're just finding a middle ground to all the confusion."

"Maybe it's because I need to pee again," Hayden whispered as he hand went to her bladder. "Stupid baby."

Flynn let go of his wife as she went to the bathroom, leaving her jacket behind on the stool. He shook his head at his wife's little antics, knowing they were only going to get worse from here on out.

Thankfully he and Hayden had planned this pregnancy. They were aware, long before many parents, about what they were getting themselves into. With nine months to prepare for a child, Flynn was positive everything was going to work out in some way.

He returned to the stove and checked on his soup when he heard something buzzing. Finding this odd, he patted his pocket to see if it was his phone. He pulled the small device out but it was shut off.

The buzzing sound could be heard again, and this time Flynn noticed it was coming from Hayden's jacket. He reached into her pocket until he thought he felt her phone. He pulled it out and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

It buzzed again.

"What on earth?" Flynn frowned, pulling the device from his ear. He noticed it wasn't a phone, but a little computer, a lot like what Kaylee always carried around with her.

Hayden came back from the bathroom and found Flynn was playing with her scanner. She grabbed it out of his hands and frowned.

"I don't touch your monkey hammer, you don't touch my scanner," she frowned.

"It's a monkey wrench," Flynn corrected her. He shrugged his shoulders, "Anyways, I thought it was your phone. What is it?"

"I got a job as the Eagle Squad dispatcher. It's my job to keep an eye on the wastelands. If anything funny gets picked up with my scanner, I need to send Scott and the twins out to investigate."

"And when the scanner goes off, does that mean there is something going on?"

"Yeah, why?" Hayden asked before the scanner buzzed again. She looked down at it, "Uh-oh..."


	48. Honeymoon Phase

Dani wrapped her arms around Greg as they stared out at the shinning blue lake. Just on the horizon they could see a mountain, covered in grass and trees, with the sun setting just above it.

They never imagined they would see something so naturally beautiful after Venjix destroyed the earth. For years they believed that Corinth and NewTech were the only two places on Earth to survive total devastation.

But with the flowers in bloom all around them, Greg and Dani knew that somewhere, out in the big world, there were other cities, and other people, waiting to be found. Or, maybe Corinth and NewTech were waiting to be found. It was very possible that there were some spots on Earth that had still been untouched by Venjix. With the communication systems failing so soon in the attacks, there was no way to tell just how badly the earth had been hit. In all honesty, the only thing Corinth and NewTech residents knew for sure was that life was definitely going to be different.

Greg sat down on the plush grass and pulled Dani down with him, holding her close before resting his chin on her shoulder to watch as the sun disappeared behind the mountain, leaving only a faint glow of day to shine down on them.

"It's beautiful," Dani whispered. She turned to Greg with a radiant smile, "It's perfect."

He nodded, gazing into her eyes, "I know."

"And we still have six more days out here!" Dani smiled. "Six days, just the two of us in this beautiful Oasis. The others are going to be so jealous when we get back."

Greg smirked, holding Dani tight, "Let's not think about going home yet," he breathed. He gently rolled Dani onto her back before lying just above her and kissing her deeply. Dani smiled as her hand went to the back of his neck, pulling his in closer.

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her head and she pushed Greg away. She sat up and frowned. She recognised that pain from when she had amnesia and Greg had tried to speak with her telepathically. Because she hadn't been expecting it, the sudden intrusion had provoked a loud and very sharp pain that was not easily ignored.

"Greg..." she muttered, turning to face him, only to realise he too was holding his head in pain. She clutched onto his arm, grabbing his attention, "Are you feeling it too?"

Greg nodded, regretting it when it only made his head hurt even more, "What's going on?"

Daniela shrugged, "Maybe it's the radiation..."

"Dan, our parents said this place was radiation free."

"Then, what could be causing this?" Dani asked, clenching her teeth through the pain. Greg took her hand in his. It wouldn't ease the pain, but it was his way of letting her know he was still there with her.

Suddenly, Dani screamed, and Greg felt a sharp blow to the head. Just before blacking out, he heard Dani cry out and felt her being pulled away from him.

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden took her scanner off sleep mode and it quickly began flashing. She quickly figured out how exactly the little device worked and brought up a visual.

Flynn was peeking over her shoulder, "What's going on?" he asked.

"I don't know," Hayden frowned, tapping the screen to move the satellite image. "I can't see anything."

"Are you sure you're on the right spot?" Flynn asked her. Hayden shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she frowned. She closed the satellite image to bring up the scanner. She saw the two dots that were Dani and Greg, but around it were several other dots that the scanners hadn't picked up before. Hayden gasped and brought back the satellite image and focused it on the Oasis.

"There's nothing here," she whispered as she began to panic. "There are dots, but..."

Hayden pulled up the scanner again. However, when she tried to look for the dots, they were all gone. She furrowed her brow.

"What the hell?"

Flynn gently touched her shoulder, "Calm down, lass..."

"Flynn, Dani and Greg are gone!" Hayden cried. She grabbed her jacket and zipped it up. "I need to get to the command center right now."

"I'll come with you," Flynn said, running to the stove to turn off the burner.

"I... but it's... oh whatever," Hayden said as she ran for the door. "You're a Power Ranger. Maybe you can help!"

"Exactly," Flynn nodded, following his wife. When he stopped to lock the door, her words finally processed. "Wait, what do you mean, maybe?"

-----Afterlife-----

It was after hours at the command center, so the usual crew wasn't present. The night staff was slowly starting to come in when Hayden and Flynn burst into the office on the top floor.

Colonel Truman was sitting at his desk, reading over papers when he saw the former Pink and Blue Ranger rush over to the desk that used to belong to the former Eagle Squad Dispatcher. He was about to ask them what they were doing in his office so late at night, when Hayden turned on the computers and sat down at the desk, as if it belonged to her.

He stood up from his seat and pulled off his glassed, "Hayden, what are you doing here? This equipment is to be used by trained..."

"I got a job here," Hayden cut him off as she set up the computer to bring up several satellite images and used the monitor as a scanner. "There's trouble."

Colonel Truman frowned, "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"Dani and Greg have disappeared off the map," Flynn explained. Hayden nodded.

"They were there one minute, then they just zwopped the next."

"They're on their honeymoon," Colonel Truman said, rubbing his temples. "Of course they would fall off the map."

"Before they disappeared I counted five dots surrounding them," Hayden said. "The dots indicate life forces, right?"

"Yeah," Colonel Truman nodded.

"As far as we know, the wastelands are deserted," Hayden reminded the Colonel. "I don't know if these life forces are friendly, but I'm not going to risk the safety of the honeymooners to find out."

Hayden grabbed the communicator and held it to her mouth, "Scott, Gem, Gemma, do you read?"

"_This is Eagle One, I read you loud and clear... Hayden?"_

"I got a job," Hayden informed Scott. "Gem, Gemma?"

"_Eagles Two..."_

"_... and Three! Loud and ..."_

"_...Clear!"_

"Okay," Hayden nodded. "There's something funny going on in the Oasis. Dani and Greg have disappeared off the map. Before that, I picked up five extra life signatures. I've yet to see anything but I need you three to check it out."

"_Can do boss!"_ Gem replied.

"Let me know when you land," Hayden said. "I'll keep searching the area to see if I can figure something out."

_Got it; Eagle Squadron, over and out,"_ Scott said before communication was cut off.

-----Afterlife-----

After receiving a new mission from Hayden, which still surprised him, Scott rolled out of bed to get ready. Gem and Gemma were usually fast at preparing for missions, so he couldn't delay.

As he went to the bathroom to get ready, Samantha noticed her husband was no longer in bed. She rolled over and saw the empty place beside her, and the light was turned on in the bathroom. She groaned loudly as she reached for his communicator.

"Really?" she sighed as she checked the time, "It's midnight already?"

Scott stepped out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth. He leaned against the doorframe, "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah," Samantha answered honestly. By now it was no longer out of the ordinary that she would be woken up when Scott would be called for a mission and it was best not to lie. Truth be told, she would rather be awake for when her husband left on dangerous missions. It gave her the chance to say goodbye. She was always afraid that the one time he didn't wake her and left a note on the counter for her to read the following morning, he wouldn't be coming home.

"Sorry," Scott smiled before disappearing in the bathroom. When he came back, he was without toothbrush and he was playing with his hand, getting it ready for the mission. He didn't want to cut it short, or put it back into the cornrows he had adopted when he was younger, because he loved the freedom he felt when he left his hair fall naturally (or as Engel always said: "It's a 'splosion of poofy fluff!"). So instead, he took the extra minute to tie his hair back so it would fit under the helmet and wouldn't get under his eyes. It always looked funny tied up, but Samantha and Engel were the only two to see him like that.

"It's fine," Samantha sighed. "I've only just fallen asleep anyways."

"Hayden's the new dispatcher," Scott informed his wife. "She's the one who called us for the mission."

"So she woke us up?" Samantha groaned. "Remind me to murder the little brat next time I see her."

Scott shook his head, "You love your little sister."

"Not at the moment," Samantha smirked. She turned to her husband, "So, what's today's mission?"

"Hayden's picked up some strange activity in the Oasis," Scott said. "She says that aside from Dani and Greg, she picked up on five life forces. Then all the life forces disappeared out of nowhere."

Samantha frowned, "Dani and Greg?"

"Yeah."

"They're on their honeymoon, right?"

"Not anymore," Scott said. He walked over to the bed once he was ready and kissed his wife. "I love you."

"Be safe," Samantha warned him. "And go say goodbye to Engel."

Scott nodded, "Have I ever forgotten her?"

"No... but just..."

"Babe, it's fine," Scott smiled. "Right now the mission is just to find out what happens. There's no combat required."

"Doesn't mean it won't happen," Samantha sighed. Scott walked back over to her and sat down beside her on the bed. He pulled her in for a hug.

"I love you, Samantha," he told her. "You know I won't do anything stupid. And with the twins by my side, I'll be safe and sound, you know that."

"I know," Samantha nodded, "but I'm a wife. Your job is to run head first into danger. My job is to worry."

Scott smiled and kissed her again, "I'll be home before you know it."

-----Afterlife-----

When Greg woke up, his head was throbbing. He went to rub the sore spot with his head, but found his hands were bound. Panicked, he began to pull, hoping that maybe he could free himself. It was then he realised he was still in the dark. He tried to open his eyes, but still, he couldn't see. Frustrated, he shut his eyes, shook his head then tried to open them again.

Still, the room was dark.

"Where am I?" he shouted, pulling at the chains holding his arms back.

"Greg?"

"Dani?" Greg called when he heard a familiar voice. "Dani, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dani answered him. "Greg, where are you?"

"I don't know..." Greg replied. "I can't see anything... I can't move."

"Neither can I," Dani said, and Greg could hear her struggling against some chains.

"Do you know what happened?" Greg asked. He had been unconscious and couldn't remember how he got here. He wasn't sure if Dani knew, but it was definitely best to try.

"Some freaks came..." Dani whispered, "They knocked you out and grabbed me. I couldn't focus after that..."

"Do you know where we are at least?" Greg asked.

Dani shook her head, "I can't say for sure. I know we walked for a long time but..."

"It's okay, Dani," Greg said.

"These freaks did something to us, Greg," Dani whispered. "I don't –"

"Dani?" Greg called when his wife's voice was suddenly cut off. He pulled on his chains. "Dani!"

He felt a long, but very slender hand grab his hair and pull his head upwards, "Answer our questions and the female won't die."

Greg shook his head, trying to get the hand to let go, "If you touch her..."

"You're helpless. You're chained a wall and you can't even see what you're doing. If I were in your position, I wouldn't be begging for mercy."

Greg let his head drop in defeat. The hand holding his let go and tapped him gently, "That's a good boy."

"What do you want to know?" Greg asked.

"Where do you come from?"

Greg sighed deeply, "My mother."

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He doubled over in pain, but was suspended up by his chains. He groaned loudly.

"One more wise-crack like that and the female gets it," the voice warned him. "You're lucky we didn't take it out on her now."

Greg could fell the person lean in closer to him. He felt their breath on his face. It wasn't a pleasant smell, but he wasn't about to complain. Not when Dani's life was at stake.

"Where did you come from?"

"Corinth City," he answered. "It's not too far south from here. About fifty miles or so... I'm assuming."

"And why are you here?"

"We're on our honeymoon."

"Honeymoon? I remember this term."

"What do you want with us?" Greg asked, lifting his head even if it would make no different. He couldn't see.

"Tell me, are there more of you where you come from?"

Greg frowned, but answered the question, "Yes."

"More people exactly like you?"

"I wouldn't say exactly..."

"Then what would you say?"

"I don't know what you're referring to," Greg said. "Do you mean other humans, or someone else exactly like me?"

"More of you... your species! How many are you? Why did you leave them? Why did you come here?"

"I told you, we were on our honeymoon!"

The voice questioning Greg took a deep sigh, and the former gold Ranger heard his footsteps moving away. He relaxed for a moment, thinking he could take a break.

"Are there more of your breed?" the voice asked.

Greg decided not to argue anymore, "Yes."

"So, this female... you could find another."

"I guess..."

"Yes or no!" the voice shouted, "Could you find more!"

"Yes! There are other women where we come from. What does that..."

"But you love this woman? That's why you're on a honeymoon with her?"

"Yes."

"So, you two humans, just discovered this place, far away from your own city, and decided to come here, on a honeymoon."

"That's basically what happened," Greg nodded. "Look, just tell me what you want?"

"I want to know what you're doing here. You and the female!"

"Honeymoon!"

Greg suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He clenched his jaw as he waited for it to subside. Suddenly, he heard the voice again, this time in his mind.

"_Explain how you can read our thoughts."_

Greg shook his head, "I... I don't know..."

"Tell me! What are you?"

"I'm human!"

"Humans cannot communicate telepathically with mutants. You're not humans."

Greg heard a loud clank and a whimper from Dani. He pulled on his chains.

"Don't touch her!"

The voice got closer to him again. Greg didn't need to see to know that his face was inches away from his captors. He looked up, so they were looking eye to eye. Only the blindfold was between them.

"Explain _what_ you are, and _how_ you got these powers."


	49. Eagle Squad

The Jet landed softly on the plush green grass, where Dani and Greg had been lying only moments before their capture. Scott, Gem and Gemma stepped out of the jet and looked around.

"I don't see anything weird," Gem frowned.

"Keep looking," Scott said. "Hayden wouldn't have sent us out here if there wasn't something to look for."

"That was nice," Gemma commented as she lifted a rock. Scott and Gem turned to her for a moment with curious looks on their faces. Gemma chuckled and continued, "Hayden's our new dispatcher. It's kinda cool that she's working with us again."

Gem nodded, "It's nice to hear a familiar voice."

"I agree," Scott said. "But focus you two. We need to figure out what caused the alarms to go off."

"Oh, maybe there are more people here!" Gemma cried hopefully. "More nice people."

"I doubt that," Scott muttered but kept his voice low enough so the twins wouldn't hear him. By now he knew it was best to let them keep their hopes up. Bummed out Boom-Twins were not fun to work with; especially on dangerous missions.

While Gem and Gemma searched the grounds for any signs of life, Scott pulled out his communicator.

"Hayden, we're not seeing anything."

"_I'm positive there was something there_," Hayden grumbled. _"Dani and Greg should be there. Do you see them?"_

Scott shook his head, "Widen the search. Scan the underground and the skies. Whatever was here couldn't have gone far without being noticed."

_What about Dani and Greg?" _Hayden asked. _"They aren't coming up on the scan, but this was their honeymoon destination..."_

"Hayden, we don't see them," Scott sighed. "Have you opened the search?"

"_Yeah. I'm picking up a very faint signal right below your feet. Whatever it is, it's underground."_

"Is there any way to get there?"

"_You could dig,"_ Hayden offered. "_Hold on, I'm just activating the satellite images to search the... I see you!"_

"Hayden..." Scott groaned, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

"_Found it!" _Hayden called. _"There's a tree about ten paces south. It's completely hollow. If you can find a way inside, it will take you underground to a... bunker..."_

Scott smiled, "Thanks, Hayden. Over and out."

Scott stuffed the communicator back in his pocket and turned to the twins. He whistled to catch their attention and pointed to the hollow tree. "I need this opened up."

"On it!" Gem saluted, reaching into his pack and pulling out a small ball. He ran over to the tree while Gemma joined Scott. Gem placed the ball on one of the lower branches and stepped back.

"Fire in the hole!" he giggled, pressing a button on his backpack as the ball exploded, breaking a small hole in the tree. Scott and Gemma covered their heads with their arms as they waited for the dust to settle. When it did, they looked at Gem's work. Scott tapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Good job, Gem."

Gem nodded before poking his head inside the hole he made.

"Whoa!" he said, his voice echoing, "That's one massive tree! It goes so far down!"

"Do you see anything?" Gemma asked her brother. He pulled his head out and nodded.

"I see ground," he said. "But it looks like a lab floor."

"Hayden said there was an underground bunker just below us," Scott informed his team. "We'll have to be careful when we go down there. There's something giving off life signatures, and they may not be friendly."

The former Red Ranger pulled out a rope from Gemma's backpack and tied it around another tree, not too far away from the hollow one. He dropped the rope down the hollow tree and pulled out a handgun.

"I'll go down first," he said. "Gemma, follow behind me. Gem, keep watch up here. Contact us if you see anything out of the ordinary."

"Got it, boss!" Gem nodded, saluting with such passion, he knocked himself in the forehead. He rubbed his head to sooth the pain as Scott started his way down the rope. Gem looked at his sister for a moment and smiled encouragingly before she followed their leader down the hollow tree.

Scott held the gun between his teeth as he climbed down the rope. When he was close enough to the ground, he jumped off, landing on his two feet. He took the gun in his hand, holding it up as he searched what appeared to be a hallway.

Gemma landed not long after her did and came up behind him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder as not to scare him.

"What do we have?"

"Hayden was right," Scott whispered. "It is a bunker. Someone must have been living here."

"Do you think they have Dani and Greg?"

"It could be," Scott nodded. He motioned for Gemma to follow, "Let's check it out."

They walked down the long hallway slowly, trying to keep their footsteps from echoing loudly. The first door they came across was locked. There was no getting inside. Thinking it best to get to know their surroundings before storming into an unknown room, they continued down the hallway until they reached a fork.

"Left or right?" Scott asked his soldier. Gemma looked right then left, before both she and Scott heard a loud scream coming from the left. They nodded to each other before taking off in that direction.

"It sounded like Greg!" Gemma said, panicked as she followed her leader, always one step behind him. "I hope he's okay."

"He didn't sound okay," Scott muttered.

The further they ran down the hall, the louder the screaming became. Slowly, though, Gemma could start making out what was being said.

"Dani! You killed her! You monsters! She didn't do anything!"

Gemma nodded her head, grabbing Scott's arm, "It is Greg!"

Scott stopped in his tracks to listen to the voice. Gemma grew more anxious to find her friend as Greg continued to scream. Scott tugged her forward until they reached a glass window. It was slightly tinted, so Scott and Gemma needed to squint to see inside. It was dark, but they could make out five figures. Four were standing free, in a semi-circle around the wall. Between two of the figured, the two of the three Eagle Squad soldiers could see a figure pressed against the wall, with his arms chained.

Gemma grabbed Scott's arm, squeezing it painfully, "What are they doing to him?"

Scott placed his hand on Gemma's hoping to relieve some of the pressure, "It looks like he's blindfolded."

"He's screaming for Dani," Gemma whispered. Scott looked up at her for a moment and saw her eyes were beginning to tear. He smiled softly at her, squeezing her hand comfortingly. Greg was one of her best friends. It was natural for her to be worried about him. It must have been hard for her to see him in this state.

"It doesn't look like Dani's in the room," he told her. "They must have separated them."

"He said they killed her," Gemma said. "I can't believe they would do that!"

Scott shook his head, "Hayden counted five extra life forces," he said. Gemma looked over at him, frowning deeply.

"So?"

"So, how many extra people do you see in this room?"

"What does that...?"

"The fifth must be somewhere else," Scott whispered. He grabbed Gemma's arm, "We need to figure out where he is before we make our move."

"No," Gemma frowned, pulling away from Scott. "We need to help Greg. He's in trouble."

"I don't know about you, Gemma, but I believe we stand a better chance fighting one of these things that five. Greg can hold up until we come back for him."

"He's helpless."

Scott sighed as he turned to Gemma, giving her a soft look, "Gemma, one thing you need to know about this job... you need to put personal attachments on the backburner. Sometimes you need to take a few risks."

Gemma turned back to the tinted window, "Maybe there was a fight... maybe Dani and Greg killed the fifth."

"Maybe," Scott nodded, "But they're outnumbered. I highly doubt they would be able to kill one of these things on their own. It's best if we're sure of the enemy's numbers before engaging them in any form of fight."

Gemma nodded, "Okay... but we're coming back for Greg, right?"

Scott smiled, "Of course."

Gemma grinned and ran off down the hallway, searching for another room where the fifth being and Dani could be, if they were both still alive. She came across a few doors that were locked, but just like with the first door, she decided it was best for them to know their surroundings before bursting into an unknown room.

When she came to the end of the hall, she found a door that had been left open slightly. She waved Scott over before peeking inside.

Scott scurried over to Gemma just as she pulled away from the door. Her eyes were wide.

"Dani's inside," she whispered. "There's not a scratch on her."

Scott frowned, "What do you mean?"

He peeked inside the room and saw Dani was tied to a chair. She was blindfolded and gagged, obviously so she would scream for help or see who her captor was.

Scott looked around the room and saw the fifth creature sitting in a chair. He resembled a human except for the fact that one of his arms had the flesh torn off, leaving exposed muscle.

"There's only one of them in the room," Scott whispered. "We can take him."

Gemma nodded and reached into her belt, pulling out a gun similar to the one Scott had been carrying around. She held onto it tight as Scott slowly pushed the door open. When both he and Gemma were inside the room and had their guns pointed at the creature, Scott yelled out, "Freeze!"

He stepped closer to the creature, "Don't move."

The creature chuckled, getting out of his seat and turning around slowly.

Scott and Gemma cringed when they saw the face of the enemy. His face, much like his arm, had no flesh. The skin had been ripped off, leaving the muscles exposed. The creature smirked confidently as he glared hatefully at the Eagle Squad.

"How did you get in here?"

"What are you?" Scott asked, looking over at Dani for a moment. He could tell she was panicked, and for the moment, he was happy she was gagged. If she let the creatures know she knew Scott and Gemma, he might believe it was a rescue mission. Though that was now the reason Scott, Gemma and Gem were in the Oasis, originally they had been sent out to figure out what the new energy readings were and to hopefully make peace with them.

The creature chuckled, "I'm just like," he said, "But... better."

"You don't look better," Gemma frowned, keeping her hands steady and her aim locked on the creature.

The creature pointed to his face, "You mean this? It's but a flesh wound. It tends to happen when you live years in the wastelands and survive through World War III with no shelter and no protection."

"Are you human?" Scott asked.

"Of course I'm human!" the figure spat. "At least, I was. But I'm a better human now!"

"What do you want with her?" Gemma asked, pointing to Dani.

"She's not human," the creature said. "She can hear our thoughts."

"How do you know?" Scott frowned.

"We can hear hers," the creature said. "How else would we have found her and her lover?"

"What do you want with her?" Gemma asked, this time a little more forcefully. The creature chuckled.

"You city dwellers, so naive and trusting..."

"What happened to you?" Scott asked. "You say you were human... but it looks like you're the living dead."

"We're not dead," the creature said, "However, we were left for dead. When the war began, people were running for their lives. Some made it to safety, the rest perished. My brothers and I are the only five to survive out in the wastes. We lived in the poisonous environment for years, where we developed super-human powers. Finally, we found a home when we discovered this place..."

"It's your home?"" Scott asked.

"It was," the creature nodded, "Until we learned there were intruders, intruders who were just like us... but different. They could read our minds, but they didn't have the scars we did. They came from someplace else! They came from the domed cities!"

"Corinth City."

"The domed city that locked us out!" the creature yelled. "We never made it inside. We were forever banished to live in these wastelands!"

The creature rushed over to Dani, grabbing her chair and tilting it back. Dani felt her world shift out of her control and tried to find her balance again. The creature smirked, placing Dani and the chair in front of him.

"She's not one of us," he said. "We can't trust her. We want to know why she and the male are here! What they want with us, and how they found us."

"We can answer those questions..."

"It's too late," the creature said. "The male is already telling us everything we want to know. We knew it was only a matter of time before he cracked."

"You don't have to do it this way," Gemma whispered. She pointed to Dani, "She comes from the city of Corinth. She was one of the Protectors who fought Venjix and helped destroy him and his lackey, T15. She just got married to the guy in the other room, and they were sent to this Oasis on their honeymoon. They didn't know you were here."

"Lies!" the creature screamed.

"It's not a lie," Gemma assured him. "The reason she has powers is because, like you, she came in contact with radiation. Her and her husband can communicate with their minds... I guess you can as well."

The creature looked to Gemma, then over to Scott.

"You work for the city; of course you would give it a good name."

"We're telling you the truth," Gemma said, but Scott shot off his gun, hitting the creature in his bad arm. The creature dropped backwards, hitting the ground in pain as Scott rushed over to him, kicking him in the head, rendering him unconscious.

Gemma frowned, putting her gun away, "You know, when you want someone to trust you, you don't shoot them and kick them in the face."

"He's dangerous, Gemma," Scott told her. "He wasn't going to believe us. We would have been here forever trying to get him to believe in a reality that doesn't exist for him."

Gemma pouted as Scott knelt before Dani. He pulled off the blindfold and the gag gently. Dani opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Scott.

"I knew it was you!" she cried, waiting for her hands to be untied before she jumped into his arms. "I heard your voice and I knew it was you."

Scott helped Dani up to her feet, unsure if she would be able to stand on her own or not. When he was sure she was steady, he took a step back.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. Dani nodded.

"They never laid a hand on me," she said. "I thought they were going to... but they never touched me."

"Do you know anything? Who are they, what do they want?"

"I don't know," Dani sighed. "I kind of didn't get the chance to ask them. But they are mutants. They called themselves mutants."

"They look pretty creepy to me," Gemma said, and Dani agreed. Scott nodded.

"It doesn't seem like we can trust them," he said. "If we want to take them down, we'll need the full team."

Scott pulled out his communicator, "Hayden, are you still there?"

"_Yeah!"_

"Good. I need you and the other Rangers at the Oasis ASAP. We've encountered a little problem."

"_Okay... I'm... uh, I'm sending the message to Flynn, Dillon, Summer, Ziggy, Mike and... uh... Samantha."_

Scott furrowed his brown, exchanging a look with Gemma and Dani, "Don't bring Samantha into this. She's not technically a Ranger."

"_And I'm currently on leave of absence,"_ Hayden said. _"I'm not allowed on a battlefield. I trust my sister to be my replacement."_

"What do you mean you're not allowed on the battlefield?" Gemma asked. "We'll need our healer to fight these guys!"

"_You'll have to do it without me this time, guys..."_

"Why?"

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden took a deep breath as she opened up the communication so Flynn's, Dillon's, Summer's, Ziggy's, Mike's and Samantha's communicators could take part in the conversation. Once she was sure everyone was listening, she gave out her instructions.

"Guys, I need you to join Scott, Gem and Gemma in the Oasis. It seems they have company and they need some back up."

"_Why can't you come, Hayden?"_ Gemma asked while the others confirmed themselves for the missions.

"_Wait, you're not coming?"_ Samantha asked.

Hayden shook her head and touched her stomach, "I can't guys."

"_Why?"_ Gemma asked again, this time she sounded slightly irritated.

"_Go ahead, lass,"_ Flynn told her gently. Hayden beamed with joy. She wasn't exactly waiting for Flynn's permission, but it was nice to know he was ready to tell everyone else the news.

Hayden smiled brightly, "I'm pregnant."


	50. Left Behind

Hayden left her post for a moment to pick up her niece from her sister's house. Now that Scott, Samantha and Mike were leaving, the two year old wouldn't have anyone to watch her. Though it wasn't going to be ideal taking Engel to the command center while on a mission, it was better than leaving her alone at home.

The former pink Ranger stepped inside the house and found her sister packing Engel's stuff in a bag. When she heard the door open, Samantha looked up.

"Hey."

"Hey," Hayden nodded. Samantha put the bag on the ground and looked at her baby sister. Hayden felt slightly awkward as her sister stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably, pulling Samantha out of her stare.

"I've packed a few things for Engel," she said. "I don't know how long we'll be gone."

She grabbed the house keys from the bowl beside the front door and handed them to Hayden.

"If you need to, you can pick up more of her stuff from the house," she told her sister. "You know where everything is."

"Of course I do," Hayden nodded.

"I told Engel she would be spending a fun weekend with Aunt Hayden," Samantha explained. "She doesn't know I'm going out in the wastelands for a mission. She's expecting me to come home."

"You will come home," Hayden assured her sister.

Samantha shook her head, "I don't know..."

"Sammy, we've survived Venjix and T15! Hell, we've survived the end of the world! Fate's been on our side since day one!"

"It's easy for you to believe," Samantha grumbled, "You can heal, and you're staying inside the dome."

"You can heal too," Hayden said. "Just one kiss and bam, booboo's all better."

"You know it's not the same," Samantha frowned. She picked up the bag and handed it over to Hayden. Hayden took it, but glanced at her sister sadly.

"You'll come back," she told her.

"It's all being set up perfectly," Samantha whispered. "My husband left for a peace mission that turned into a dangerous hostage situation, and now I have to leave my daughter, and I'm taking her real father with me, to go help out! We're going to be fighting these guys we know nothing about without any real back-up, and my baby sister is pregnant with her first child..."

Hayden dropped the bag and pulled her sister into a hug. She knew it was natural for Samantha to worry. She worried every time Scott went out on a mission. When he ran late, she began to panic. Of course she would panic now that she was leaving her daughter and her pregnant sister behind. She knew they would be taken care of, but she also knew how deeply it hurt to lose someone you loved.

"Take care of her," Samantha whispered into her sister's ear, "Please... please take care of her."

Hayden nodded, "You know I will."

Samantha kissed her sister on the cheek and pulled away. Hayden grabbed the bag while Samantha went to get Engel from the TV room. She placed the two year old in her sister's arms.

Hayden let the mother say one last goodbye to her daughter. She was positive everyone would be coming home safely, but Samantha seemed to have her doubts.

"The others are waiting for you at the border," Hayden instructed. "Mom's going to be there as well to give you guys some equipment. With the Ranger Suits out of action, you'll all need a little firearm and protection."

-----Afterlife-----

After tying up the mutant, Scott called Gem to come down into the bunker and meet up with him and Gemma. As expected, Gem rushed to complete his order, and found his way to his team in a matter of minutes.

Dani was rubbing her wrists and pacing back and forth, trying to contact Greg with her mind, but she could feel a mental block was up. Scott watched her sadly, before he heard the mutant begin to chuckle. He walked over to him.

"I see you're awake," he said.

The mutant chuckled again, "Of course I am. Do you really think you can keep something as strong as me down? You regular humans are inferior to what we've become now."

Scott growled softly and turned back to his team. He saw Dani was reaching a breaking point and sighed.

"What are you doing?" he asked the creature.

"Sitting in a chair," the creature answered, "Though to be honest, I really thought you could tie a better knot."

Scott quickly went to check to see if the mutant managed to get his hands free. He sighed in relief when he saw he was still tied down, but glared at the mutant questioningly.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is a simple knot," the mutant said. "If I tried, I could pulled my hands out and take you all on within a matter of seconds."

"Like you could beat us all," Gemma scoffed. The mutant smirked.

"Wanna bet?"

Scott levelled his gun at the mutant's head, "Make one move and I'll kill you."

"If you kill me, you'll break my link with my brothers," the mutant said. "They already know you're here and waiting for backup."

"What are you doing to my head?" Dani shouted, turning to run towards the mutant, but Gem grabbed her, holding her back.

"You're a threat," he whispered. "I can't let you communicate with your male lover."

"At least let me tell him I'm okay!" Dani screamed. "He thinks I'm dead."

The mutant smirked, getting out of the chair, "I can arrange that."

Scott turned off the safety as a warning to the mutant to sit back down. The mutant simply chuckled and reached for his arm. He pulled out the bullet from before without any indication of pain. Scott realised his gun would do no good and put it back in its holder.

Gem pulled Dani behind him, "No one's hurting anyone until we figure this out," he said.

The mutant walked to the door and turned back to face his captors. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.

"How many are you expecting to come?" he asked. "Four, five?"

"Six," Gemma answered, "What's it to you?"

"Six soldiers coming in for backup," the mutant breathed. "Let's do the math... it took five of us, to take down two very dangerous threats without a fight."

"We weren't expecting you," Dani frowned.

"Now, even though I'm supposed to be the captive, I've got four of you right where I want you. That means it takes one of us, to take down four of you."

"Your point?" Scott asked.

"You haven't taken us down," Gem frowned. "We're still standing!"

The mutant shut his eyes for a moment and Dani screamed, clutching her head in pain and dropping to her knees. Scott ran to her side, holding her close as he glanced up at the mutant.

"Okay, okay, we understand," he told him. "Let her go."

The mutant obliged, pulling out of Dani's head and opening his eyes.

"As I was saying, by the way things are looking now it would take one and a half of us to wipe out your entire back-up team. There are currently two of my brothers on stand-by, waiting to kill."

"Kill?" Gem said nervously, turning to his sister.

The mutant nodded, "Lover boy is tough. He's yet to tell us any information."

-----Afterlife-----

Greg was breathing deeply, trying to focus on something peaceful instead of the threats coming from whoever was holding him.

"You'll tell us what we want to know," the voice spoke and Greg felt a sharp pain in his head. He screamed loudly until the pain subsided. He raised his head.

"You killed my wife," he muttered. "I won't tell you a thing."

"You killed your wife," the voice corrected him. "We gave you the choice. All you had to do was tell us what you were here to do."

"I told you!" Greg screamed, throwing himself forward, but the chains pulled him back. "I was here on my honeymoon!"

"No one's left the protection of the stupid domed cities to go on a honeymoon!" the voice shouted, grabbing Greg's face. "Your wife is dead because you won't tell us the truth."

"I don't even know who you are!" Greg screamed.

"That is none of your concern!"

"Okay, then let me go!" Greg begged, "Please, just let me go!"

"Not until you tell us what you're doing here," the voice growled. "If you don't, we'll have to assume the worst. We'll have to assume you're a spy for the cities. You've come to take us out."

"You won't believe me!" Greg said. "I've told you the truth!"

"No you haven't."

"Yes, I have! I've told you, I've told you a thousand times! I'm not here to spy on you! I'm not here to hurt you..."

Greg screamed loudly in pain as his head began to pound again, drowning out even his own screams. His knees buckled, leaving him to hang by his arms thanks to the chains.

"He is of no use," the voice said. "Leave him here. We'll deal with him later."

-----Afterlife-----

"What are you doing to him?" Dani asked on the verge of tears as she looked up from the ground. The mutant smirked, shrugging his shoulders. Dani jumped up and ran towards him. She shoved him into the door and glared up at him menacingly. "Tell me!"

Scott heard a beep from his communicator and picked it up. Just before he went to answer it, the mutant pushed Dani aside and walked over to him, holding out his hand.

"You won't be answering that," he said.

Scott went to put the communicator away, but the mutant took it out of his hands.

"Who is this?" he asked. Scott lunged for the device, but the mutant knocked him down.

"_Who is this?"_ a voice asked in return.

"That isn't your concern. I have your team of soldiers here with me as well as one prisoner. You will do as I say."

"_What do you want?"_

"Summer, turn the team around and head back for the domes!" Scott shouted. The mutant glared at the Eagle Squad leader.

"You heard the captain. Turn back, abort this mission and leave me and my brothers alone."

"_What do you want with them?"_ Summer asked.

"We want nothing with them," the mutant answered. "It's what you want with us. Let us live the rest of our lives in peace."

"_What are you...?"_

"_Let go of our friends or I will come in there and rip all your heads off!"_

The mutant frowned and turned to Scott, "Who was that? He sounded foolish."

"You have your secrets, we have ours," Scott smirked, getting back to his feet. He held out his hand, "If you want them to leave, let me talk to them."

The mutant hesitated for a moment, before handing over the communicator.

"If you say one wrong thing I will tell my brothers to kill lover boy," he said.

"I'll tell them exactly what you want me to tell them," Scott smiled. The mutant handed the communicator over and shut his eyes, opening up the telepathic link.

Scott pressed down on the button, "Dillon, give the communicator back to Summer."

----Afterlife-----

Dillon frowned, but did as he was told. He handed the communicator back to his wife. Summer shook her head and sighed.

"What is it, Scott?"

"_Are you alone?"_

"Do you want me to be?"

"_Yes."_

Summer stepped away from the group and lowered her voice, "Okay, I'm alone."

"_Good. Fall back."_

"Scott!"

"_Samantha's on this mission with you, right?"_

"Yeah... Hayden's pregnant and Samantha... what does this..."

"_If you come in here, you're all going to die. I'm not risking that."_

Summer groaned, "Scott, this is our job..."

"_No, it's Eagle Squad's job. You guys are retired. Now go home."_

"No," Summer frowned. "I'm not leaving you..."

"_Summer, go home. You'll be safe."_

"Scott..."

"_It's your job to lead this team when Hayden or I aren't there. It's up to you to protect them in battle. Sometimes, the only way to do that is to fall back. The less lives lost, the better."_

"We'll come back for you..."

"_No, don't," _Scott sighed deeply on the other end. _"Summer, this is for the best. Promise me you won't come back."_

"I..."

"_Summer, please...."_

Summer lowered her head in defeat, "I promise."

"_Good... and Summer, can you do me one more favour?"_

"What's that?" Summer asked.

"_Tell my wife, that no matter what happens to me, I love her."_

"I will," Summer nodded. "Over and out."

Summer turned off the communicator and clutched it tightly in her hands. She had been ordered to leave her friends for dead. But, to make matters even more difficult, she now had to go tell the wife of one of the dead men that she was calling off the mission.

Summer thought it over in her head, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't walked back over to the others and tell them what Scott had told her to do.

She looked over at her friends and family. They were watching her, waiting for her to come back and tell them the plan. They were all hopeful they could rescue the others and take down whatever it was that was keeping them prisoner.

She looked to Samantha. Her husband was down there. Summer couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for her. If Dillon had been down there, she would refuse to turn away.

"Fuck it," Summer said, tossing the communicator in the sand. She ran back to the others, "We don't have a lot of time."

"What did he say?" Mike asked, jogging to keep up with his cousin.

Summer didn't answer. She wouldn't answer. Scott had told her to turn back. But she couldn't do that. She couldn't follow through with his orders and leave him and the others in the bunker to die. She wasn't one to leave a man behind.


	51. Five Brothers

The mutant paced back and forth with a grin on his face before he turned to Scott.

"Brave move, chief," he said. "Brave, but stupid."

"I'm not letting you hurt other people," Scott growled. "Now, tell us what exactly it is you want. Maybe we can work out a deal."

"There's no need for a deal," the mutant said, "Lover boy's reaching a breaking point. We can feel it. Another few minutes and he'll tell us everything we need to know."

"If you hurt him..." Dani started for the mutant, but Gem and Gemma grabbed her, pulling her back. They were equally worried about Greg, but knew enough about the situation to stay calm. Whatever plan Scott had would, eventually, rescue them all.

Dani pulled out of Gem and Gemma's grip, glaring at them before turning to the mutant, "What do you want to know?" she asked. "I'll tell you everything if you leave my husband alone."

"Tell us exactly what we want to hear," the mutant told her. "Why are you here?"

"Honeymoon."

"How did you find out about this place?"

"These guys right here."

"How did you get your powers?"

"Radiation poisoning."

The mutant smirked, grabbing the chair and taking a seat. He leaned back slightly, "This is why we don't believe you city-slickers. You're all full of crap."

"A honeymoon is when two people who just got married take a vacation," Dani explained. "They go away somewhere nice. Corinth City and NewTech are so... city-ish, that it was best to just get away. Eagle Squad discovered this Oasis on a mission and reported it back to the commander, my Aunt. That's how we found out. End of story, let my husband go."

"You expect me to believe that?" the mutant asked. "For years I've seen people like you fight against creatures like us. Power Rangers, I think they were called..."

"They fought evil," Scott said. "You're a son of a bitch, but I don't believe you're fully evil."

"My brothers come from around the world," the mutant said, "They don't know Power Rangers like I do... but they do know a threat when they see it."

"You're all from around the world?" Gem asked.

"Yes, we're from around the world! Different cultures, different pasts... but we've used our experiences to survive out here after you city-folks left us for dead! It's been six years since we've been on our own. We've lived in peace until you and lover boy show up!"

"How do you live in peace with Venjix...?" Gem started, but his sister nudged him in the ribs.

Dani growled loudly in frustration, holding her hands to her head as she glared hatefully at the creature holding her inside the room.

"I'll admit, right now I really want to hurt you. I wanted to hurt you from the moment you hit my husband over the head! But before _you_ attacked _us_, I didn't want to hurt you! I had no idea you existed!"

"And that's why we don't trust you," the mutant said. He shut his eyes. "Takeo, the female's willing to talk."

"Takeo..." Dani frowned. She looked over at Scott, then the Boom-Twins, "That's a Japanese name. Aunt Leah and Uncle Cam used to tell me Japanese names all the time when I was a kid. I thought they were always so funny."

"Like I said," the mutant nodded, "We're from all over the world."

Dani nodded, "You said you knew about the Power Rangers..."

"There will be no questions!" the mutant shouted.

"You're from America, aren't you?" Dani asked. "That's how you knew about the Power Rangers. You grew up with them."

"Is there a point to this?" the mutant asked.

"The voice in the other room... who was he? He spoke English too..."

"We all speak a little of the other languages," the mutant said. "However, right now, I wouldn't be concerned about where we come from... but more about what's happening to your husband."

Scott shook his head and stepped over to the mutant. He held the communicator in his hand and waved it in the mutant's face.

"You don't know Summer like we do," he smirked.

-----Afterlife-----

"Hayden, are you there?" Summer spoke into a communicator as she stood before the lake. "Hayden..."

"_Sorry! Engel dropped her building blocks all over the floor!"_

"Where's the entrance to the bunker?"

"_Find the hollow tree. There should still be a rope going down into the trunk from when Scott, Gem and Gemma went in."_

"Over here!" Mike called, waving his friends over. Summer gave the communicator back to Dillon and ran over.

"How are we going to get down?" Ziggy asked.

"We climb," Flynn shrugged.

"This would be easier if we knew how far down this went," Mike said, looking down the trunk. "I can barely see the ground from here."

"But you can see it," Samantha said, patting her cousin on the back. "At least we know there's ground to land on."

"What's at the bottom?" Dillon asked.

"Whoever goes down first should check it out," Ziggy stated, before five sets of eyes turned to him. He groaned loudly, "Why do I always do that?"

"C'mon, man," Flynn smirked, "Take one for the team."

"You were a great distraction last time," Summer nodded.

Ziggy grabbed onto the rope, "Fine, I'll do it. But you're all a bunch of cowards."

Dillon chuckled as he went to check the rope, making sure it was secure for his friend as Ziggy began to scurry his way down. When his feet reached the bottom, he looked around. When he was sure there was nothing in sight, he called back up to the surface.

"We're good. Come on down."

Samantha sprouted her wings and grabbed Summer and Flynn in her arms. She flew them down before going back up for Dillon and Mike. When the six of them were down, Ziggy glared at Samantha.

"You couldn't have done that the first time?" he asked her. Samantha shrugged.

"We needed bait in case there was someone here."

"C'mon, guys," Summer called, already taking off down the long hallway, "We need to hurry."

The others followed her as they ran, checking every door on the way. All of them were locked, and the closer they got to the end of the hallway, the more their panic grew.

Suddenly, a creature walked out of a room, dragging Greg behind him. The former Rangers grouped together and stood defensively.

The creature noticed the six newcomers and turned to face them slowly. His face, as well as his chest and his right arm and leg were scared heavily by burns that disfigured him greatly. He was barely recognisable as a human, aside from his figure.

The creature began to speak, but in a language that the others couldn't recognise. They did turn to Flynn, hoping he could help out thanks to his new powers, but the mechanic shrugged.

"I don't know the language," he said. "I need to know if I can understand."

The man spoke again and Mike picked up on a few words. Having grown up in the Wind and Thunder Ninja Academies, he heard Sensei Watanabe and Sensei Omino speaking the same language as the creature before him. It also helped that he spend a lot of time with his Uncle Cam and his Aunt Leanne while training.

He tapped Flynn on the arm, "It's Japanese."

"How the hell do you know that," Dillon frowned. "It's just a bunch of sounds put together."

"I know, okay," Mike said. "Both the Watanabes and the Ominos are Japanese. They speak it fluently."

"Leanne's Japanese?" Samantha asked.

"Half," Mike nodded, "Her real first name is Sakura. Sensei Omino chose it, while her mom chose Leanne."

Now that he understood the language, Flynn could speak with the creature.

"Who are you?" he asked. There was a response and when the creature was done, Flynn turned to the others.

"He said he called his brothers," he frowned.

"Ask him what he's doing with Greg," Ziggy said.

"Disposing of him," the creature answered, speaking English flawlessly and without accent. The Rangers frowned, looking in shock as the creature replied. Only a few seconds ago they were struggling to communicate, and now he was speaking their language.

The creature continued, "His lover is willing to talk. Once she does, we'll dispose of her and her friends as well."

Ziggy tapped Mike on the shoulder, "Do I suddenly understand Japanese?"

"They've stepped foot on our land and have disturbed our peace," the creature said. "We've been alone for years, and now you city-men have come to hurt us further. We won't let it happen."

"Okay, just let go of our friend, and we can figure out this misunderstanding..." Dillon stopped when the creature was suddenly backed up by three others, all scared and burned like he was.

"Takeo, what do we have here?" a tall, dark man asked.

"It seems Austin was wrong," Takeo answered, "The backup was arriving."

The dark man growled, causing the other two to look over at him.

"It doesn't matter, Mamello," one of them spoke, and he seemed to be the only one with a hint of an accent. From what little he said, the former Rangers could guess he had most likely been living in New Zealand before Venjix. "We still have the upper hand. So there are a few more..."

"This wasn't the plan, Caleb," the fourth man spoke.

"It doesn't matter what the plan was, Olivier," Mamello said, "As long as we keep our land from these city people."

"Where are the others?" Samantha pressed. She looked at the four creatures before her, "What have you done with them?"

"That is up to Austin," Caleb grinned.

Samantha clenched her teeth and turned to Summer, waiting for the signal. Summer stepped forward.

"We don't want to hurt you if we don't have to," she said. "You have our friends, we want them back."

"We can't give them back," Olivier spoke. "We want answers, and lover girl's going to give them to us."

"Answers for what?" Dillon asked.

"Why she and her partner were here and what they wanted with us."

"We want nothing to do with you," Summer told the four men. "We had no idea you guys were out here. If you want we can take you back to the city so you can be shelt..."

Takeo rushed forward, slamming Summer into the wall and pressing his arm against her throat. Dillon and the others were about to jump in to help her when the other three creatures jumped in their way.

"We don't want to go to the stupid cities!" Takeo shouted, glaring at Summer. "It's because of the cities, and the people living inside, that we're trapped out here."

"Trapped?" Ziggy asked.

"The city shields closed before we could make it inside," Caleb explained. "You locked us out and left us to survive on our own in the wastes! We were poisoned, burned and left for dead! We found this place and made it our home! Now you've come and sent spies to finish us off!"

"What are you talking about?" Samantha asked.

"Don't play the fool!" Mamello frowned. "We're mutated! We have powers, we're hideous and we're powerful. We know you normal humans would believe we're a threat to you! And what do humans to do threats? They take them out!"

"Like what you're trying to do?" Mike asked. He motioned to Summer, "Let her go."

Takeo shook his head, "We're protecting ourselves. Survival of the fittest. Only the strong survive."

Summer grabbed Takeo's arm and tried to push it away from her throat to give herself some air. She took a short, but deep breath before Takeo pushed back. However, he couldn't hold onto her for long. Summer opened her mouth and screamed loudly.

The four creatures, as well as her friends were sent backwards a couple of feet, and Summer dropped to her knees. The Rangers recovered quickly, not as fazed by Summer's sonic scream as the mutants and ran to her side.

Dillon helped his wife to her feet and led the team down the hallways. Mike was sure to grab Greg before he followed the others.

Olivier got up and punched the wall beside him. He turned to his brothers, "What the hell was that?"

"It seems the cities are trying to fight fire with fire," Takeo answered. "Send out their own mutants to destroy us."

Mamello closed his eyes, "Austin, kill them all."

-----Afterlife-----

Austin stood in silence, glaring at Scott as the Eagle Squad leader smirked proudly.

"You told your backup to turn around," he said.

Scott nodded, "I did, but Summer's never been one to leave her friends for dead. I knew she wouldn't follow my orders and she would come after us. I let you hear what you wanted to hear."

Austin growled, "Well played, chief..."

He paused, closing his eyes for a moment. Scott, Dani, Gem and Gemma looked at him. He was talking with his brothers, they were sure of that. They waited, dreading the orders he was receiving.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and a malicious smirk appeared on his lips. He turned his gaze to Dani. She screamed, holding her head in pain as she dropped to her knees again. Gemma fell beside her, holding the red head in her arms while Gem and Scott rushed for the mutant.

Austin grabbed Scott by the back of the neck and tossed him into Gem, knocking them both to the ground. He reached for the chair and picked it up. When Scott scrambled to get to his feet, Austin slammed the chair down on his back.

Gem rolled away as Scott hit the ground again and jumped back up. Austin noticed this from the corner of his eye and charged for Gem, knocking him into the wall. He grabbed Gem's face in his hand and smashed the back of his head against the wall. Gem slumped to the floor unconscious.

Gemma let go of Dani and stood before her protectively. Austin grinned. He bent over and grabbed Gem's foot. He slid the boy forward slightly before tossing him at Gemma.

Gemma caught her brother but this gave Austin the opportunity he needed. He dove for Gemma while she was holding Gem, hitting her in the ribs with his shoulder. He heard a crack as Gemma slumped to the ground. To be sure she was out, he kicked her head.

Dani started to recover from the mental attack, but knew she wouldn't be able to defend herself against the mutant. She backed away from him pathetically as he tried to advance on her.

Scott still wasn't unconscious. When he could finally move again, he pushed the chair debris off and reached for his handgun. Though it would have no long term effect against the mutant, it would hopefully be able to take him out for the meantime. He quickly aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.

Austin heard the click before the trigger was pulled and jumped out of the way. The bullet missed him, hitting Daniela in the stomach instead.

Satisfied with the results, Austin turned away from Dani and back to Scott.

"There goes the team," he said.

Scott clutched his mid-section and got to his feet. He dropped his gun and held his hands up in the air.

"I give," he sighed. "You win."

Austin shook his head as he picked up the gun and pointed it at Scott.

"I won't win until you're dead, chief."


	52. The Fight

Kelly walked into the garage, scowling under her breath as she looked around for any sign of life. Flynn hadn't punched in for work, and she was here to figure out why.

She saw Dani's race car had been left in the back, as well as the one car she had sent over to Flynn from her shop. If he didn't get it done on time, it would reflect badly on her and her store, and she would have to pull out of the deal before Storm Chargers lost all its business.

RJ stepped into the Garage behind his wife and touched her shoulder. Kelly turned to him and sighed.

"Who's watching the parlour?" she asked.

"Dom and Fran are covering for me," he answered.

Hannah walked in as well and kicked a spare tire, "No one's here, mom," she said. "All the Rangers left for a mission."

"How do you know this?" Kelly asked her daughter. Hannah shrugged.

"I seem to be the only one in the family who watches the news," she said. "Apparently they found life outside the dome and Eagle Squad needed Ranger back-up. Flynn went out to help the others."

Kelly shook her head, "And he left the garage empty. I'm going to have to have a talk with that boy."

"I don't see what the big deal is," RJ asked. "He's doing something more important that fixing cars. He's saving the world."

"He needs the money, RJ," Kelly groaned. "He needs it really bad! One mission isn't going to help things at all, even if he gets paid for it! He has to learn to balance work with real life."

"It was an emergency..."

"Emergency my ass," Kelly interrupted Hannah, "If he's serious about getting this place off the ground he should have hired someone to pick up the slack while he was away..."

Kelly turned to her daughter with a malicious smirk on her face. Hannah looked up at her mother, then to her father. RJ shrugged. When Kelly had an idea, it was usually best not to ask.

Hannah gulped, "Why do I get the feeling this involves me?"

"You're getting a job," Kelly said, patting her daughter on the shoulder. Hannah groaned loudly.

"Mom, I already have two, plus school!" Hannah groaned. "I can't balance three jobs, schoolwork, school itself and my own life."

"You're not," Kelly smirked. She grabbed RJ's arm and pulled her husband aside for a moment. RJ could tell where this was going, but didn't say a word. When Kelly had an idea, there was no interrupting her flow. "I need you to give Hannah a break at JKP."

RJ frowned and shook his head, "No, when we agreed to have only one kid, we agreed there would be no cutting of the shifts! I need my little girl! She's the best waitress I have."

"Just until Flynn and Dani learn their lesson," Kelly said. "I'm transferring Hannah away from Storm Chargers to work here."

"Can you do that?"

"Technically, for the moment, I own this place," Kelly nodded. "If Flynn and Dani aren't going to get the work done, then they'll pay someone to do it."

"But I thought they were strapped for cash," RJ frowned, "That's what you..."

"That's exactly why I'm hiring Hannah," Kelly smirked. "If they want to hold onto money, they'll have to work for it. If they keep running off, Hannah gets it."

"Ohh, more money," Hannah grinned.

Kelly turned to her daughter, "Hopefully not. Now get to work, kiddo. You can leave Dani's car for Flynn when he gets back, but the other cars needs to be finished before tomorrow."

"How much will I be making for this?" Hannah asked her mother. Kelly shrugged.

"As much as the guy pays you," Kelly answered. "I don't care if Flynn's already started working on this car. He left this job incomplete. You're picking up his slack, you'll make the money."

"Can you do that?" Hannah asked.

"If I want to teach these kids a lesson I can," Kelly nodded.

"Won't that be stealing business, though?" RJ frowned.

Kelly shook her head, "The work will still be done by the garage. I've just hired someone who will get the job done. In the end, Flynn and Dani get the credit; they just don't get the money!"

"I do!" Hannah giggled as she picked up a toolbox. "Don't worry, mom. I'll be the best money hog you've ever seen! These two won't see a dime unless they start picking up the slack around here."

Kelly kissed her daughter on the top of her head before she got to work on the car. Hannah picked up the clipboard to see if Flynn left any notes on its condition.

RJ looked to his wife, "It doesn't matter if she's my best waitress or not... you're still going to make me put her on hold, aren't you?"

"It's all for the good of the family," Kelly nodded. She kissed RJ, "I'll make it up to..."

Hannah began slamming the hammer on a metal plate resting on the ground, creating as much noise as she could to drown out her parents. Kelly and RJ giggled, leaving their daughter alone.

-----Afterlife-----

Scott shut his eyes, waiting for the bullet to hit him. He heard the loud bang of the gun and time seemed to slow down. His muscles tighten, bracing for impact when he felt someone charge into him, knocking him to the ground. He landed on his side roughly but didn't feel the bullet hit him.

He looked up at the person that ran into him and saw a large wing. It was wrapped around protectively. He rolled over and saw his wife lying on the ground behind him, hissing in pain.

"Samantha!" he shouted, sitting up and looking down at her. She looked up at him with a weak smile.

"I'm okay," she said. "He just got my wing."

Scott breathed a sigh of relief. It still wasn't good that the bullet hit Samantha's wing, but it was better than anywhere else. She could survive with a damaged wing. He helped her to her feet and turned around to face the mutant.

He saw the other Rangers were in a rough battle with him and were being tossed around everywhere.

"These guys are tough," Samantha whispered, retracting her good wing, and pulling her injured one as close to her body as possible to avoid any more damage.

"The one took out the four of us," Scott nodded. "The five of them can easily overpower us without breaking a sweat."

Ziggy lifted the door off its hinges and tossed it to the mutant. Austin ducked out of its way, letting the door fly over his head. Ziggy heard a loud scream and quickly realised his attack hit one of his friends.

Austin took this to his advantage and jumped Ziggy, grabbing him in a choke hold. While Ziggy struggled for breath, Austin used him as a shield. The Rangers regrouped together. They didn't want to hurt Ziggy by accident.

Summer looked around, trying to come up with a plan. However, she noticed Mike was missing. She desperately searched the room for him.

Austin lifted his hand, "Under there."

He pointed to where Ziggy had tossed the door. Summer looked over in horror as Scott and Samantha lifted the heavy metal off the former D-Green Ranger. Ziggy gulped loudly.

"My bad..."

Samantha leaned over her cousin, "Mike... Mike can you hear me?"

Mike didn't stir. There was no response coming from him at all. Scott ran his hand through his hair. He glanced over at Gem, Gemma, Dani and Greg. The four of them were out as well.

"I didn't even need to work for that one," Austin chuckled.

"There are still six of us!" Scott shouted. Austin rolled his eyes.

"Like I said before, it will only take two of us to kill six normal humans..."

Austin paused as the rest of his brothers joined him, standing behind him with smirks on their faces. They were obviously prepared for the fight coming up.

"Good thing we're not normal than," Dillon said, glancing over at his wife. Summer nodded, thrusting herself forward as she let out a loud scream. The Rangers covered their ears to block out the noise, but the mutants were too slow to respond. They dropped to their knees and clutched their heads in pain.

"_Massacre-la!"_ Olivier shouted, communicating with his brothers in his head. They nodded slowly. With support from the other brothers, they all managed to drown out the screaming and get back to their feet.

"Fuck..." Dillon groaned when the five mutants charged. Four of them went for the Rangers, while Austin grabbed Summer by the throat. The yellow Ranger could no longer scream as she was lifted off the ground.

Dillon shouted, "Let her go!"

He ran to protect his wife, but Takeo charged after him. He grabbed him from behind and drove his knee into the small of Dillon's back. The Black Ranger turned around, swinging his arm to connect with Takeo's face.

The mutant lifted his arm up for a block and grabbed Dillon's. He twisted it painfully behind his back and drove Dillon into the wall. To take him out, he popped Dillon's shoulder out of the socket. While the black Ranger was screaming in pain, Takeo hit him in the temple.

Dillon slumped to the ground.

Summer grabbed onto Austin's wrist, pulling herself up slightly and kicking her legs forward. She hit Austin in his stomach, causing him to let go. When she tried to run for Dillon Mamello grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up again.

"Seriously?" Summer groaned, throwing her head back, hoping to connect with Mamello. He threw his head forward. When both heads collide, Summer slumped forward. Mamello dropped her and rubbed his head.

"She's a lot more hard-headed than I thought..." he groaned, slamming his foot down on her forehead.

Scott growled. That left only four Rangers against five mutants. He grabbed Ziggy, Samantha and Flynn to stand together in a group.

"We don't stand a chance," he said. "We need to find another way."

Caleb chuckled as he approached the Rangers, leading the five brothers.

"You're not leaving this place alive," he said.

Scott took a step forward, "Okay... look. I'm sure we can all talk this out..."

Olivier held his hand out for Austin to give him the gun. The mutant tossed it over, and Olivier aimed it at the remaining Rangers.

"Austin's shot missed," he said, and Samantha glanced back at her wing. "But he's the fighter. I'm the one with the sharp shot."

He pulled the trigger and Scott threw himself in front of his team, receiving the bullet in the back. He landed on the ground roughly, crying out in pain.

Samantha spread her wings, and though it hurt, she flapped them and lifted herself in the air. The mutants dropped their gun and glared up at her.

"Caleb!" Mamello called and Caleb ran over to the broken chair. Samantha swooped down, trying to grab him before he could launch an attack. Caleb ducked just out of her reach and slid himself on the ground. He grabbed a large piece of wood and threw it at Samantha.

She gasped loudly, hoping to fly up higher to avoid the hit, but the makeshift spear hit her in the other wing, piercing through and pinning her to the ceiling. Samantha cried out, trying to pull herself free.

Caleb bolted over to Mike and lifted the door off the fallen Ranger. He held it up and glanced at the injured Angel.

"What a pest," he said, jumping up and squeezing Samantha between the large door and the ceiling. When he landed back on the ground, he looked up and saw Samantha was hanging limp from her wing.

Flynn and Ziggy were wide eyed as they exchanged worried looks. The five brothers grouped together and laughed.

"And just like that," Takeo said, "There are two left."

"We can help you," Flynn said, hoping to reason before he or Ziggy got hurt.

"You've done enough!"

"Please!" Ziggy shouted, "You said you couldn't trust us because we hurt you! Look around!"

Ziggy motioned to his friends, lying injured on the ground.

"We've done nothing to you! You attacked us! You hurt our friends!"

"You left us to die!"

"We needed to raise the shield!" Flynn said. "Venjix was getting too close! If we wanted humanity to survive we had to retreat! We didn't want to leave people like you in the wastes, but there was nothing we could do!"

"You could have fought!" Olivier shouted. "Fought long and hard!"

"We did!" Ziggy said. "We were the Power Rangers! We fought Venjix and defeated him! We saved the world."

"You saved yourselves," Caleb spat. "You didn't care for those of us who didn't make it inside."

"We had no choice!" Flynn cried. He looked over at his friends, unsure of their fates. He knew he had to try something. "If you kill us now, you'll never get the answers. Some of us are very important to the city..."

"Like who?" Mamello asked.

Ziggy pointed to Scott, "He's leader of Corinth's Eagle Squad. Eagle Squad is the military unit that protects Corinth city and NewTech from outside threats. His job is to search for signs of life and to make peace with them."

"Make peace?" Austin frowned. "Look at what he's done."

"You attacked us!" Ziggy yelled. "If you had just let us talk this wouldn't have happened."

Austin shook his head, "Whatever. I don't care about the chief."

"Then what about them?" Flynn pointed to Samantha, then to Summer. "They are the daughters of the two world leaders."

Mamello smirked and turned to Caleb and Takeo. They nodded and advanced towards Samantha and Summer.

"No!" Flynn shouted, rushing forward and grabbing Takeo. The mutant pushed Flynn away and dropping into an offensive stance. Flynn covered himself, "That's not what I meant. We can get you a meeting with the world leaders and we can figure something out. Something that works for our cities and for you."

"A meeting?" Olivier asked.

"A sit down! A talk! A whatever you want to call it! We can reach an understanding!"

"It's too late!" Mamello screamed. "No parent will make a deal with the things that hurt their daughters! And we don't want a deal! We want to live in peace!"

"We can arrange that!" Ziggy said. "Please, just trust us!"

Takeo shook his head, "No."

He kicked Flynn in the head and the blue Ranger slumped to the ground. Ziggy let out a small shriek. He was on his own.

"Please! Don't do this!" he cried out. "Kira and Kaylee are reasonable women! If you explain yourselves..."

"We shouldn't have to explain ourselves to them!" Austin said. "They should explain themselves to us! They betrayed us!"

"Okay, okay!" Ziggy nodded. "I understand... but you're no better than them! They left you for dead, as well as millions of other innocent people. But we were all just kids when this happened. There was nothing we could do. If you kill us, you'll be doing the same thing as them. You'll be no better than them!"

Caleb shook his head and stepped forward, but Mamello held him back.

"The small one makes a point," he said. "We've hated what the city's done to us, but look at what we've done to the city."

"They deserve it," Takeo scoffed.

"We can make it up to you! I swear!"

"What about our appearances?" Olivier asked. "We used to be human; we know how we judge people who are different."

Ziggy had to think on his toes. Olivier was right about human judgment.

"New Dawn's center!" he cried out.

"New Dawn?" Caleb laughed. "What's that?"

"A center... it's a place where people who have been hurt by the Venjix attacks can go! The owner, Dawn, used to be different, like you guys... kinda... she won't judge you, and she'll help you all find a place where you belong. Inside the city or out!"

Mamello let out a small smile, "Alright, we'll take you up on your deal," he said, causing his brothers to look at him funny. "However, we keep the important ones here. If we sense anything fishy going on, the three of them die."

"No!" Ziggy shouted, "They're all hurt! They all need help! They'll die if they don't get help right away!"

Mamello nodded, "Then the deal better be good."


	53. In the City

"Kaylee! Kaylee!" Ziggy cried, throwing himself around the corner as he bolted into the command center. "Kaylee!"

Hayden dropped the toys, leaving Engel to play on her own as she rushed over to Ziggy.

"Mom's at home," she said. "What's wrong?"

"We need her!"

Just as Ziggy said this, Austin, Mamello, Caleb, Olivier and Takeo stepped in behind him. Hayden saw their disfigured appearances and cringed.

"You said you could take us to the leader," Takeo growled, grabbing Ziggy by the back of the neck. Hayden frowned.

"Let him go," she said, ripping Ziggy away from Takeo. "I just need to call her over. She should be here in a few minutes."

"She better be on her way," Austin nodded. He grabbed a chair from a desk and sat down, kicking his feet up while the others followed.

Mamello noticed little Engle looking up at him. She held her toys tight in her hands with a look of confusion and horror plastered on her face. As Hayden went to the phone to call her mom, she picked up the child.

"Is she yours?" Mamello asked. Hayden put the phone to her ear and turned.

"She's my niece."

"Niece?"

Ziggy nodded, "Her sister's daughter."

"Where is her sister?" Mamello asked.

"You nailed her to the ceiling and smashed her with the door."

Mamello turned to look at the child. It was obvious that Engel was aware of the danger in the room, but she wasn't quite sure what was going on.

Engel looked back at Mamello for a moment, examining his face, before burying her own in her aunt's chest, hiding away from the monsters before her. She let out a small scream as she began to cry.

Hayden passed the phone over to Ziggy and started to leave the room. Just as she got to the door, Austin stepped her in her way, holding his arm up to block her path.

"No one's leaving."

"I'll be right back," Hayden said. "I'm just bringing her down to Vasquez. She can't stay in here."

"No one is leaving!" Austin repeated, his words growing harsh.

Hayden sighed and turned back around, kissing Engel on the top of the head and rocking her gently to sooth her.

"Kaylee!" Ziggy cried when his former mentor picked up the phone. "You have to get to the command center right away! We have a problem!"

_ZWOP!_

Ziggy heard the noise and turned, with the phone still in his hand. He saw Kaylee standing before him. Slowly, he hung up the phone and nodded slowly.

"Well, that was... fast..." he said.

"You!" Takeo shouted, pointing to the newcomer, his loud voice booming in the room. Engel sobbed louder.

"Mommy!" she screamed. Hayden tried to hush her gently, bobbing her up and down and whispering gentle words in her ear. But Engel wouldn't be calmed without her mother telling her it was okay. "Mommy!"

Takeo held his hand over his ears, "Shut her up!"

"We can't," Hayden told him.

"Get her her mother then!"

"Where is she?" Hayden asked.

Ziggy pointed to the ceiling, "She's actually nailed to the ceiling in the bunker..."

Hayden gasped with eyes wide as she turned to her mother. Kaylee had much of the same look. She glared at Takeo and the other four mutants.

"What do you want?"

"Answers," Caleb said. "Why did you raise the shields?"

"What?" Kaylee frowned. She turned to Ziggy and Hayden, "What do you mean..."

"We've been lost in the Wastelands for years!" Olivier shouted. "All because you gave the order to raise the goddamned shields!

Kaylee shook her head, "You're outsiders."

"We're mutated!" Oliver screamed, "We look like this because you raised the shields! We'll never be normal again!"

"Okay, calm down," Kaylee said.

Olivier growled, "Shut up! Ferme ta gueule! C'est ta faute! C'est tout de ta faute!"

Kaylee chuckled softly, shaking her head from side to side, "Tu viens donc de la France?"

Olivier was stunned for a moment, surprised Kaylee had understood him. He took a deep breath.

"We want answers," he said.

"Why the hell did you close the shields?"

"I didn't," Kaylee told him. "The Colonel did. He made the call to close the shields. But he was right to do it. The Grinders were closing in; we were losing soldiers... if we hadn't made that call Corinth City wouldn't be here."

"You should have fought harder!" Austin shouted, slamming his hand down on the desk.

"We fought as hard as we could," Kaylee explained.

Mamello sighed, "Okay... so you closed the shields."

"We did. We didn't want to leave millions of people without shelter, but we had to protect humanity."

"Were you aware there were people still out there?"

Kaylee nodded, "It's inevitable. We didn't know there were people living like you, but I was sure we were going to run into life at some point."

"So you sent out an army to take us down?" Takeo asked.

Kaylee frowned, "What..."

"He means Dani and Greg."

"They understood us!" Takeo shouted. "They had powers like ours! They could have easily wiped us out!"

Ziggy rubbed the back of his neck, "I think that's a bit of a stretch..."

Kaylee frowned but looked around, realising Ziggy was on his own.

"Where's the rest of the team?" she asked him.

Ziggy cringed, "About that..."

"You're team is back at the base," Olivier said. "Our base. You won't get them back until we get our answers..."

"The right answers," Caleb added.

Hayden held onto her niece tighter, "You can't do that!"

"Shut up!"

"Her parents are in there!" Hayden shouted. "She doesn't know they're gone!"

"She's a kid!" Takeo said, "She doesn't know anything."

"She knows mommy's missing," Hayden said.

Engel looked up at her aunt in horror. Until now the words hadn't been said. She had only been aware there was a problem. She held onto her Aunt, clutching her arm, "Mommy..."

Hayden squeezed her niece gently, "It's okay, Angel..."

"Mommy hurt?"

"Your mother's dying!" Austin teased, moving his face only inches away from Engel's. He pointed over his shoulder to Caleb, "He's going to make sure she..."

Engel screamed loudly, swinging her fist and hitting Austin in the face. He pulled back as Engel started kicking and screaming loudly.

Mamello grabbed Austin's shoulder and pulled him back in line. He glared at the smaller man.

"Shut up!" he growled. "Leave the child out of this."

Austin shrugged, "C'mon, man. I'm just having some fun."

Mamello didn't seem happy, "Leave the child alone."

Austin threw his hands in the air, "Okay... okay... Have it your way."

Mamello turned back to Hayden and looked down at Engel. He took a deep breath.

"Your mother will be fine," he told her. He glanced up at Hayden, "Take her somewhere else. She doesn't need to be here."

Hayden nodded and moved for the door. When she was gone, Mamello turned to Kaylee.

"Our answers?"

"Your questions?" Kaylee retorted, smirking.

"Why were the two lovers spying on us? Why did you send them to our home? Why can't you humans just let us live in peace?"

Kaylee frowned, "I didn't send anyone to spy on you. Two newlyweds were sent to what we call the Oasis on a honeymoon. They were outside of the dome to get some alone time, away from life."

"That's what they said," Takeo scoffed.

"It's true, though!" Ziggy added. "Dani and Greg were only out there on a honeymoon."

"We had no idea you guys were there," Kaylee said. "I assure you, if we had known, we would have sent a team to make peace. There wouldn't have been any wars between us."

"How can we take your word for it?" Austin asked. "You're the leader of the enemy. You could be lying to us."

Kaylee pointed to a stack of files, "All our missions are saved in folders in that stack," she said. "Completed, failed, disregarded... even some pranks are in there. Look through everything! I swear you won't find a single plan of attack on you or the Oasis."

Austin looked back at the rest of his team. They shrugged.

"It's a start," Caleb said. "Get us all your files... from this city and from NewTech."

Olivier turned to Ziggy, "You!" he shouted, pointing to the door, "Get lost!"

Ziggy looked to Kaylee. She nodded and he ran for the door.

Olivier watched him leave before he turned back to Kaylee, "You're staying here until we get our answers."

"That's fine," Kaylee nodded, grabbing a chair and taking a seat.

-Afterlife-

After Mamello let her leave with Engel, Hayden quickly made her way over to the New Dawn's Center. She had learned that the rest of her team were still back at the Oasis, obviously very injured and she couldn't just leave them to suffer while monsters held her mother and Ziggy hostage upstairs, looking for answers that didn't exist.

She ran up to the door and began pounding on it. Engel had calm down quite a bit since leaving the command center, but was still slightly distressed. She started helping her Aunt, screaming so Dawn would hear her.

Dawn rushed to the door, opening it and stepping outside, shutting the door behind her. She turned to her cousin, "I'm busy! What?"

"There's trouble..."

"Hayden, I can't help right now," Dawn frowned. "Emily and Dean are inside with some doctors. They're giving Emily her arm back."

"That's great, congrats," Hayden said. She shifted Engel from one hip to the other so she could speak privately with Dawn, "But this is emergency people are dying trouble."

"People are dying?" Dawn asked. "Like the elderly?"

"Dawn!" Hayden cried, growing more and more annoyed. "Dani and Greg went on their honeymoon..."

"A week without the creepy little speed demon," Dawn nodded, "Heaven on earth."

"Apparently there were these mutant creatures there," Hayden explained. "They kidnapped Dani and Greg. I sent Eagle Squad in for help, but they were overpowered. I sent the other Rangers and Sammy in for backup, and Ziggy's come back! The others are still out there, dying!"

Dawn couldn't find the right words to say. She had not been informed about any of this, and now her entire family was in danger of dying.

"Wait... what... what?"

Hayden nodded, "Yeah."

"What happened out there?" Dawn asked. "Who are these guys?"

"I don't know... Ziggy came back and they took over my mom's office..."

"Ziggy came back?" Dawn frowned. "You didn't go out there with him?"

"I couldn't," Hayden said, shaking her head.

"Why not?"

"It doesn't matter!" Hayden cried. "These people are bad! All of Corinth is in trouble! We need to go out there and rescue everyone before they die!"

Dawn turned back to the front door of her center and took a deep breath, "The doctors should be finishing up now... Just give me a few minutes with Emily and Dean and I'll come with you."

Hayden nodded, smiling brightly as Dawn went back inside to explain her situation to Dean and Emily. Hayden looked down at her niece and sighed.

"I don't think you should come with us, Engel," she whispered.

"Save mama," Engel nodded, crossing her little arms over her chest. She gave her Aunt a determined look, but Hayden refused, shaking her head.

"I don't want you seeing things," she said. She knocked on the door to the center and stepped inside, finding Dawn teaching Emily how to use her knew, robotic arm. Hayden noticed it looked very real, but couldn't focus on that at the moment. She noticed Dean sitting away from his daughter and girlfriend and walked over to him. He looked up at her sadly.

"Dawn said there was Ranger trouble," he said. Hayden nodded.

"She and I need to go."

Dean reached out, taking Engel from Hayden's arms, "If you'd like, I could take her to Elena's place. I know where it is."

Hayden let out a deep breath, "Really?"

"Yeah. We were headed there anyways. Emily's excited to show Elena her new arm. I can tell Tori and Blake you had to leave for an emergency."

"Thank you," Hayden nodded. Engel protested as Dean pulled her away, but a small smile and a nod from Hayden told her no amount of arguing would change the facts.

Dawn approached her cousin, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Ready, princess?"

Hayden nodded, "I'm ready."

Hayden's hand instinctively went to her stomach as she thought about the danger she was putting herself and her unborn child in. Even though the five monsters were inside the city, and she was going on a simple rescue mission, there was no telling what leaving the safety of the dome truly meant. She was sure she would be fine, after all, she was a healer, but there was still the matter of what was in store for her family.


	54. Backup

Kira ran into the Corinth City command center, clutching all her files from NewTech against her chest. When she reached the top floor the doors barely had time to open before a strong pair of hands grabbed her, pulling her inside the room and throwing her into the center. Kira groaned loudly as she got to her feet.

"Hi," Kaylee said, sitting in a chair looking bored out of her mind. Kira looked over at her best friend and frowned.

"I brought the papers," she said, holding up all the files. Suddenly, the same hands that grabbed her took the files from her hands.

"Maybe these will have the answers we're looking for."

Kira glanced over her shoulder and saw five monsters destroying her best friend's office as they looked through all her papers. She turned over to Kaylee.

"Is this why I was brought here?" she asked. Kaylee nodded.

"They won't let me go until they find the answers they're looking for," she said.

Kira got up to her feet and grabbed a chair next to her best friend. She looked over at Kaylee curiously.

"What are they looking for?" she asked.

Kaylee shrugged, "I'm not too sure anymore..." Kaylee paused, taking a deep breath. Kira placed her hand on her friend's back gently. Kaylee turned to her, "but I don't think they're going to find it."

-----Afterlife-----

"Jason! I told you to pick up your toys!" Tori yelled as she tripped over a box filled with electronics. Jason ran down the stairs, rescuing his box from the ground.

"They aren't toys," he told his mother. "They're my video games!"

"And they cost more than this house," Blake called from the couch. He looked over at his son, "Don't leave them lying around."

"Fine," Jason grumbled. As he scurried up the stairs the doorbell rang. Tori reached over and opened it, finding a man standing on her doorstep with her granddaughter.

"Um..." she frowned, reaching to take Engel from this man, "Who are you?"

"I'm Dawn's boyfriend," Dean explained, "Emily's father..."

"Oh, right!" Tori nodded. Elena ran to the door from the kitchen, finding her way to the front yard, where Emily was waiting to show her her new arm.

"Sorry to bother you," Dean smiled, "But Emily was really excited..."

"Don't worry about it," Tori said, "But... what are you doing with Engel?"

"Hayden dropped by the center and said she needed Dawn for something important," Dean explained. "Some kind of emergency..."

"Emergency?" Tori frowned. Dean shrugged.

"Something Ranger related, I guess," he said. "She couldn't take Engel with her..."

"What about her parents?" Tori asked.

Again Dean shrugged, "Hayden looked like she was in a hurry. I just offered to take her over here. I was on my way anyways..."

"Mama hurt," Engel whispered into Tori's ear. Tori looked down at her granddaughter.

"What about daddy?" she asked.

Engel shrugged, "No see dada. Tati taking care of me..."

"Why was she taking care of... where were mommy, daddy and Scott?"

"Tati save them!"

Tori's eyes widened. She put Engel on the ground and grabbed her keys.

"Blake, I've got to go!" she called to her husband. Blake turned to his wife, but she was already gone. He saw Dean standing alone at his front door. Dean waved.

"I'm, uh, Emily's dad... I just came to drop Engel off..."

"Where's she going?" Blake asked.

"Some kind of emergency... I'm not too sure."

Engel walked over to her grandfather, "Danger."

Blake hopped off the couch, "Jason, you're the man in charge! Keep an eye on your sister and Engel for me, please!"

Jason walked out of his bedroom upstairs, "What? Why? Where are you and mom going?"

"Work!"

-----Afterlife-----

After having told two teams how to get inside the underground bunker, Hayden knew her way around the Oasis. In no time at all, both herself and Dawn were walking down the long hallway, trying to find the rest of their family.

They heard a loud, piercing scream coming from further down the hall. They ran over, finding the door torn out of the wall and their missing family members scattered everywhere.

"Stay down!" Flynn yelled, keeping a hand on Scott's chest, trying to hold the red Ranger down before he looked up. Scott's eyes were fixed on the ceiling. Hayden and Dawn followed and immediately understood why. Hayden gasped loudly.

"Samantha!" she called, running under the spot where her sister was hanging. By now she was awake and aware she was pinned by her wing to the ceiling, but there was nothing she could do to get herself down.

Flynn turned around when he heard his wife's voice, "Hayden."

"Not right now, Flynn," Hayden said. She looked up at her sister, "Sammy, are you okay."

"I can't move..." Samantha said, blood dripping from her mouth. Hayden stepped aside so she wasn't showered with it.

Dawn came over with a large piece of wood. She stood it up straight, kicking it into place so it was stuck between the floor and the ceiling and began to climb up. When she was close enough to the top, she reached over to her cousin.

Hayden winced as she looked up, "Careful, Dawn... I don't think it's going to hold..."

Dawn wrapped her legs around the wood and with one arm she pulled her cousin in close, holding her up slightly. With her other hand, she reached for the wood pinning her to the ceiling. She pulled it out, ignoring the loud cry from Samantha.

The Angel fell limp into her arms, throwing both Dawn and the pole off balance. Dawn held her cousin close as they crashed to the ground.

Samantha whimpered loudly as Dawn rolled off her, ready to examine her injuries. Hayden looked around.

"Okay, what happened?" she asked.

Flynn limped over to her, holding his head, "You shouldn't be here..."

Hayden shook her head, "You're all hurt! We had to come."

"We're fine," Flynn told her. He looked down at her stomach, sighing deeply, "Hayden, this is too dangerous."

"It's fine, Flynn," Hayden snapped, "But I want to know what happened."

"We were attacked," Scott said. Hayden looked at her brother in-law and rolled her eyes.

"No shit," she said.

"Who's awake," Dawn called, setting her cousin down gently as she got to her feet. There were a few weak calls from around the room, but it was obvious that not everyone responded.

Hayden sighed as she glanced at Dawn, "Headcount."

"Scott and Flynn," Dawn nodded, pointing to the two boys.

"Summer?" Hayden called.

"She's still out," Dillon muttered, crawling over to his wife. Hayden turned to him and saw he was using only one arm, the other was dragging behind. She rushed over to him and Summer, helping him sit down. Dillon tried to reach for his wife, but Hayden slapped his good hand away.

"Don't move her until we know what happened," she said. Dillon nodded. He was in no position to argue. He simply reached out to grab Summer's hand.

Dawn called for Hayden's attention and pointed to Samantha, "She's out."

"Dillon's awake," Hayden said, stating the obvious.

"Ziggy's back in Corinth," Dawn added.

"Dani and Greg?"

"I'm over here," Dani called. Dawn turned to her friend and saw Dani was leaning against a wall, clutching her stomach. There was dried blood splattered all over her shirt and some blood was still dripping out between her fingers. Dawn ran over to her, dropping by her side to check her wound.

"Greg's out?" Hayden asked Dani. She nodded sadly.

"What about the twins?" Dawn asked.

"I didn't hear them," Hayden sighed. She reached down and grabbed a sharp piece of metal that was mixed with the rest of the debris. Just as she was about to cut her hand, Flynn grabbed the tool from her.

"No," she stated firmly, throwing the metal across the room and glaring at his wife. Hayden looked up at him in shock. He shook his head, "No."

"Flynn, I have to help!"

"You'll lose way too much blood!" Flynn shouted. "We're all hurt and you're pregnant."

Dawn turned away from Dani when she heard this, "Wait, what?"

She had Dani put pressure on her own wound so she could walk over to her cousin.

"You're pregnant?"

Hayden nodded, "I couldn't tell you... we needed..."

"It's a little important!" Dawn shouted. "You're carrying a child! You ran out into the poisonous wastelands..."

"They aren't..."

"It doesn't matter!" Dawn shouted before taking a deep breath. She looked back at Hayden, "You can't help them."

"We need to do something," Hayden argued, looking from Dawn to Flynn. "There are too many of you to carry back!"

"Then it's a good thing I know you so well," Ziggy smiled, leaning against the broken doorframe. Hayden, Dawn, Flynn and Scott turned to him curiously before Leanne and David rushed in, quickly getting to work with the injured Rangers. Naturally David went to take care of his daughter first, while Leanne decided to take the most injured first.

Hayden helped her husband sit down and wait for one of the doctors before she walked over to Ziggy.

"How did you..."

"The monsters are holding your mom captive in the command center," Ziggy explained, "They kicked me out. I tried going after you but I couldn't find you anywhere. So I figured you would come out here to try and help everyone... even though you shouldn't."

Dawn frowned as she approached the pink and green Ranger, "Wait, Ziggy knew and I didn't?"

"He's on the Ranger team," Hayden said. "I needed to tell them why Samantha went in my place."

Ziggy looked over the girls' shoulders as the two doctors worked on helping his friends. He knew they needed help and was aware that Hayden was pregnant and couldn't give blood. If any of them stood a chance at survival, he needed to bring David and Leanne with him across the wastelands.

David knelt down before his daughter to inspect the wound.

"Some honeymoon," he said, lifting her hand. Dani shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she told him, "Go help Greg."

"Dani, I just want to make sure..."

"You're a doctor first," Dani whispered, "You took an oath. I'll be fine."

"Dani..."

"Don't help me," Dani said. David pulled back. He knew Dani was using his own career against him. Dani knew that he couldn't help her if she refused his help. He lowered his hands.

"I'll help Greg," he nodded.

"Make sure he wakes up," Dani told him. "He thinks I'm dead."

-----Afterlife-----

_Access denied._

Tori groaned loudly, throwing her card into the control panel as it once again locked her out. Blake grabbed her hand, holding it gently.

"You're not seriously going to let a computer keep you from protecting your baby sister and your son, are you?" he asked.

Tori smiled softly, "How else can I get in?" she asked.

Blake smirked, covering the control panel with his hand. There were a few sparks, causing Tori to jump back, but when Blake pulled his hand away the doors opened. Tori looked over at him curiously and he shrugged.

"It's broken," he chuckled.

Tori shook her head and ran inside. She quickly found her way to her sister's office. Blake kicked the doors down and the two stormed into the room.

From out of nowhere, Blake found himself avoiding a kick to the face, while Tori pulled away just before a set of arms could grab her.

"What the hell is going on?" Tori asked, spotting her sister sitting at one of the desks, with Kira sitting beside her. Kaylee looked over.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"When Engel starts telling me her parents are in trouble, I kinda want to know what's going on," Tori answered.

Austin dropped the folder he was holding in his hands and approached the two newcomers. He grabbed Tori's arm and the back of Blake's neck and pushed the forward.

"Who are they?" he asked.

"You can kill him," Kaylee shrugged, "I don't like him. But she's my sister. She wouldn't know anything."

"Glad to know you think so highly of us," Blake frowned, pulling away from Austin. He turned to Kaylee, but she simply shrugged.

"My feelings for you are obvious."

Tori gave her sister a look, "Kaylee, what's going on?"

Kaylee pointed to the five mutants, "Meet our newest problem."

"Who are these guys?"

"No," Takeo frowned, standing before Tori and Blake, "The question is, who are you?"

"I told you," Kaylee spoke up, "They don't know anything."

"You also told us we wouldn't find a single file on the Oasis," Takeo said, holding up a folder.

"I said you wouldn't find a plan..."

"Here's a file!" Takeo interrupted, throwing the file on the ground. "Here are plans to search the Oasis for signs of life. You were planning to come and find us!"

"Well, of course there would be..."

"You've lied once!" Takeo shouted.

"I didn't lie!" Kaylee argued, jumping off her chair. Kira grabbed her friend's arm, trying to hold her back.

"Kaylee, calm down."

"How did they know?" Caleb asked, pointing to Tori and Blake. "If they know nothing, how did they know to come here?"

"Are you really that stupid?" Olivier asked his brother. He pointed to Tori, "She mentioned the little baby. Someone spilled the beans."

"What are you talking about?" Mamello frowned. "We let the others go."

"We let them go because you decided to be nice to the baby!" Oliver growled. Mamello dropped his files and got to his feet.

"She's an innocent child," he said. "We're not getting her involved."

"Well, because of you, we have people out there who know about us!"

"What if he got help?" Austin asked, looking to his brothers. The four others turned to him.

"What are you saying, Austin?" Takeo frowned.

"The little twerp," Austin started. "He knows his friends are in trouble. What if he got help and went back."

"He would be stupid to try..."

"No he wouldn't," Austin said, "That's the point... we're not there to stop him..."

"No," Kaylee shouted when she saw Caleb and Takeo head for the door. They turned to her.

"What?"

"What does it matter if Ziggy went to get help?" she asked.

"You don't get it, do you?" Austin smirked as he approached Kaylee. "We don't trust you humans."

"But you are human..."

"Not anymore," Austin said. "Not since you raised the shields!"

"Are we back to that?" Kaylee groaned until Austin threw her into the desk. Kira flew to her friend's side while the mutant turned to his two friends.

"Go check up on the others," he ordered. "If that twerp is back at the base, kill them all!"

Kira helped Kaylee to her feet.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked. Kaylee shook her head.

"Not until I know what's going on outside this base," she coughed.

Austin, Mamello and Olivier stood by the doors, keeping the four former Rangers from leaving the room. Tori and Blake walked over to the yellow and green Ranger.

"Kayl, we have a problem," Tori whispered. "Engel's at our place because Hayden and Dawn went out on a rescue mission."

"Where's Ziggy?" Kira asked.

Kaylee shook her head, "If he's smart, he's about to be killed."

"They'll need help then," Blake whispered.

Kaylee glared, "Okay, how about you go to the computers and started calling for backup with France, Africa and America watching you."

"We need to help somehow," Blake groaned. "Our kids are out there. You're commander, don't you have a silent distress panic alarm."

Kaylee smiled, "Highly ironic but yes!"

Kaylee scooted over to her desk, earning herself a few stares from the three mutants. She stared back until they felt uncomfortable and looked away. Taking the moment, she pressed the button.

"So, what does the button do?" Tori asked before her morpher started glowing. She looked down and noticed Blake's was doing the same. Kaylee shrugged.

"What? If I'm in trouble who else would I trust to save me?"

"Good work, Einstein," Blake groaned, "But we're trapped in here with you."

Kaylee grinned as she grabbed her old morpher from her drawer and started playing around with it, "Yes, I would trust the two of you, but there are more people..."

-----Afterlife-----

Dustin was putting away some of Christian's toys when he saw something glowing on the shelf. He closed the toy box and walked over, picking up his morpher and reading the message on the screen.

-----Afterlife-----

Kelly was closing up the shop, making sure to turn off all the lights before heading for the door. She turned around to double check when she saw something glowing from the backroom. She rushed over to check what it was and found her old morpher was glowing.

-----Afterlife-----

RJ just finished stocking the freezer when he noticed a glow coming from his jacket. Curious, he reached into his pocket, pulling out his morpher.

-----Afterlife-----

Ronny was waiting for Rose or Mack to answer their door. After Ziggy came to take her husband away for an emergency, she found she needed to be with her best friends. She didn't have to wait long before the door did open, and Mack and Rose stood there, both holding glowing morphers. Without saying a word, Mack turned so Ronny could read what was printed on the small screen.

_The kids need help._


	55. It's Called Honour

"This is a problem," RJ sighed, leaning against a table in Corinth Plaza, waiting with Kelly to see if anymore former Rangers were going to join.

"You think?" Kelly asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Dudes!" Dustin called, waving to his friends as he ran over. Kelly turned to RJ, letting out a huge sigh.

"Correction: a huge problem."

Dustin joined the other two, breathing deeply as he stopped in front of them.

"Where's Kaylee?" Kelly asked.

Dustin shrugged, "I don't know... last I heard she was headed to the Command Center. Ziggy said there was some kind of trouble and she was needed."

Dustin reached into his pocket, pulling out his morpher, "But that's why I'm worried."

"Really?" Kelly frowned, "I was worried because the morpher that hasn't been active for years has suddenly started glowing!"

"It's Kaylee," Dustin explained, "There's a problem. When she was promoted to commander she took all our morphers and planted this chip inside. It's connected to the silent alarm in her office."

RJ chuckled, "Silent alarm?"

"Ironic, I know," Dustin sighed, "Anyways, when pressed, it sends out a signal and our morphers start to glow."

"Who else has the chip?" RJ asked.

"Guys!" Mack called as he, Rose and Ronny ran over to join the three. Dustin shrugged.

"Them."

"What the hell is going on?" Mack asked, worried.

Ronny shook her head, "Ziggy came by earlier with Leanne. He needed David to go out into the wastelands. The kids were in a fight with mutants and..."

Ronny trailed off as a thought hit her. David had been going on and on about it since the idea had first been proposed by a hospital doctor, Dr. Klivis.

-----Afterlife-----

"Okay, there you go," Leanne said, patting Dillon on the shoulder after wrapping up his arm. "My advice, don't be you for a few days and just relax."

"Great," Dillon groaned, turning to look down at his wife, "What about Summer?"

Leanne looked down as well and sighed, "I can't tell from here," she said, "I'd have to take her to the hospital to check her out."

"But will she be okay?"

"She's Kira and Conner's daughter," Leanne nodded, "She's born with one of the hardest heads imaginable."

Dillon took a little comfort in this as he hopped off the makeshift bench and dropped beside his wife. Leanne placed her hand on his head softly before turning to David.

"How are you doing over there?" she asked.

David chuckled as he helped Gem to his feet, "The twins are awake now and they are... well, themselves again."

"It takes more than a..."

"... few monsters to take us down!" Gem and Gemma cried before they high-fived. Gemma regretted it quickly though as pain shot up her ribs. She clutched her mid section tightly and fell back to the ground. Gem was quick to follow, making sure she was okay.

David shook his head, "You two just take it easy, okay?"

"Got it, doc," Gem nodded.

Dani clutched her stomach and got to her feet. She walked over to her dad and touched his arm, "Dad..."

"Greg will be fine," David assured his daughter, wrapping his arm around her, "When he wakes up I'll just double check, but his body just took a lot of stress. He just needs to rest up."

"Are you sure..."

"Positive," David nodded. He looked down at Dani, "Now, about that bullet wound..."

"No," Dani shook her head, "There's still Mike and Scott and Samantha."

"I'm fine," Scott groaned as Hayden and Flynn sat around him, keeping him down. Leanne walked over to him, helping him sit up so she could inspect his back.

"No you're not," she said, grabbing a clean pair of tweezers, "This is going to hurt."

Scott bit his lower lip as Leanne removed the bullet from his back. She did it quickly, but couldn't avoid the pain. Scott tried hard not to scream. When the bullet was out, Leanne grabbed some gauze and placed it over the wound.

"You're going to have to take it real easy," Leanne told him. "I don't like the position of the wound one bit."

"Can he take care of Engel?" Hayden asked her Aunt.

"Not on his own," Leanne said. "When we get back I want to keep him in the hospital for a few days, just to make sure there's no injury to the spine."

"What about Sammy and Mike?" Hayden asked. As much as she loved taking care of her niece, she didn't want to run the risk that none of the parents would be able to care for her.

"Mike's got a bunch of broken bones," David called, "I can't tell how many from here, or how bad it is, but he's not going to be able to run after a two year old for a while."

Hayden lowered her head, "I won't even ask about Samantha."

There was a sudden tap from the door as everyone turned, finding Takeo and Caleb standing with smirks on their faces.

"Well, well," Caleb said, tapping his fingers on the wall, "Look who we have here."

David and Leanne turned to Ziggy, "Who are they?"

"The people who did this," Ziggy answered Leanne as he motioned to all his injured friends.

Takeo pointed to Hayden, "You weren't supposed to come here."

"Sucks for you," Hayden smirked, "I don't do what I'm told if my family's in trouble."

"Well, it sucks for you," Takeo said, "We have orders to kill you."

Flynn grabbed his wife's arm, knowing how tough these two mutants could be, but Hayden pulled free from his grasp, standing before him protectively.

Leanne got to her feet, glancing over at David for a second, "You work on these guys, Dawn, Ziggy, Hayden and I will keep these two off you."

"Hayden's not doing anything," Dawn said, glaring at her cousin. "She's pregnant."

"How pregnant?" Leanne asked.

"A few weeks," Hayden shrugged. Leanne nodded.

"She'll be fine."

Hayden grinned happily, turning to Flynn, then Dawn.

"See, Aunt Leanne agrees with me! And she has a PhD in being right!"

Flynn frowned, "Are you kidding?"

"She's a healer," Leanne reminded the blue Ranger, "Whatever injury happens, her body will recover before it can have an effect on the baby. I've done studies on pregnant women and regenerative abilities."

"You have?" Dawn frowned.

"After Kaylee's pregnancy with Samantha failed, but her pregnancy with Hayden went smoothly, I got curious. So I worked on it."

"How do you find the time?"

"I have 25 hours in my day," Leanne smirked.

"Will you all shut up?" Takeo shouted, "It's about time we kill you now!"

Leanne looked over her shoulder at the kids standing behind her, "Are you all ready?"

"Ready!" Ziggy nodded.

"Ready," Dawn said, dropping the bags she had carried with her on her journey through the wastelands.

"Ready," Hayden nodded, grabbing a clump of her shirt in her fist. Leanne did the same and the two women pulled off their regular clothes, revealing their Academy uniforms. Hayden's was the Wind Ninja Academy black leather uniform with the yellow trim while Leanne wore her headmaster Thunder Ninja Academy uniform with the Thunder logo and the Omino family emblem both printed over her heart.

Caleb charged forward, getting into a battle quickly with Dawn and Ziggy, but Takeo didn't move. Leanne and Hayden dropped into a defensive stance.

Hayden made a small jump, hoping to get Takeo going, but he didn't move, keeping his eyes focused. Leanne looked to Hayden then back to Takeo and followed his gaze, discovering he was looking at the two emblems on her uniform.

There was a scream from Dawn and Ziggy as Caleb grabbed a long metal blade and held it over Ziggy's chest, ready to bring it down. Leanne was first to react, ditching her position and diving for Ziggy. She pushed him out of the way, but landed roughly in his place. Caleb grinned widely, swinging the blade around before driving it down.

"STOP!" Takeo screamed, grabbing his brother's arm before the New Zealander could bring the blade down into Leanne's chest. Takeo ripped the metal from Caleb's hand and glared down at Leanne. "She has dishonoured our school."

"Dishonoured?" Caleb frowned, but quickly shrugged it off, "Whatever mate, just be sure to kill her."

Takeo nodded, holding the blade inches from Leanne's chest, "I will be sure to do so."

Leanne grunted as she kicked her feet up, hitting the blade from Takeo's hands. She hooked her foot on his arm and pulled him down, at the same time pulling herself up and grabbing the blade from the ground. She held it over his chest, glaring hatefully at him.

Takeo scoffed, "You wouldn't recognise me anyways... not with this face."

"The face not even your mother could love?" Leanne said.

"At least my mother belonged to the Academies," Takeo growled. "Your father knew what he was doing when he went against Sensei's wishes and married the American."

"My father was a great Ninja!" Leanne spat. "Who the hell are you to question his honour to the Academies? He's given his entire life to the school!"

"He didn't deserve the title of Sensei!" Takeo screamed, "It belonged to my father! He's never dishonoured the Academies like your father!"

Leanne dropped the blade and fell to her knees, grabbing the collar of Takeo's shirt in her fists.

"Who are you?"

"Takana Takeo," he answered her, "Son of Takana Souta."

Leanne's eyes widened for a moment before she dropped Takeo and got back to her feet, running her hand through her hair.

"I've heard of that name..."

"Of course you have," Takeo said, "We were next in line to become the headmasters at the Academy... after your father, of course. However, he moved to America and married a woman with no ties to the Thunder Ninja Academies, disgracing us all!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Leanne asked. Hayden grabbed her Aunt's arm.

"If Sensei Omino was trained in Japan, than the Academies over there have a different guideline. To be a Sensei, you need to honour the code. One is that you can't marry a woman outside the Academy."

Leanne looked at her niece, "How do you..."

"Uncle Cam taught me that," Hayden whispered, "It's fifth grade material."

"The title of headmaster belonged to my father! He respected the Thunder Ninja codes! But we were disgraced when Sensei told us your father would still be taking the title and my father was banned from Academy grounds in both Japan and American Ninja Academies!"

"Why?" Leanne frowned.

"Ask your father," Takeo growled. "You deserve to bare his shame before I kill you."

"No killing," Dawn said, "Not anymore."

"Says you," Caleb smirked, but Takeo grabbed his arm.

"No," he said. "This is no longer your war."

"They locked us out!" Caleb frowned, "They brought shame to our face! Look at what we look like now!"

"Come, Caleb," Takeo shouted, waving for his brother to follow. Caleb followed, not wanting to be left behind by his brother.

Ziggy blinked rapidly, still sitting on the floor from when Leanne pushed him aside.

"I have no idea what just happened!" he frowned, but it changed into a wide grin, "But that was so awesome! It was like, honour, and killings and awesome kung-fu..."

"Ninjutsu," Leanne corrected, "The way of the ninja... or martial arts."

"This is because you're ninjas, right?" Ziggy asked looking from Leanne, over to Hayden and Mike who was lying on the ground, half awake.

"What the hell did my father do?" Leanne asked. Hayden shrugged.

"Whatever it is, Takeo seems to think it's worse than what my mom did," she said. "Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. Get Takeo to forgive you and my mother. If we do that, the others might come around too."

"You don't just forgive someone," Leanne frowned. "Dad always told me about honour and revenge."

"But that was before..."

Leanne shook her head, "I have to talk with my father."

"Wait!" Dawn frowned, turning to her friends, "What about them?"

Leanne sighed, dropping her head and rubbing her temples as the stress started to boil over. David looked to her sadly before he had an idea. He knelt before Dani and smiled.

"What do you know about the hospital on wheels?" he asked.

"I know Flynn and I worked on it," Dani said, "And I know the man in charge of it gave the project to Greg so he could wire everything."

"Do you know if Greg's completed it?"

There was a sudden, loud roar before a large vehicle smashed its way through the hallways and stopped right outside the room the Rangers were in. Dani recognised it immediately and smiled.

"Yes."

The side door opened up and RJ, Dustin, Kelly, Rose and Mack flooded out. The passenger door opened and Ronny crawled over the seats and hopped out, smiling proudly.

"That was amazing!"

David shook his head, "Of course that would be the first thing out of her mouth."

"What the hell happened here?" Mack asked, spotting his son lying unconscious, bruised and bloodied on the ground.

"Doesn't matter," Leanne grinned, "You guys arrived just in time."

She jumped into the large ambulance, flicking on a switch and counting the beds that had been set up. Poking her head out, she smiled.

"Load Greg, Dani, Mike, Summer, Scott and Samantha into the truck," she called. "We're taking them back to the hospital. The rest are going to have to follow behind the truck."

David frowned, "Some can barely walk."

"Gem and Flynn have head injuries," Leanne said, "Nothing too major considering they were either test subjects for Alphabet soup or Power Rangers. Gemma's got a broken rib. It'll hurt to walk, but she's better off that the healthiest onboard the ambulance and Dillon's arm won't keep his legs from moving."

"You've got a point there," David nodded, hopping into the driver's seat. "I'll take them to the hospital."

"What?" Dani cried as her mother was careful to lift her into the back of the truck. "No, dad! You can't be a paramedic..."

"I'm not going to be a paramedic, sweetheart. It's just this one time."

"He'll be fine," Ronny assured her daughter.

"Some guy is out to kill Leanne... Dad's going to drive an ambulance."

"Load the others inside," David called to the former Rangers who just arrived. "When you're done you can follow Ziggy. He'll take you guys back to the command center."

"The other mutants are back there!" Ziggy explained. "They won't let Kaylee go until they get some answers!"

"Answers about what?" Dustin asked the green Ranger. Ziggy shrugged.

"Why Kaylee left them to die."

"I'm going to find my father," Leanne said. "I need to know why Takeo believes he dishonoured his family."

"Hayden's going to go with you," Flynn ordered, glaring at his wife. "I don't care if the baby can't get hurt. She's not putting herself and my unborn child in danger again by going after those monsters!"

The parents who didn't know about Hayden's pregnancy stopped what they were doing and turned to the pink Ranger.

"Pregnant?" Kelly asked.

"Kinda."

"Well, you either are, or you're not," RJ stated.

"I am," Hayden said. She shook her head, "Can we talk about this later. Apparently my husband thinks it's safer for me to go confront a Japanese Sensei about his dishonourable past than to stay with the group and face off against angry monsters."

Hayden placed her hand on her Aunt's shoulder and sighed loudly, "I don't know who to be more afraid of."

"At the moment it's me," Leanne said, already taking off in the direction of home. Hayden kissed her husband on the cheek, promising to stay safe before following her Aunt.

RJ rolled his eyes, "Back to Corinth city we go."

"Don't be fooled," Ziggy said, leading the team of Rangers and his mildly injured friends back to Corinth, "these guys are tough. And with almost all of RPM out of action, we'll need all the help we can get to take them down."


	56. Omino

"Wait... wait!" Ziggy cried while searching the first level of the command center as the parents stood behind him. They had gotten in with Dustin's access card, but had found the place to be completely empty. They couldn't understand why, but Ziggy continued to insist on how dangerous the mutants were.

"What are you looking for?" Mack asked the green Ranger. Ziggy opened a desk drawer and smiled, pulling out a box.

"These," he breathed, opening the box to reveal four handguns.

"Guns?" RJ frowned, "No way. We're not using guns!"

Ziggy shrugged, tossing a gun to Kelly, Ronny, Mack and Dustin, "Fine, you don't have to."

RJ shook his head as he snatched the gun out of his wife's hand, "We're Power Rangers. We don't use guns to kill."

"Did you see what they did to Samantha?" Ziggy frowned. "Caleb did it with ease! None of us stood a chance against these guys!"

"RJ, it'll just be as a line of defence," Mack assured the wolf Ranger. "We'll go in there and try to make peace."

"Make peace?" Ziggy cried, "There is no making peace! You explain yourself, and they murder you for being totally innocent!"

Kelly nodded, taking the gun back from her husband, "No kill shots okay? We'll shoot if we have to, and we won't shoot to kill. Does that sound fair?"

"I guess," RJ sighed. Kelly smiled, tapping his shoulder as she went to the elevator, hitting the button.

"Maybe we should split up," Ronny offered. "Ziggy, Kelly and RJ can take the elevator and get upstairs first. They won't be expecting the rest of us and we can surprise them."

"That sounds like a good idea," Rose nodded, "We'll meet you guys up there."

The elevator dinged before the doors opened. Kelly, RJ and Ziggy stepped inside, while the remaining four used the stairs.

Inside the elevator, Ziggy was playing with his hands nervously. RJ grabbed his shoulder for comfort and smiled.

"Don't worry, we can handle a few monsters."

"It's not that..." Ziggy said. He pointed to Kelly, "We have one gun, and the person holding it didn't even finish her time as a Ranger..."

Kelly turned away from the elevator doors to glare at Ziggy.

"I'll have you know, I was a retro," she frowned. Ziggy nodded.

"I know that... it's just... never mind."

Kelly pointed the gun at Ziggy. She had no intention to shoot, but she just thought it would be fun to watch him squirm.

Ziggy began to shake, "You know... you do look very intimidating behind that thing... but I still can't help but feel like my life's in danger."

Kelly chuckled, pointing the gun away, "Relax, Ziggy. The safety's still on."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened slowly. RJ, Ziggy and Kelly stepped into the hallway. Ziggy shoved Kelly to the front of the pack.

"You have the gun... you lead."

"Rebecca must be proud of the brave, strong man you've become," Kelly breathed, shaking her head.

"Hey, hey, I'm strong!" Ziggy frowned. "I'll have you know, I can bench-press more than Dillon."

"You're still chicken," Kelly chuckled. RJ shushed them both as he stepped away, poking his head around the corner.

"The main office is behind this door, right?" he asked. Ziggy nodded. "Good. We need a plan."

"We'll need to know what's going on," Kelly said, pressing her ear to the door to listen in. "If it's calm in there, we don't want to start a huge fight for nothing."

"Do you hear anything?" RJ asked his wife. Kelly shook her head and grabbed her morpher.

"Too bad this stupid thing doesn't work as a wand anymore," she groaned, tossing it aside. "I don't hear anything. I don't know if it's because the door's too thick or..."

"Tuck the gun away," RJ instructed. Kelly looked up at him but figured he had a plan. She hid her gun behind her back, keeping it at the ready, but out of sight. "We'll walk in calmly."

Ziggy agreed to the plan and entered in his pass code. It was the same one he used to get into the Garage as a Ranger. Kaylee kept it working for the command center for this exact situation.

The doors flew open and Ziggy, Kelly and RJ were met with Mamello, Olivier and Austin. Ziggy gulped loudly.

"Well... fancy meeting you here..."

He cried loudly when Austin grabbed him by the collar and threw him into a desk. He turned to face the green Ranger once again, but RJ grabbed his arm.

Mamello smirked, ripping RJ's arm off Austin and shoving the wolf Ranger against the wall.

Olivier turned to Kelly, ready to fight when she pulled out her gun and shot, hitting him in the shoulder. The mutant flinched, but the bullet seemed to have no effect. Kelly frowned as Olivier brought his arm up, ready for a punch. She ducked quickly and tossed her gun between his legs.

Blake ran out from behind the desk and caught the gun, taking another quick shot at Olivier, hitting him in the small of the back. Olivier felt the pain this time and dropped to his knees. Kelly smirked, kicking her feet up to hit Olivier in the side of the head. He tumbled over and she jumped on top of him, holding him down.

Ziggy frowned, "How the hell did you guys do that?"

Austin ran over and Ziggy could see he was about to slam his fist down in his gut. He screamed and roll off the desk, landing beside Kaylee and Kira while Austin's hit with the desk shattered it.

Austin shook his hand and looked down at Kaylee, Kira and Ziggy. They were glaring up at him in shock.

"These desks were solid!" Kaylee cried. Austin shrugged, bending over to pick up a piece of debris.

"They said the Angel was your daughter," he smirked. "I'll do the same thing to you as Caleb did to her."

Austin stepped forward to get closer to the two women and Ziggy until he was shoved into the far wall by a powerful force. He felt pressure on his neck and opened his eyes to find Tori pinning him in place.

"Threaten my little sister one more time and I'll rip your head off," she growled.

"Points for protective instincts!" Kaylee cried, throwing her hands in the air. Her joy didn't last long though before the sound of gunfire echoed through the room. Everyone ducked, hoping not to get hit by any bullets.

Realising his wife was the one with the gun, RJ looked away from his fight with Mamello and saw Olivier had managed to worm his way out from under Kelly and had stolen the gun from her. He now stood over her with the gun pointed down. Unaware if his wife had been shot or not, RJ gasped loudly.

Mamello came at him, aiming a punch to the gut, but RJ caught his fist and twisted it painfully before throwing the large man down. He drove his foot into Mamello's chest to keep him down before running towards Olivier.

The French man pointed the gun up, ready to shoot when there was another gunshot and his own gun dropped out of his hand. Olivier muttered a curse, inspecting his hand and found a bullet.

He looked around the room while pulling the bullet out of his hand, "Who the hell did that?"

"He just removed the bullet!" Ronny frowned, tapping Dustin on the shoulder as the Yellow Wind Ranger his held gun in Olivier's direction. Dustin shook his head at the driver and frowned. Ronny nodded, "Right."

She and Mack grabbed their guns, holding them up and pointed them at Mamello and Austin respectively.

Olivier scoffed, "Guns don't work with us like they do you."

He began to chuckle until he heard a gun click. He looked down and saw Kelly had hers back in her hands and it was pointed at him.

"Yeah, but they do help."

RJ breathed a loud sigh of relief, "You weren't hit."

"He didn't even really shoot," Kelly nodded. "We were fighting for the gun... sorry about the fish tank, Kaylee."

Kaylee huffed, "I just bought that, too..."

Suddenly, Takeo and Caleb walked back in, finding the office filled with new faces. Caleb was ready to start another fight, but one quick glare from Takeo calmed him down. Takeo turned to Austin, Mamello and Olivier.

"We'll deal with them later," he told them.

Olivier shook his head, "Just let us get the guns, we'll kill them all here and now and we'll be done."

"We can't do that," Takeo frowned. "My family's been disgraced. I must avenge my honour."

"What about our honour?" Austin asked, shoving Tori away from him.

"It'll be avenged as well," Takeo said. He motioned for his brothers to follow, "Come."

The mutants pulled themselves away from their opponents to follow their brother, leaving the parents and Ziggy alone.

-----Afterlife-----

Leanne stormed into her father's home, finding him kneeling at the table enjoying his tea. Hayden frowned as she followed her Aunt.

"Interrupting tea time?" she said, "Not a good time to bring this subject up."

"Leanne, what happened to you?" Sensei Omino asked, noticing his daughter looked slightly roughed up from a fight.

"Guess who I met up with today," Leanne growled. Her father stood up, reaching his hand out to brush off some of the dirt from her uniform but Leanne pulled away, "C'mon, father, guess."

"It looks like you've met your match," Sensei Omino said, causing Hayden to giggle slightly. Leanne turned to her niece, giving her a sharp look. When Hayden calmed she turned back to her father.

"Takana Takeo," she said. Sensei Omino frowned, pulling away from his daughter suddenly and dropping back to the table to finish his tea. "He said you dishonoured the school and his family."

"I have not dishonoured the school," Sensei Omino said.

"But you dishonoured his family?"

"I merely did what needed to be done."

"He said you married someone who wasn't from the Academy," Leanne said. "I always remember mom being a sensei..."

"She had progressed quickly."

"So he was right."

Sensei Omino looked to his daughter, "What's done is done, Leanne."

"Well, apparently not!" Leanne shouted, "Because of you, he's looking to kill me."

Sensei Omino nodded, "Of course he is. You're the embodiment of the Takeno family's disgrace."

Hayden frowned, "Wait, you knew there were people out there who wanted to kill your daughter. No offense, Sensei, but what the hell did you do?"

Sensei Omino pushed his tea cup away and patted the cushion, inviting his daughter and Hayden to sit. Hayden took the offer, but Leanne couldn't bear be near her father.

"What the hell happened, father?"

"The Thunder Academy in America needed a new Headmaster, and Takana and I were the two best qualified for the job. When we went to visit the school I met your mother," Sensei explained. "She was a waitress in the restaurant we were eating in and..."

"Love at first sight?" Hayden smiled. "This is so cute..."

"Yeah, if it didn't end with my death," Leanne frowned.

"We fell in love," Sensei Omino continued. "We got married before she enrolled. Of course, because I was in line to become a headmaster, I was not allowed to marry outside the Academy. It was said to bring great shame."

"So Takana was supposed to become Headmaster then?" Leanne asked, "If you shamed the Academy..."

"He was not prepared," Sensei Omino stated. "I saw this, but our Sensei could not. Even thought I brought shame by marrying your mother, I was the best fit for this school."

"Takeo said his family was banned from Academy grounds," Leanne frowned. "He told me I should ask you about it."

"Maybe that's a bad idea, Aunt Leah," Hayden said. "I mean, he wanted you to bare your father's shame before he killed you. If you don't know, you can't bare shame and you'll be alive."

"I told Sensei his family had been practicing the ways of the dark ninja," Sensei Omino said. "As punishment for such crimes, the family was banned from the Academies, never to return."

"No one believed him over you?" Hayden asked.

"It's a serious accusation," Sensei Omino answered, "One not to be taken lightly. Takana Souta hesitated to deny the accusations, making him look guilty."

"Why would you do something like that, father?"

"Takana Souta was young. He still had much to learn."

"But... you lied. You disgraced an innocent family all for..."

"And I live in shame for what I've done," Sensei Omino said. "Not even your mother knew of this."

"Why did you do it?" Leanne asked. "Just because he was young...?"

Sensei Omino got to his feet and took Leanne's hand in his, "I needed this Academy... I needed to stay in America to be with your mother. She was the love of my life."

"Love makes you do crazy things," Hayden sighed.

"Kristina wouldn't have been accepted back home," Sensei Omino explained. "If I wanted the life I have now, I needed to stay."

"So stay! Be a student instead of a headmaster..."

"Becoming a student was not an option!" Sensei Omino screamed. "My father trained me to be strong! My Sensei trained me for years to take up the position of headmaster! I would have disgraced them both."

"So instead you ruin the lives of the Takanas?" Leanne scoffed. "To be with your family you bring shame to another and put me at risk!"

"So long as I kept you on Academy grounds you were in no danger..."

"Well that planned failed," Leanne frowned. "Are you happy now, father? Because you wanted to stay in America, you're going to lose everyone in your family."

"Leanne..."

"Mom's dead, and now I need to die so Takeo can restore his family's honour," Leanne turned away from her father and stormed out of the house, infuriated by what he had done.

Hayden looked up at Sensei Omino. She got to her feet and shrugged.

"Let's be honest, from her angle it looks pretty bad."

Hayden didn't wait for a response from Sensei. She bowed politely before running after her Aunt.


	57. Hospital Drama

Flynn was among the Rangers who weren't hurt too severely in the fight against the five mutants. His head was still pounding from when Takeo kicked him, but David had confirmed that a few painkillers would take care of the headache.

Gem also had his head checked and David told him he had received a concussion. Normally David would have kept Gem in the hospital for one night to keep an eye on the younger boom-twin, but due to Gem's childhood in the Alphabet Soup, David was certain he would be fine with a little rest and his sister's watchful eye.

Gemma had come out with major bruises on her rib cage as well we several broken ribs. Like Gem, though, she would be fine so long as she didn't over exert herself in the next couple of days.

Finally there was Dillon. He sat in the waiting room with a cast over his arm. It was the least David could do to help the Black Ranger. Dillon had refused medical help, saying he was fine, but David had to persist. He was afraid that if he didn't check up on Dillon's arm soon, it would never heal properly.

Dillon didn't want the medical attention. His wife was still in a hospital bed unconscious. He didn't want any help if it meant leaving her without doctors for even a few minutes. The only reason he had the cast on now was because David insisted that there was nothing he could do for Summer at the moment.

Dillon suddenly screamed, jumping out of his chair and trying to kick it over, forgetting the chairs were bolted to the floor. He groaned, falling back down in his seat and dropping his head in his hands.

"Why can't she just heal them?" he mumbled.

Gem, Gemma and Flynn turned to look at him, "What?"

Dillon glanced up, eyeing Flynn, "Your wife. Why can't she just donate a little bit of blood to heal the others?"

"She's pregnant, Dillon," Flynn frowned. "She can't give blood."

"She's a healer! She'll be fine!"

"I'm not risking it!"

"I don't want to risk losing my wife!"

"Guys!" Gem and Gemma cried, pulling the two apart.

Dillon shook his head, "Look, I'm sorry, I just don't get it. If we take a little blood... what does it matter?"

"I don't know," Flynn sighed, "But Doc agrees with me. We don't know how much blood everyone in there will really need... if it's too much."

"I thought it was one drop could go a long way."

"Yeah, for cuts and scratches," Flynn nodded. "Dani and Scott have bullet wounds, Summer's head was cracked open, Mike's and Samantha's bones are smashed and Sam and Greg are on their deathbeds! That's like..."

"A lot of blood," Gemma said.

"I'm not putting Hayden at risk," Flynn stated firmly.

"So you'd rather let the rest of them die?" Dillon frowned, "Just because your wife is pregnant. Just make another baby... keep the family."

"NO!" Flynn screamed, throwing himself at Dillon. Gem rolled his eyes, getting between the two boys. He pushed them apart.

Gemma stood up, "I get it... beat the shit out of each other while..."

"... the others are in there fighting for their lives," Gem finished.

"We aren't all," Scott said, rolling in a wheelchair to meet up with the others. Flynn and Dillon let go of each other and turned to their leader.

"How are you feeling?" Flynn asked.

"My back's killing me," Scott nodded, "But that should be obvious."

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Dillon said.

"I just got news about the others," Scott said. "I thought you might want to hear it."

Flynn and Dillon took a seat, wanting to hear the news about their friends.

"The good news is... Dani and I are going to make full recoveries," Scott smiled sadly. "Our bullet wounds hit nothing vital... or at least nothing David couldn't fix."

"Where is Dani now?" Flynn asked, concerned for his co-worker. Scott turned to look inside the room before looking back at Flynn and shaking his head.

"That's part of the not-so-good news," he breathed. "I mean, the news isn't terrible, but it's not what you want to hear..."

"How's Greg?" Gemma asked.

"Bandaged... David said he should be fine... but he won't be moving around for quite some time. Dani's in his room now... I tried to get her to come out."

"She won't budge," Flynn nodded. "There's no sense in trying."

"What about my wife?" Dillon asked.

"She'll be okay..." Scott replied, sounding very unconvinced.

"Okay?" Dillon frowned.

"She'll live..."

"But...?" Dillon pressed. He knew Scott was holding something back.

"Summer's got a hard head... I can tell you that," Scott chuckled slightly. Dillon growled, throwing himself at Scott and grabbing his collar. He lifted him out of his wheelchair.

"What the hell is going on in there?"

"She'll be fine, I promise you," Scott said. "David's just running some tests on her now. Her skull's been fractured, but he said that so far, that's all he can see."

Dillon dropped Scott back in the chair, causing the red Ranger to wince in pain. Dillon returned to his seat.

"Why couldn't you just say that?" he shrugged. "Can I go see her?"

"Not at the moment... Like I said, David's still running tests. When he knows more about her condition, he'll tell you."

"That leaves Mike and Sam," Gem said.

"Mike's bones are broken in many different places but he's awake," Scott spoke. "Once David's done with his tests he'll call Vanessa to take him home."

"So he's fine?"

"Bed bound for the next few weeks," Scott nodded, "A lot of the breaks were in his arms and legs."

"And Samantha?" Flynn asked. Scott's face immediately turned sour. He didn't breathe a word as he turned around with his chair and headed back for his hospital room. Flynn frowned sadly before he received a smack in the chest.

"Way to go," Dillon said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Flynn sighed deeply, shaking his head.

"She's an Angel... she can't be that bad..."

Leanne and Hayden walked into the waiting room. It was obvious Leanne wasn't in the mood for any kind of conversation as she stormed into the locker room to get changed for work. Hayden sighed loudly, watching her aunt walk off before joining her friends.

"How is everyone?" she asked.

"As far as we know, they'll live," Flynn answered her. He wrapped his arms around her, "How did the talk with Leanne's dad go?"

"Perfectly," Hayden smirked, answering with a sarcastic tone, "Yeah, it went great! We sat, talked, there was no yelling, oh, and Sensei Omino seems perfectly fine with the fact that there's someone out there who wants to kill Leanne! It was definitely the father-daughter bonding time they needed..."

Dillon chuckled, smacking Flynn again, this time on the arm.

"Any more stupid questions?"

"Shut up," Flynn growled.

Hayden shook her head, "No... it's okay... it was just a little frustrating for her, I guess. I mean, Sensei Omino didn't even flinch when Leanne told him someone was trying to kill her."

"Things are done differently in Japan," Gemma shrugged. "Maybe..."

"I know that," Hayden interrupted. "It's all about honour... but..."

"Why doesn't Sensei Omino care?"

"He said he is ashamed of what he did... maybe he's seeking some kind of... I don't know... its all bullshit. I don't even want to think of it right now..."

"There was a pause from Hayden as she sat down in the chair. She looked around the room for a moment.

"So, did you get any news on the others?" she asked.

"They'll recover," Gem nodded.

"Some faster than others," Gemma added, "Scott told us the news."

"What happened?"

"Greg's been beaten up," Gem explained, "He's still in there. Dani's waiting for him to..."

"... wake up. She'll be fine," Gemma finished for her brother.

"Mike's just getting looked over. He'll be in casts for the next few weeks and he's stuck in bed. Vanessa's going to come take care of him," Flynn said.

"Summer's still getting her head looked at," Dillon said.

"And Samantha?" Hayden asked. Flynn shook his head, sitting down next to his wife.

"We don't know. When I asked Scott about her... he just rolled off."

Hayden got out of her seat and was headed for the door, but Flynn caught her wrist.

"I don't think you can go in there, lass."

"Please, I'm a healer," Hayden smirked, "That's like, one technical point away from being a doctor."

"Aye, but..."

Flynn didn't have time to answer as Hayden stepped through the doors. She was obviously determined to figure out what state her sister was in.

She looked through the glass windows, into the hospital rooms, hoping she would find her sister without any help. Of course, being in these hallways without a doctor's permission was against regulation, but Hayden needed information.

She finally found the room her sister was in and opened the door. She saw Scott sitting in his wheelchair beside the bed, holding Samantha's hand. Hayden approached the foot of the bed and looked down at her older sister.

Samantha was bandaged up almost everywhere, which was understandable considering Caleb had swatted her like a fly with the large metallic door. Her wings were also spread out at her sides. On the one wing, where Samantha had been shot, there was a small bandage covering it. It was coloured red due to the bleeding, but it didn't seem all that bad. Her other wing had been torn open due to the wooden stake pinning it, as well as Samantha, through the ceiling.

Scott looked over at Hayden when he noticed she was in the room. He took a deep breath.

"David said it wasn't looking good," Scott whispered.

"Talk to me," Hayden said, pulling up the chair Scott wasn't using and taking the spot next to him.

"She needs blood," Scott frowned. "David said if she'll stand any chance at surviving, she needs blood."

"Can't they give her blood?"

"She's O negative," Scott sighed. "They don't have that type here."

Hayden was slightly taken aback by this statement, "They don't?"

"It's not the most common blood type," Scott said, "And with the world already doomed..."

"We must have lost a lot..." Hayden groaned. She sat back in her seat, "So... they can't help her?"

"Normally they would have asked you," Scott said. "You're her sister, you're a healer. Your blood type is a universal as it gets... but because you're..."

"Pregnant..." Hayden frowned, looking down at her stomach. Scott wrapped his arm around her gently.

"We'll figure this out," he told her. "I'm sure we will."

"Did they talk to my mom?" Hayden asked, touching her sister's hand gently.

"They're trying to contact the command center and your parent's house, but no one's picking up."

"Dad's not O... I know that... but I think Mom has O blood... and she's kind of a healer."

"It would work... if she would just pick up," Scott nodded.

"My mom will pull through... I know it," Hayden smiled. She sat with Scott for a moment before a question arose in her head. Aside from the fact that Samantha was her sister, and she loved her dearly, it was the main reason Hayden wanted Samantha to pull through. She pulled away from Scott and looked over at him sadly.

"What about Engel?" she asked. "Are you going to take her back?"

Scott shook his head, "I wanted to talk to you and Flynn about that, actually..."

"What..."

"I can't take care of Engel..." Scott said, "Not for the next little while anyways... and even if Samantha wakes up... she won't be able to either... David's already made Mike's decision."

"I heard Vanessa needed to take care of him."

Scott nodded, "Can you watch Engel for a little while longer."

"How long is a little while?"

"A few weeks..."

"A few weeks? Once you can go home, I'm sure you'll be fine again..."

"I don't want to take care of her, though," Scott breathed. "I love the kid to death... but I'm not her father..."

"You're her step-father!"

"She already has a dad, though... The only reason I'm such a big part of her life is because of Samantha. What tie would we have without her?"

"She loves you, Scott, that's the tie!"

"I'm not saying I want to cut myself out of her life completely..." Scott sighed, "But... instead of her living with me and Mike... maybe it would be best if she lived with you, Flynn and Mike."

"Scott, are you sure..."

"Until Samantha gets better... please, just take her," Scott said.

"I can do that... but what if she doesn't... come on, Scott, don't you think it would be best to try and keep things as normal as possible. Engel will have already lost her mommy. She doesn't need to lose her Scotty too..."

"She will need a mother..."

"She'll have one, either way..."

"She's your niece..."

"She's your daughter!" Hayden screamed. Scott looked over at her sadly as Hayden took a deep breath to calm down. "I don't care if, by law, its step-daughter, Engel's the luckiest little girl in the world because she has two daddies who love her and a mommy."

Hayden got out of her seat, tapping Scott on the leg as she did, "It's your choice to make... I'll take care of her until we know Samantha's condition for sure... but please, in the long run, think about what's best for her..."

Just before Hayden touched the door knob she heard Scott mumbling. She turned around slowly to face him.

"What?"

"She's a little girl... she doesn't need two dads... she needs one mom. It was hard enough for Marcus and I to grow up without a mom... I know it's hard for Flynn without his mother... but we're boys. We had our fathers... Engel's a little girl. At some point, daddy won't be enough..."

Hayden dropped her head back, realising that Scott did have a point. Engel was a girl. She was going to need a woman to look up to. As much as a father could do, there were some things he would never be able to help a daughter with.

Hayden sighed deeply. If she was going to figure this out, she was going to have to talk with two women who had lost their mothers.


	58. Conflicted

Ziggy led the parents (minus Kira who offered to stay back to clean the command centre and organise the files) into the waiting room of the hospital and found Flynn, Gem, Gemma and Dillon sitting in their chairs, waiting patiently for anyone to come give them anymore news about their friends and loved ones

Rose sat down beside the group, "Have you heard anything?"

"Greg's going to be okay," Gem assured the former pink. "He just needs to wake up."

"Dani's in with him," Gemma said. "She won't leave his side."

"How is she doing?" Ronny asked.

"She's Dani," Flynn shrugged, "She'll be up and about long before the doctors give her the okay."

"And the others?" RJ asked.

"We just don't know about Samantha," Dillon said. "Scott came in a little while ago. He said everyone was going to be okay… but he never said anything about her. Hayden went in there a few moments ago to figure it out."

"She hasn't come out?" Dustin asked. He turned to Kaylee with a sad look.

"That would be abusing my powers…" Kaylee frowned, shaking her head. Dustin persisted, sticking his lower lip out a little farther to create a pout. Kaylee sighed, "No… if the doctors don't…"

"She's my baby girl…"

"Hayden's your baby…"

"She's my angel…"

Kaylee rolled her eyes, "Fine!"

She walked over to the front desk, flashing her card before talking with the nurse behind the counter. When she was done, she turned back to Dustin and nodded. He grinned, running through the doors to find his daughter. Kaylee joined the group.

"If you guys want you can go visit as well," she said to Mack, Rose, Ronny, Tori and Blake. Their children were all behind the doors being treated for injury. Mack and Rose didn't need to be told twice as they took off down the hall.

Tori and Blake exchanged looks before Blake nodded and went through the doors. Tori gathered up his things and sighed.

"Blake's going to go… I need to go home. There's only so long Jason and Elena can be alone before they start hacking away at each other."

Tori kissed her little sister on the forehead, "Call me if those monsters show up again."

Kaylee nodded, "I will."

Ronny sunk down in her seat and sighed. Dillon looked over at her.

"You're not going in?"

"My husband's behind those doors," she whispered. "If Dani needed me, he would have called hours ago."

"But…"

"If Dani's with Greg then I'll just be disturbing her…" Ronny explained. "I want to go in but… it's their honeymoon."

"Mack and Rose went in."

"Their son is still unconscious," Ronny pointed out. "It's fine… I'll wait out here for her."

Kelly and RJ sighed, "We'll leave you guys for a little while," RJ said.

"I've got to go check up on Hannah and the Garage anyways," Kelly added. Flynn sat up suddenly and turned to the red head.

"Hannah and the Garage?" he frowned, "Why doesn't that sound like two different jobs?"

"Because you left the Garage to run off into the wastelands," Kelly said. "You had a job to do, and you just left it. If I'm going to help you out and put Storm Charger's reputation in your hands, I expect you to hold up your end of the deal."

"Oi, wait a minute," Flynn frowned, jumping out of his seat, "This was a Ranger emergency."

"So?" Kelly shrugged, "You should have called in for a replacement."

"Called who?" Flynn asked. "If you've forgotten, I own the store!"

Ronny cleared her throat. Flynn nodded.

"Dani and I own it! There is no one to call!"

Kelly pointed to Ronny, "She could have offered a hand. You could have called me to help you out. Your father in-law is pretty good with engines. Hell, your own father…"

"I still haven't told him…" Flynn frowned.

Kelly shook her head, "We won't talk about this now. Hannah's making sure your Garage's reputation doesn't go down the toilet. So your reputation is going up… unfortunately you're losing money. You'll have to pay her for labour."

"Wha…"

"You didn't think I was going to let my under-aged daughter work for free. There are child labour laws."

"You know I'm in trouble!" Flynn shouted. "Can't you give me a break?"

Kelly shook her head, "Later, Flynn."

"You brought this up."

"Later!" she snapped, turning to leave. Flynn went to follow, but Kaylee grabbed his arm.

"Don't…" she said, pulling him back, "Kelly likes to teach lessons the hard way. It might not seem like it now, but she would never let her friends down."

"We need money…"

"She knows," Kaylee nodded.

"Then why is she hiring more staff for Dani and I to pay? There's no way we can split $2 three ways…"

"$0.66 each!" Gem chirped up, smiling. "Approx…"

"$1.98," Flynn frowned.

"That's still $0.66," Gemma said. Kaylee chuckled slightly, until Flynn shot her a look. She shrugged.

"What… they're right…"

"I don't care…"

"Wait… are you having financial issues?" Dillon smirked. He clapped his hands together, "Wow, what a great way to start off parenthood."

"You're really getting on my nerves right now," Flynn growled, turning over to Dillon. "Do you want Summer to wake up widowed?"

Dillon shut his mouth and went back to worrying about his wife.

Kaylee looked at her son in-law sadly. She understood his situation. It had to be difficult knowing his family was in the pits right when they needed the money to start coming in; and Kelly's tough love probably wasn't helping matters at the moment. Though Kaylee was confident Kelly would pull through and teach Flynn the lesson she wanted him to learn, it would take a while for Flynn to come around.

"How about we don't worry about this?" Kaylee suggested. "We've got mutants to worry about, Ranger lives at stake…"

"MOM!" Hayden called, storming into the waiting room. "Thank god you're here."

"I'm being called away…" Kaylee frowned as Hayden grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the others.

"Apparently we're the only three with type O blood. I can't donate, Sammy needs it and that means you're the only one left!"

Hayden shoved her mother into the hospital, but didn't bother to follow. David was waiting for her behind the doors to explain further. At the moment she needed to find Leanne and Kelly.

"Hayden… any news?" Flynn asked his wife. Hayden shrugged.

"Sammy was dying," she said. "But mom's here to help."

Hayden walked over to her husband, her expression changing slightly, "Actually…"

"What?" Flynn asked. If there was something his wife needed to discuss, he was ready to listen.

"David doesn't know if the transfusion will really save her life," Hayden explained. "But Scott said that was the only way Samantha stood a chance…"

"Well, everything's going to be fine," Flynn told her, wrapping her in his arms, "She's a fighter…"

"For the next few weeks… is it okay if we take care of Engel?"

"Of course… but how long is a few weeks, exactly?"

Hayden sighed, "Anywhere between the time it takes for Samantha to get better… to sixteen years… give or take a few years depending on how Engel does in school."

Flynn pulled away, "Six… sixteen years…"

"If Samantha doesn't make it Scott wants me to be her new mother… he believes it's best for her…"

"Wha… Hayden…"

"Suddenly, $0.66 needs to stretch a little farther," Dillon smirked before Flynn came around, punching him in the face. Hayden gasped, grabbing her husband's arm and pulling him away.

"Flynn!"

"SHUT UP!" Flynn shouted, throwing himself at Dillon again, but Hayden held him back. She glared up at her husband.

"What the hell?"

Dillon rubbed the side of his face and groaned loudly. Flynn glared at him.

"Focus on your dying wife," he spat.

"Flynn!" Hayden screamed. "That's my cousin."

Flynn shook his head, "I'm going to work… pull Hannah off the job."

Dillon sighed, "Flynn… come back! I'm sorry."

Flynn didn't bother turning around. Instead, he lifted his hand, giving Dillon the finger. The Blake Ranger fell back in his chair and sighed.

"My bad."

Hayden turned from Flynn's retreating figure, to Dillon. She went to scold him for his behaviour but stopped herself and turned back to the doors. Conflicted about what she should do next, she let out an irritated scream.

"I'll deal with all of you later!" she said. "Where's Aunt Kelly and Aunt Leanne?"

The Rangers pointed in opposite directions. Kelly had left not long before Flynn through the front doors, while Leanne was still inside the hospital. Hayden groaned and chose to follow her Aunt Kelly. She knew that everything Leanne had been through, it was probably best to let her cool down before asking her about the tension that existed between her and her father due to her mother's passing.

-----Afterlife-----

Leanne was in Summer's hospital room, looking at her results from the tests and scans. It was the first of the Rangers she decided to visit because she hoped that by simply looking at results, she could distract herself from her own problem.

But it wasn't working. Looking at the results only made Leanne think of the people who hurt her niece and her thoughts went full circle back to her problem with Takeo.

She knew there was no avoiding a fight between herself and Takeo. She wouldn't be able to avoid this problem. The Takana family honour was on the line for Takeo, as well as her father restoring his own honour. In a twisted way, Leanne could understand why her father hasn't been worried about her safety when she brought up the fact that her head was wanted. If her father gave in to Takeo and allowed his only daughter to be sacrificed, he would, in some way, restore his own honour and be free of shame.

The same went for Takeo. If it was the marriage between her parents that brought shame to the school, than the only way to erase that would be to kill the symbol of their marriage. Being an only child, Leanne was sole proof of the love that brought disgrace to the Thunder Ninja Academy. Not only that, but the lie her father had told that disgraced the Takana family needed to be erased as well. It was unfortunate, but Leanne's death was the only way this could all be settled.

Leanne suddenly threw the chart across the room and sunk to her knees until she heard a faint scream. She pulled herself up using the foot of the bed and saw Summer was sitting up. Panic etched all over her face as she tried to figure out what was going on. Leanne raced to her side, lowering her back down into the bed.

"Take it easy," she whispered, "You're okay."

"What happened?" Summer asked, holding her head. Leanne sat down on the bed and looked into her eyes.

"I'll let Dillon explain that when he comes in," she said. "Are you okay?"

"I thought you said I was," Summer chuckled. "Take it easy? You're okay?"

Leanne nodded, "Right… sorry."

"I feel… okay," Summer said. "My head hurts…"

"That's what happens when you fight with the big boys," Leanne chuckled. "They sure did a number on your head."

"Thank god for my parents, right?" Summer smiled.

"Yeah," Leanne nodded. She tapped Summer's leg gently as she got up. "I'll let the nurse know to bring Dillon in."

Summer smiled, resting in her bed before she noticed her Aunt didn't seem herself.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Leanne sighed.

"For now."

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden found her Aunt in the hospital parking lot and stopped her before she got into the car. Kelly smiled as she spotted her niece and leaned against the car, waiting for her to catch up.

Hayden stopped before her and blurted out her question, "What was it like growing up without a mom?"

Kelly's smile dropped, "Is Kaylee okay?"

"Yeah… she's fine… it's Samantha."

"How is she?"

"We're not too sure yet," Hayden said. "But… if something happens to her… Scott and I are at a disagreement."

"About?"

"Well… Scott thinks it would be best if I took over the mommy role for her… he says growing up without a mom was hard for him, and that it would be harder for Engel because she's a girl and she needs a mother to help her…"

"What do you think?" Kelly asked. Hayden shrugged.

"I think he should take care of her," Hayden said. "It's what she's used to…"

Kelly sighed, "I knew who my mother was… and I'll admit, it was difficult without her, but I had other women I could use as role models."

"Are you saying I'm right?"

"Every situation is different," Kelly said. "Your grandmother was like a second mom to me… so it wasn't too hard to go talk to her… but if you take Leanne's situation…"

"Leanne didn't have a mom?"

"We both lost our moms at an awkward age…" Kelly said. "That left our dads to play both roles. Thankfully my dad had your grandmother. Sensei Omino had to be mom and dad to Leanne during those…"

"Ew…"

"Yeah," Kelly nodded. She smiled gently, "Don't make a decision based on our situations though. My advice: think about what I've said and go talk to Leanne. Get her situation, analyse them both and you and Scott should both come up with a plan that will help Engel be the best girl, or women, she can be."

Hayden groaned, "You think you're helping… but you really aren't…"

"That's what you think," Kelly laughed. She tapped her niece on the cheek and smiled, "Congratulations, by the way."


	59. Old Lives

After Takeo called off the battle, the five mutants were left to wander the streets, breaking apart to learn the land so they could cover more ground. Takeo found an abandoned warehouse and decided to stay there to gather his thoughts. He explained to the others why he was out for revenge against Leanne, and they all agreed to allow him the freedom to do so. They were going to wipe out the human race anyways they may as well start with their enemies.

Olivier went to discover the northern part of the city while Austin went to the west. Caleb stuck to the east and Mamello went towards the south. None of the four knew what they were looking for exactly, but they would know when they found something of importance.

Mamello had a large sweater with the hood covering his face and the sleeves. Due to his injuries, his face was left badly scarred. If he walked around town looking like he did, it would cause a panic. At the moment, he wasn't ready to deal with hundreds of citizens freaking out and calling the military. He was on a secret mission.

He passed by a house where three children were playing in the front yard. The oldest child was a boy, still in his young teens. He was sitting on the front porch watching as a young girl and the baby from the commander center played in the grass together.

Mesmerized by the baby, Mamello leaned against the picket fence bordering the yard and watched. She was the baby that was with his enemies. She was the daughter of the Angel Caleb nailed to the ceiling with the debris from the chair.

Mamello was so lost in his own world, that he didn't realise the boy had gotten up from his spot on the porch and grabbed a rock.

"Hey, creep!" he shouted, tossing the rock at Mamello, "Keep walking!"

Mamello caught the rock in his hand and sighed, dropping it onto the sidewalk. The boys walked over to him, holding a broom in his hand.

"Get lost before I call the cops," the boy told him, holding the broom in his hands as if it were a staff.

"I'm sorry kid," Mamello said. "I was just remembering."

"Remembering what?"

"Jason!"

The young teen turned when he heard his name. Mamello followed his gaze and saw the young child he had been watching had started crying. Jason ran over to the girl and scooped her up in his arms, rocking her gently.

Mamello opened the gate and walked into the yard nervously. He gazed at the child longingly while Jason tried to calm her down.

"Why is she crying?" Jason asked the other girl. She shrugged.

"I don't know… I let her out of arm-reach for a second and she started screaming."

Mamello reached a gentle hand out, "Let me help."

Jason pulled away with the baby and grabbed the other girl, pulling her behind him.

"Get away from my family," he said.

"I don't want to hurt you…"

"Then go away," Jason growled.

Mamello shut his eyes, "Please… I don't mean you children any harm…"

"That's what all pedophiles say," Jason snapped. He grabbed his sister's arm, "Go inside, Elena and lock the doors."

He placed the crying child in Elena's hands. She gazed up at her brother curiously.

"He doesn't sound like a bad guy…" Elena said.

Mamello was shocked. He knew he looked very intimidating. He was a big man, and the sweater wasn't hiding that fact. If anything it made him look even bigger. He was also hiding his face, something he knew the American society found very suspicious and mysterious. To add to it all, he had also been watching these innocent children, much like, for lack of a better word, a creeper. He had given Jason and Elena every reason to distrust him.

And yet, the girl didn't seem fearful.

"He looks creepy," Jason said, "Go inside."

"How many times have I told you, don't judge people by what they look like!" Elena snapped. She placed the baby in Jason's hands. "This is why I have more friends than you."

"All your friends pity you," Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes. Elena didn't seem offended by this. If anything, she brushed it off.

Turning to Mamello, Elena smiled. She offered her hand, "I'm Elena."

Mamello smiled under the hood, taking her hand, "I'm called Mamello back home."

He went to pull his hand away, but Elena didn't let go. She instead brought her other hand over and started feeling his arm. Nervous she would feel his burned arm and grow fearful; Mamello pulled his arm out of her grip. Elena was thrown forward and would have landed on her face, but Jason caught her.

"Dude, be gentle," he snapped, holding the girl protectively, "She's blind, you moron!"

"Blind?" Mamello frowned, "You cannot see me?"

"That's what it means, idiot," Jason scoffed, but Elena hit him.

"Be nice. He's not from here."

Mamello felt a sense of warmth coming from Elena. The fact that she couldn't see him meant she couldn't judge him for his appearance. That was the reason he and his brothers hated humans. They would judge them. Jason had already been doing it, and this was before he saw his face.

But the blind child… she was innocent. She saw things in black and white. There was no in between for her yet. There was no reason for her to be cautious around him because so far he hadn't shown her that he was the bad guy.

Not only that, but Mamello felt a connection with the little child. The one back from the command center. Back in Africa, before the Venjix took over, he had been a father. He had a wife and a child. His daughter had been about the same age as the young child. She had perished in the first attacks. It was because of her that Mamello couldn't bring himself to harm the children before him. Even if they were part of the race he was out to destroy, there was no way he would ever lay a finger on them or cause them any kind of distress. It was for that reason that he had allowed Hayden to leave with the child after Austin taunted her.

Elena reached out for his hand again and Mamello felt like he should offer her his hand. He couldn't understand this himself, but he felt safe with her touch. She already wasn't judging him.

He suddenly felt something grabbing the back of his neck tight, pulling him away from the kids and throwing him to the ground. When he looked up, he spotted the blonde woman from the command center, who fought strongly against his brother to protect her little sister.

Tori growled at the stranger as she stood before her children.

"Get off my property," she hissed.

Mamello put his hands up, protecting his face as he got to his feet. If she recognised him now she would surely cause trouble. Though he could handle her on his own, he knew it wasn't time to attack.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I just wanted to help."

"You can help by getting lost," Tori growled. Mamello nodded under the hood and turned to leave. As he continued down the sidewalk, he looked over his shoulder and noticed Tori was talking with her kids. From her body language he could tell she was asking them about him. What he had been saying to them and what he had done.

He shook his head. This was why he hated the human race. They were so bent on physical appearances. He didn't want to hurt the children, but because he was wearing a hoodie and hiding his face, Tori had jumped to that conclusion. He balled his fists in anger and after turning the corner, he kicked a stray garbage can onto the streets.

-----Afterlife-----

Takeo had only half spoken the truth when he told his brothers he would stay in the center of town in the abandoned warehouse. When he had said this, he had every intention of staying in the middle of town. He wasn't about to leave. However, he wasn't going to stay in the warehouse. Not when he knew where to find Sensei Omino.

While he had gone searching through the city for the warehouse, he had encountered a house where the owner had hung a family emblem on the door. Finding it odd that it was the only house to do so, Takeo snuck up to the door to check out the family emblem. Of course, it matched the emblem that had been burned into his brain. It was the same one that had been printed on Leanne's uniform: The Omino Family Emblem.

He was back in front of that door, careful no one saw him, before he knocked. There was no answer, so he let himself in.

The house immediately brought him back home to Japan. Obviously, Sensei Omino wasn't one to leave his culture behind.

Takeo stepped in carefully and turned into the living room, where he found Sensei Omino sitting on a cushion, meditation. He approached the Sensei, standing tall before him, but never bowing. He wasn't about to show respect to the man who had played the sole role of dishonouring his family.

Sensei Omino, sensing the new presence, opened his eyes.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before you came," Sensei Omino breathed, getting to his feet and offering Takeo a bow. Takeo shook his head.

"I'm here to talk about my family's honour."

"My daughter has come to me," Sensei Omino said. "She has told me of your anger towards me. You seek to avenge your family and the school's honour."

"I do."

"Then why have you come here?" Sensei Omino asked. "My daughter has run off to the hospital."

"I have come to inform you of the reasons I seek your daughter's death…" Takeo started, but Sensei Omino lifted his head and nodded gently. Takeo paused, furrowing his brow as he gazed at the Sensei with a look of confusion.

"She is a symbol," he started. "It was for the love of my wife that I dishonoured the school and I brought shame to your family. You cannot kill my wife, nor will it be enough to kill a dying man. I have long since reached my peak. My daughter, however, has many years before her."

"If I'm going to restore honour, it must last many years," Takeo nodded, "By killing you, I only speed up what is bound to happen in a few simple years…"

"Months," Sensei Omino corrected. "I am an old man. My time on this earth is wearing thin. Everyone knows that."

Takeo nodded, "This could have been avoided, Sensei. Your daughter could have lived her life without worry had you not told that lie about my family."

"I have lived in shame," Sensei breathed, bowing his head. "It was not right for me to do… but I was only doing what I thought was best."

"Do you still believe that?"

"I do," Sensei nodded. "You father was not ready…"

"My father committed seppuku!" Takeo screamed.

"I knew he would…"

"You played a hand in his suicide!"

"He had been dishonoured. There was no way he could face the family…"

"He was innocent."

"As far as the Academy knows, your father was guilty."

"He was innocent!" Takeo shouted.

Sensei Omino sighed, stepping away from the angry Takeo. He lowered his head in shame.

"We both know what you must do," he said. "My daughter will be alone until nightfall. Do what you must… but please do it kindly."

"You murdered my father, old man," Takeo said. "What makes you think I will respect your wishes?"

"Because like your father… my daughter is innocent."

With that Sensei Omino turned away from Takeo and headed for the stairs. Takeo kicked the cushion Sensei had been meditating on and stormed out of the house as Sensei Omino reached the top step. He took a deep sigh and turned to an old picture of himself, his wife and his daughter.

Stepping into his room, Sensei Omino walked to his nightstand and grabbed an old blade.

"My time is almost up anyways…" he whispered to himself as he clutched the blade and made his way to his closet, pulling out a white uniform.

-----Afterlife-----

Kaylee returned to the command center, rubbing her arm after donating blood at the hospital. With all the drama going down involving the kids, the mutants and the safety of the city, she was hoping that maybe helping Kira clean up the files would somehow take her mind off everything.

She stepped out of the elevator and saw the room was clean. Kira was sitting at her desk with her head down. Because the room was quiet, Kaylee could hear the faint sound of her snoring.

Chuckling, she walked over to her friend's side, poking her in the ribs. Kira jumped up with a slight scream, finding her friend looking down at her.

"It's done," she whispered. Kaylee nodded.

"I see that," she said, "You work fast."

"There was nothing else to do," Kira shrugged.

"Thanks," Kaylee nodded. "By the way, David said Summer would be okay."

"What happened to her?"

Kaylee shrugged, "I'm not too sure… but her stubborn head saved her life."

Kira chuckled, "Conner told me that would come in handy."

She paused for a moment, noticing Kaylee seemed somewhat distracted.

"If you want, we can search the computers. Maybe we'll find something on these five monsters."

Kaylee shook her head, "I don't care who they were… or even who they are. I want to know what they want from us."

Kira shrugged sadly, "I don't know…"

Kaylee communicator beeped suddenly, interrupting the conversation between the best friends. Kaylee picked it up.

"Yes?"

"_Mom, do you have any idea where Aunt Leanne went?"_ Hayden asked. "_A nurse said she left the hospital… and I've called Uncle Cam. She hasn't been home. I really need to ask her about something."_

Kaylee shrugged, "I don't know, sweet…"

"_Now I'm a little worried,"_ Hayden interrupted, _"She's not in the best state of mind… Takeo has this Japanese culture thing against her…"_

Kira looked to Kaylee, "Where does Leanne go when she's not in the best state of mind?"

Kaylee thought for a moment, "Hayden, check the waterfall outside Corinth Thunder Academy."

"_Okay."_

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden put her communicator away in her pocket. The hospital wasn't too far away from Corinth Thunder Academy. If she hurried, she could be there in five minutes.


	60. The Turning Point

After his confrontation with Dillon in the hospital, Flynn needed to go somewhere to pull him away from all the stress. His pregnant wife, the income that won't support himself, never mind his family, as well as the possibility of adopting an Angel child was all adding up.

He opened the door to his Garage, hoping to get some work done and bring in some income when he saw Hayden's younger cousin, Hannah, standing behind the counter handing the keys over to his only customer. The customer took the keys and handed Hannah the money that belonged to Flynn.

Not wanting to make a scene in front of a paying customer, Flynn waiting for him to walk out and even gave him a friendly nod on his way to the counter. However, as soon as the customer was gone, Flynn slammed his hands down on the counter.

"Pay up," he shouted. Hannah jumped. She hadn't seen Flynn there at all and was surprised when she heard the sudden slam of his hands on the counter. She turned around after putting the money in her pockets.

"It's my money," she said calmly. "I fixed up the car; I paid for the new battery for the engine. It belongs to me."

"That was my customer."

"You ditched!" Hannah frowned, "You shouldn't worry about the money and just be happy that I didn't let your reputation fall!"

"I deserve something…"

"Yeah, the next customer," Hannah nodded. "I'm only here when you can't be. It's just to help you out."

"Give me my money!" Flynn screamed. Hannah pulled back, thankful the counter was between them. Flynn had this fearful kind of rage in his eyes and had it not been for the counter between them, Hannah was sure Flynn would have taken her out by now and taken her money. There was no way she could protect herself against a former Power Ranger, even with thirteen years experience in the Pai Zhuq Academy and a Wolf Spirit under her belt, Hannah was no match for the angry Scotsman.

"Flynn, calm down… how about we talk about this…"

"Get out of my store!" Flynn screamed, slamming his hand down on the register. Hannah jumped back again.

Kelly ran out from the backroom when she heard the commotion. She had stopped by after her talk with Hayden because she knew Flynn would be on his way down, and she didn't want to leave her daughter alone to face him. She pulled Hannah back slightly and walked over to Flynn.

"Calm down."

"I can't calm down!" Flynn shouted, "You're taking my Garage and taking my money! You sent that customer to me!"

"Flynn, don't yell. I can hear you just fine."

"Shut up!" Flynn screamed. Kelly reached over the counter, touching his arm.

"I sent that customer to you, but you ran off. If I didn't ask Hannah to take over, he would have come back to a car that was still broken and your reputation would be shot!"

"I don't care! Get out!"

-----Afterlife-----

Leanne walked through the forest, reaching the pond in front of the Thunder Academy. She leaned up against one of the trees, her tears shinning in the moonlight. She dropped her head back, hitting it against the tree before falling to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head in her arms.

She wasn't crying. She knew she couldn't. It was a sign of weakness, and when facing Takeo, she couldn't be weak. She wanted to be strong and fight for her own life. If her father wasn't going to help her, she didn't want help from anyone else.

The silence was broken when someone stepped on a twig. Thinking it was Takeo, Leanne's head shot up and she gazed into the dark forest.

"Ow!" a feminine voice cried out, swatting at the tree branches as she fell into the clearing. Leanne wiped the tears from her eyes and got to her feet.

"Hayden…"

Hayden noticed the tear stained on her Aunt's cheeks, "Are you crying?"

Leanne wiped her eyes again, "No…"

"You're a terrible liar."

"Do you still believe your goldfish sprouted legs and ran away when you were six?"

"You told me it was possible on the sixth Monday of the month…"

Leanne chuckled and reached her arms out, inviting Hayden for a hug. The blonde teen smiled, diving in for the hug. Leanne kissed the top of her head.

"Why are you out here?"

Hayden pulled away slowly, "I have a very personal question to ask you."

Leanne frowned, but nodded her head slowly, "I guess that's fine…"

"It's just… with this whole thing with Takeo… I don't know if you might not want to answer."

Leanne placed her hand on her niece's shoulder, "Hayden, it's okay… I'll talk…"

"What was it like growing up without a mom," Hayden asked. She turned her gaze away, looking to the ground for a moment as she continued, "I mean… I know she did when you were thirteen… but Scott thinks that when a girl really needs a mom and where Engel might miss her mother…"

"I wish my mother never died," Leanne sighed. "It changed everything between me and my father… I love him but…"

Hayden nodded, "Okay… thank you."

Leanne smiled, "Stick with the little Angel, no matter what happens, okay? Don't deprive her of a confidant.

Hayden nodded and smiled, turning back to the forest to head home when Takeo stepped out of the shadows.

"I knew I would find you here," he smirked, pulling out a long blade. Hayden frowned, turning back to her Aunt.

"Wait… this whole thing was serious?"

"Go home, Hayden," Leanne whispered to her niece, pushing her into the forest. Hayden stumbled forward, but turned back to her Aunt.

"I'm not letting you die."

"This doesn't involve you, kid," Takeo growled. "It's personal."

Hayden shook her head and pulled off her clothes, revealing the Wind Ninja Academy Earth Uniform.

"Care to explain," she smirked.

Takeo pointed the blade at her, "Care to die alongside your Aunt?"

"Care to watch me re-grow various body parts?' Hayden asked. "Ask my cousins, it's not pretty."

"Hayden, I know you can heal, but you can't risk unnecessary decapitation or loss of limb."

"Then what's the point of this power?" Hayden grumbled.

"Think of your child and go home," Leanne growled, pushing her niece again.

"No."

"Man, you're stubborn," Takeo groaned. Hayden nodded, turning her attention to Leanne.

"C'mon! What about that honour thing you and your dad were talking about! Isn't it dishonourable to give into the enemy?"

"I won't be giving in!"

"Then come!" Hayden called, motioning for her Aunt to follow as she disappeared into the dark.

Takeo turned to Leanne and pointed the blade, "Ready for this?"

Leanne swatted the blade out of his hand and followed through, kicking her legs up and hitting Takeo in the side of the face. He dropped slightly, but grabbed her leg and flipped her. Leanne landed, face down in the dirt, with Takeo kneeling down, pressing his knee on her spine. He wrapped the blade around her neck. Leanne pulled her head up, as far as it could go, but the blade was still digging into her throat.

Suddenly, she felt Takeo being thrown off. She coughed loudly, bringing her hands to her throat to make sure she wasn't bleeding. When she was sure, she looked up.

Hayden stood over her, shaking her head, "I may believe there is a sixth Monday, but I'm not stupid. Follow me; we'll take care of this the right way!"

Leanne took Hayden's hand as the younger girl helped her up. Hayden didn't let go when Leanne was on her feet. She pulled her Aunt into the forest.

"Where are we going?" Leanne asked.

"This is a fight between your father and Takeo," Hayden said. "If he wants his honour back, he should do this with Sensei Omino, not you."

Takeo rushed to his feet, following Leanne and Hayden closely as they ran back to the Omino household, though they were always one step ahead of her.

-----Afterlife-----

Much like Flynn, Dani decided to go to the garage to clear her head. She had spent the entire day by Greg's side, and nothing about his condition had changed. Her mother, Uncle and Aunt decided for her that it would be best if she left the hospital for the night and returned in the afternoon.

Dani already knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. Ronny, Mack and Rose wanted her to go home and go to bed, but they also realised it would be impossible for Dani to get any form of sleep with Greg still in the hospital. They all agreed that Dani could go to the Garage and work on her stock car. She was going to miss the race, but it was the only thing they could all agree on.

She opened the door and had to duck quickly as a drill was thrown at her head. She gasped loudly and saw Flynn was screaming at Kelly and Hannah. Picking up the drill, she made her way over, placing the tool on the counter.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked.

"Hannah's stealing our money!" Flynn shouted.

"Why is Hannah stealing our money?"

"Kaylee told me about the financial issues," Kelly started, "and I've agreed to help this place get some customers. I made Flynn promise he would show up for work in exchange for me sending my customers his way, but he broke that deal. So, instead of pulling out of the deal and letting you both drowned, I hired Hannah to fix up the car he was working on. However, she needs to be paid."

Dani shrugged, "Okay… that sounds a bit tough… but I guess it's fair."

"Fair?" Flynn shouted. "I need money! Hayden's pregnant! I have a baby on the way, and now we have to take care of Engel!"

Dani shook her head, "Then why did you leave the Garage? If you need money so bad?"

"You were in trouble…"

"But you're already in trouble,' Dani said. "Flynn… I think Aunt Kelly's right."

"She's wrong! We can't hire help… we can't afford it."

"But we can't afford to close this place down five days out of seven," Dani shrugged. "I know I'm not good at math, but we might save more money by hiring some help, than if we close up…"

"Whatever," Flynn said, throwing his hands up in defeat as he walked to the backroom. "I give up! I'm going to bed!"

"Aren't you going home?"

"I can't afford the gas!" Flynn screamed, slamming the door shut. He walked to his desk and dropped his head down.

Hannah walked in carefully and placed a clipboard down beside him, "Um… Flynn… I don't know if this is the time, but…"

She tapped the clipboard, "Here."

Hannah walked out just as carefully as she walked in. Flynn waited for the door to close before lifting his head. He grabbed the clipboard softly and looked down.

Hannah had questioned the customer on the quality of service. From what Flynn could read, it seemed like this costumer was very satisfied. He had no complaints written on the form, and even wrote that he would suggest this Garage to friends around the city. That would definitely help the business and spread credibility around.

He still wasn't very sure, but maybe Kelly was onto something with this little plan of hers.

-----Afterlife-----

Austin met up with his three other brothers in the center of town. When they were all grouped together he spoke.

"Did you guys find anything interesting?"

"These humans need to die," Mamello growled. "They are just as we expected…"

"Now you're in," Caleb smirked, tapping his strong friend on the back. "I thought we lost you back at the command center. You seemed like you were going soft with the kids."

Mamello sighed, "Don't get me wrong… I'm still with you guys… but there are some kids out there who aren't that bad…"

"Leave your personal junk behind," Olivier growled, "So you had a daughter, big whoop! It's in the past. Everyone here…"

"There was a little girl," Mamello said, "She was blind. She didn't judge me."

"They will all die," Austin told him. "First the leader, then her soldiers, then the rest of the city."

"You go after the commander," Mamello frowned. "Her sister is mine for the killing."

"Takeo's got the doctor bitch," Caleb said, pointing to his head, "He's chasing after her and one of the girls right now."

"Then we'll work on the commander," Austin nodded, wrapping his arms around Caleb and Olivier's shoulders.


	61. Mutants Return

Kaylee and Kira worked all night trying to get some kind of information on the five mutants who entered Corinth City. So far they knew where each mutant was from. Austin was from here in the United States. They could tell from his lack of accent. The same went for Caleb. They knew he was from New Zealand because they could hear it when he spoke.

Mamello was from Africa. He had the deep voice that was usually associated to people from Africa. Kaylee already knew that Olivier was from France. She had spoken to him in French and was therefore positive of his homelands.

Just from his name, Kira and Kaylee knew Takeo was from Japan. They hadn't seen much of him so far, so they had to base their findings on his appearance and his name to get a location.

After finding all that, the two women passed out. It had been a long and stressful day and night had taken its toll.

As they lay, passed out on the desk, Dustin, Tori, RJ, Kelly, Ronny and Mack crept into the command center. Tori held in her hands a tray of coffee, while Ronny held her lucky socks. While the others stopped a few feet away from the desk, Ronny walked right up between the two friends, holding her socks up to their noses. Once the stench filled their nostrils, both girls woke up, jumping out of their seats.

"Emergency!" Kaylee screamed, her hand slamming down on the desk as she tried to search for the button that would set off the silent alarm. Kira held her nose in her hands and pulled back as far as she could.

"Holy, mother fuc…" Kira shouted, waving one hand in front of her face to clear the air before her. Ronny chuckled, sticking her socks in her back pocket.

"That never gets old," she said.

Kaylee whined gently as she walked over to Dustin, wrapping herself in his arms. He smirked, kissing the top of her head.

"Good morning."

"Not really," Kaylee replied, shaking her head, "It smells like feet."

Tori laughed, handing her sister one of the coffees from the tray, "We figured you two could use one of these."

Kaylee took the coffee, nodding dramatically, "I'm exhausted."

Kira rubbed her eyes, accepting the other cup from Tori. She took a sip before turning to the others, "So how was the night?"

Mack shrugged, "I don't really know," he answered, exchanging looks with the others, "Kinda weird, to be honest. Rose and I slept in the hospital for the first time in years."

"Where's Rose?" Kaylee asked.

"She's staying at the hospital," Mack said. "If Greg wakes up, she wants someone to be there."

"I went home alone after visiting the hospital," Ronny said. David stayed overnight to deal with the kids who are still there, and Dani never came back from the garage. I guess she knew she wouldn't be sleeping."

Kelly nodded, "She's still there. Flynn broke down last night when he saw I hired Hannah and she was taking his money. It really wasn't pretty. She decided to stay at the garage so he wouldn't be sleeping there alone."

Kaylee giggled as she looked around the room. Blake wasn't with Tori, which meant he wasn't in the command center.

"I finally got rid of him," she beamed. Dustin looked down at his wife in his arms with a frown on his face.

"Got rid of who, babe?" he asked. "Flynn?"

Kaylee shook her head, "No, I like him. Blake!"

Tori nodded, "I got home yesterday and there was this creeper talking to Jason, Elena and Engel. I didn't want him to come back when the kids were home alone again, so Blake offered to stay home."

"Maybe we should get to work," RJ said as Kaylee started dancing her happy dance. He placed his hand on her shoulder, "These mutants have definitely proven themselves."

Kira grabbed a folder from the desk she and Kaylee had been sleeping on and handed it to RJ.

"That's all we found," she told the team. "All we know is that they all come from different continents."

"We want to focus on what they want," Kaylee sighed. "But that's hard to do when they won't talk."

Tori took a look at the folder, reading over it.

"Didn't they say they want answers about the shields?" Tori asked her sister.

"Can't you just tell them the truth?" Mack frowned. Kaylee shook her head. She opened her mouth to answer when the door to the command center flew open and four of the five mutants stepped in, bearing smiles on their faces.

"Take the commander," Austin ordered as Caleb dashed forward.

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden and Leanne reached Sensei Omino's house after a long run through the city. When they noticed Takeo wasn't far behind them, they tried losing him, taking every scenic route they could find.

They walked up to the front door and knocked, thinking it best to be polite before storming into the Sensei's home. They didn't bother waiting for an answer though. They weren't sure if they had truly lost Takeo or not, and didn't want to risk him catching up.

The two women were sure to lock the door behind them. Leanne closed the blinds on the door as a precaution, while Hayden went into the living room. Leanne followed her as soon as she was done with the blinds and found Hayden was looking at her, shaking her head.

"He must still be in bed," she said.

Leanne nodded and ran up the stairs while Hayden stood guard on the main floor. If Takeo were to burst in, she wanted to guarantee her Aunt a little time.

Suddenly, Hayden heard a loud scream coming from upstairs. Panicked, she bolted to Sensei Omino's room, swinging the door open.

Inside, she saw Leanne was kneeling before the window, holding her father in her arms. Hayden approached her Aunt cautiously, dropping beside her and placing her hand on her Aunt's arm. She pulled on Leanne's arm gently to take a look at Sensei Omino.

She gasped loudly when she saw what had happened. She recognised the injury from her lessons at the Wind Ninja Academy. Sensei Watanabe had told her all about a samurai's honour and its ties to Seppuku. Hoping to help, Hayden reached for the bloody blade that Sensei had dropped when he killed himself.

Leanne swiftly grabbed her niece's arm, ripping it away. She dropped her father on the ground and shoved Hayden to the ground.

"Don't even think about it, preggers," she said. "He's dead… long dead. It would be stupid."

"Aunt Leah…"

Leanne got off her niece, leaving her lying on the ground as she walked over to her father's bed. She picked up his pillow and pressed it to her chest as she dropped. Hayden rolled into a sitting position. She crossed her legs and looked up at her Aunt.

"I'm sorry…"

Leanne shook her head, "Don't be… It was his choice."

The red head got to her feet, throwing the pillow onto the bed. Hayden turned her gaze to Sensei Omino's body.

"He only did it because he thought it was right," she whispered.

Leanne whipped around, "He left me!"

Hayden jumped to her feet as the tears flowed down her Aunt's cheeks, "No… he…"

"I don't know what to do!" Leanne screamed. She pointed to her father's corpse, "It's because of him I'm being hunted! I need his help, and he kills himself!"

Hayden rushed over to her Aunt, taking her hands, "We'll figure this out, I promise."

Leanne scoffed, "You're just a kid! You don't know what you're doing!"

"But I'm thinking rationally!" Hayden said. She pulled in to hug her Aunt, but the window smashed open and a figure pulled her away, slamming her to the ground before Hayden heard Leanne screaming again.

"Takeo!" Hayden called, shaking the dizziness away and jumping for the enemy. Takeo dropped Leanne onto the bed and turned back to Hayden, holding a dagger to her throat.

"Interfere and I'll kill you as well," he hissed. Hayden stepped back slightly and pointed to Sensei Omino.

"It's done…" she whispered. "He took his own life."

Takeo frowned and followed Hayden's point. He saw Sensei Omino lying lifeless on the floor and screamed loudly, dropping to his knees.

"NO!" he slammed his fists onto the ground. "No! He can't do that!"

Leanne pushed herself up from the bed and grabbed her niece, pulling her and covering her protectively.

"Takeo…"

"Shut up!" Takeo shouted, "It's worth nothing, now!"

The furious man got to his feet and pointed his dagger at the two women. Leanne pulled Hayden back farther and dropped into a defensive stance. Takeo scoffed loudly.

"You're not worth my time, anymore," he said. "I can't take anything from a dead man."

"Takeo… whatever you're planning…"

"A dead man can't suffer," Takeo growled, moving to the window, "However, an academy can fall."

"Where are you going?" Hayden called after him.

"It's this stupid American Academy that's caused my family problems," Takeo said. "If I can't take the honour from your family, Omino, I'll destroy the root of all my problems."

"You're going after the Academy?" Leanne asked. Takeo smirked.

"Nothing will stop me."

Before Leanne or Hayden could do anything, Takeo hopped out the window. Leanne ran to the window, ready to jump out when Hayden caught her arm, holding her back in.

"We're no match for him," she told her aunt.

"We need to protect the school," Leanne cried, worried for the Thunder Ninja Academy. After all, it was now officially her school. Before he passed, Sensei Omino named Leanne head Sensei of the new Corinth City Thunder Academy. It was her duty to protect it.

"The ninjas can hold him off for a while," Hayden nodded. "But not for long! You know how tough he is!"

"They're students!" Leanne cried.

Hayden smirked, "I know."

She grabbed her new communicator from her pocket, "Newtech City," she told it. "Ryan Bradley."

"_Reaching Ryan Bradley…"_

Leanne frowned, "What are you doing…?"

"Normally I would call Mike," Hayden said, "But he's out of commission for the next few weeks. So I'm getting the other Thunder to come help."

-----Afterlife-----

Ryan was just waking up, with his wife Samantha still wrapped in his arms when his communicator beeped. He reached over to the end table to grab it before the beeping woke Samantha.

"Shut the piece of shit up!" Samantha growled, burying her head in her pillow. Ryan chuckled.

"Sorry, baby. You know the military."

Samantha shook her head, "One day mom's going to get an earful for waking me up every morning."

"You know how they say women turn into their mothers…" Ryan started until Samantha looked up from her pillow and gave her husband a death glare. He gulped loudly. "Summer's really on her way, huh?"

"Nice save," Samantha growled, "But you're making your own breakfast."

Ryan rolled his eyes before finally checking the screen to see who exactly was calling him. Chuckling, he flashed it to Samantha.

"It's your cousin," he told her. "You owe your mother an apology."

"Answer it, moron," Samantha growled, slapping him on the head. Ryan answered his communicator, rubbing his head.

"Hayden, please don't wake Sam up early again. She's mean," Ryan pouted. Samantha was getting out of bed when she heard this. She turned around to face her husband, pointing at him in a scolding manner.

"I swear, Bradley…" she whispered until Ryan held up a finger, shushing her. She was about to say something about that, but the look on his face told her this was a serious matter. She dropped beside him on the bed and tried to listen.

"The Academy? Why would he be going there?" Ryan asked.

"What? What Academy?" Samantha frowned.

"Well, why are you calling me? Mike's… oh… ouch…"

"Ouch?"

"Ooh… really ouch… are they… yeah, totally… I'll be right there…"

Ryan turned off the communicator and jumped out of bed to get ready. Already curious from the conversation, Samantha's gaze followed him.

"What's going on?"

"There's an emergency," Ryan told his wife. "The Corinth Thunder Ninja Academy is in danger."

"Okay… I care but… so?" Samantha frowned. "Isn't that Mike's job? He's in Corinth."

"Mike's bones have all been smashed," Ryan explained. "He's out of commission."

Samantha frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, "How the fuck did he manage that?" she asked.

Ryan sighed, walking over to the bed. He bent over slightly to look his wife in the eyes, "Corinth spotted life out in the wastes. When Eagle Squad went to investigate, it turned into a fight. They called for Ranger back-up, but that didn't end too nicely. Greg's still unconscious, Senior's bones have been crushed as well and her wings have been impaled and shot and Summer…"

Samantha was suddenly interested when she heard her sister was involved.

"Summer's what?" she asked.

"Summer's skull was pretty much destroyed. Hayden says she's awake now but…"

Samantha jumped out of bed, grabbing her clothes and getting ready quickly. Ryan frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to buy milk; what do you think I'm doing? I'm coming with you!"

Ryan shook his head, "No. You're staying here. This is a Thunder Ninja Academy thing. You're not…"

"Someone hurt my cousins and my sister," Samantha growled. "I don't care if they were attacking the Thunder Academy or the corner store. I'm going to give that son of a bitch of piece of my mind."

Ryan shrugged, "Keep that attitude for when you meet the bastard, then."

Samantha frowned, "You think I'm aggressive now?"

"A little," Ryan chuckled. Samantha scoffed, shaking her head and grabbing her husband, pulling him to the door.

"Just wait until I meet the little shit head… even Al Capone will be cowering in fear. No one fucks with my baby sister!"

"And Mike and Senior!" Ryan added.

"Them too!"


	62. Fearsome Foursome

Kaylee frowned as Caleb grabbed her roughly, pulling her to join the mutants. She squirmed in his grasp, trying to pull free while her friends and family stepped forward to protect her. Austin held his hand up and shook his head.

"We could have destroyed you all last time," he said. "Don't you think it would be stupid to try this again?"

"Let her go, Scarface," Dustin growled. Kaylee gasped and turned to her husband.

"Dustin! Don't insult the beautifully handicapped!" she cried. Dustin groaned, shaking his head.

"Kayl, it's not the time to play nice."

"Good," Kaylee grinned, lifting her arm to her mouth. Because Caleb was holding her arm, his arm went up with hers. Kaylee growled as she sunk her teeth into his skin. Caleb let go, pulling his arm away quickly, not because of the pain, but due to the sheer shock. The commander of Corinth City, the woman in charge of the safety of the entire planet, just bit him.

"What the hell?" he frowned.

Kaylee grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back and throwing him into the other three mutants. While Mamello, Austin and Olivier caught their brother, Kaylee ran back to her family.

Kira chuckled, patting her best friend on the head, "She'll do that… we tried putting a muzzle on… but she bit through that too."

Kaylee grinned widely until Olivier launched himself at her. She screamed fearfully and ducked behind Dustin, who reacted just in time for his fist to meet Olivier's face. The Frenchman grabbed his face in his hand, recoiling in pain. Kaylee peeked over Dustin's shoulder, sticking her tongue out at her enemy.

"Don't mess with me!" she cried.

Austin shook his head as he picked up the gun lying freely on the desk beside him. He aimed the weapon at Dustin.

"Give me the commander,"

"Kira, you heard him," Dustin said.

Kira turned to the former yellow, "Ha-ha."

"Surrender your commander, and we'll spare your lives," Olivier said, still covering his face. He had to admit, the punch Dustin gave him stung, even with his armour-like body.

"Like we're going to do that," Tori scoffed. Mamello smirked.

"We want you, too," he said. "After what happened yesterday, I deserve justice."

Mack touched Tori's shoulder, "What the hell happened last night."

"I have no idea."

"Ew," Kaylee cringed, "Did you fuck and forget?"

"Kaylee!" Tori screamed.

"Sounds like it," Ronny muttered. Tori turned around and smacked the driver on the shoulder.

"Wait!" Kaylee cried, turning to Mamello, "If you want justice…"

The younger sister pulled out from Dustin's protection and glared hatefully at Mamello.

"You son of a bitch…"

Mamello shook his head and chuckled. He didn't care what these humans though about him. They were all going to die in a matter of days.

Austin turned the gun and pointed it to Tori, "Come with us, and we won't hurt your friends."

Knowing the enemy was strong, Tori greatly considered giving herself up and going with the mutants. She knew it would buy the others time to come up with a plan and figure out their weakness. She lowered her head in shame and stepped forward, but felt Kelly grab her arm and pull her back. The red head glared at her.

"You take one more step, surfer-girl, and I'll kill you," she growled. Tori shook her head and pulled the older girl in for a hug. Carefully, Tori rested her head on Kelly's shoulder, turning her mouth towards her ear.

"I'll go with Kaylee. We'll buy time. You guys work on figuring this problem out."

Kelly nodded and squeezed her friend tight. When she let go, Tori walked over to Kaylee and grabbed her arm.

"They want us," she said. "C'mon."

Kaylee frowned, "What? You want to go with Raping McRaperton?"

Tori rolled her eyes, "C'mon, squirt. We'll be fine."

Austin, Caleb, Olivier and Mamello exchanged looks. Of course, Tori and Kaylee weren't going to be okay, but if they were going to come willingly because they believed those were the conditions, they weren't going to say otherwise. Mamello reached out, grabbing Tori and breaking her away from Kaylee, while Caleb grabbed Kaylee.

Dustin growled fiercely as he stared at Caleb, "If you hurt my wife, I'm going to make sure you die the most painful death…"

Caleb simply grinned, before grabbing Kaylee's arm and biting down. The blond whimpered slightly, turning to her sister and giving Tori a look that told her this was her fault.

Caleb glared at Dustin, who was obviously furious about what he had just done. When Austin made the call to leave, Caleb gave the former yellow a small salute and walked off with Dustin's wife.

-----Afterlife-----

It was already close to noon, and Flynn was working hard in the garage. In his absence, Hannah had gotten another customer to come in with his car. The engine had been making a strange noise and needed to be checked. Hannah hadn't started on it because she needed to finish the first customer's car, so she left this one for Flynn.

Looking up from the engine, Flynn notice Dani was sitting at the front counter, playing mindlessly with a pen. For the most part, things were back to normal in the garage. Flynn was working his tail off, while Dani wormed her way out of doing the boring work. However, from the tension in the room, anyone could tell this wasn't a normal day at work.

Flynn was still very upset about Kelly hiring help without consulting him first, but after seeing the review on the comment card, he was starting to come around. He still wished he had gotten the money for the car. He needed it desperately now that his wife was pregnant and it looked like he would be taking in Engel for a few weeks, at the least.

As Flynn kept his gaze on Dani, he was growing more and more aware that Dani wasn't purposely dumping all the hard work on him. Her mind was obviously elsewhere as she looked up at the clock.

She wasn't allowed to go back to the hospital until the afternoon. Her parents and in-laws agreed that it was best for her if she took some time to herself to recover. Her bullet wound, though it wasn't severe, did need to heal up. Working in the garage wasn't the ideal place to rest, but it was the only place Dani would have gone if she couldn't be with her husband.

Wiping his hands on the rag, Flynn shut the hood of the car and walked over to Dani. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Go to the hospital," he whispered. "I'm done with that piece of metal."

Dani buried her head in Flynn's chest and shook it sadly, "It's not after noon."

"It's close enough," he told her.

Dani shook her head, "No… I can't… I can't go back now."

"Why not?" Flynn asked. Dani continued to shake her head.

"I can't see him like that again," she whispered. She grabbed a clipboard and a form from the desk. "I'll do the paperwork."

Flynn let go of the red head as Dani walked towards the car to do an inspection. Before she got too far, however, he called her name. She turned around slowly and nodded to show he had her attention.

"Do you really think Kelly's helping us out?" he asked her.

Dani nodded, "She's tough… but she knows what she's doing. Especially in business. You could learn from her."

"Do you think Hayden and I are in trouble?" Flynn asked. "Financially, I mean."

Dani shrugged, "Depends on how you handle things. Sometimes… it's okay to ask for help."

As Dani began the inspection, Flynn lowered his head. He owed Hannah and Kelly an apology.

-----Afterlife-----

Ryan and Samantha met up with Hayden and Leanne in front of the hospital. They couldn't get too close to the Thunder Ninja Academy until they had a plan. If Takeo knew they were coming after him with back-up, he would be able to counter quickly.

When Hayden spotted her cousin she frowned curiously, but didn't question it. She half assumed that by contacting Ryan, Samantha would catch wind of the plan and would come along. In all honesty, it was good that she did. The more help they had, the better it was.

From her room in the hospital, Summer could see the little reunion going on with her cousin, Aunt, sister and brother in-law. Her window was located in the front of the hospital and she could see down to the entrance, where the four were gathered.

Dillon walked back in the room and saw his wife was out of her bed. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her gently.

"Get back in bed, Sunshine," he whispered, kissing the side of her head softly. Summer turned around, blocking the window so Dillon couldn't see the four outside.

"I can't sleep," she told him, "I left Rex at home…"

Rex was Summer's childhood toy. When she was little, she never went anywhere without it. It was her version of Ducky.

Dillon rolled his eyes, "Sunshine, you haven't touched that thing in years…"

"I know… but… after what happened…"

Summer touched the bandages around her head and winced slightly. Dillon's face softened. He nodded slowly.

"I'll rush home and get Rex for you," he told her. He kissed her hand so as not to hurt her head anymore and rushed off, wanting to make it back before visiting hours were over.

Summer waited until the door was shut before turning back to the window. She looked down at Hayden's face. After years of working on Project RPM alongside Hayden, she knew when Hayden meant business. The former Pink ranger was currently wearing her game face.

Because Hayden was pregnant, no one wanted her out on the battle field. Her powers would protect the baby, but if she lost even a little blood, she would be putting herself, as well as junior in danger.

Summer ripped the bandages off her head and opened her window. Thankful she was only on the second floor, and there was a tree nearby, she jumped off the windowsill, catching the closest branch in her hands and swinging down.

She landed in the middle of the group of four, taking them all by surprise. While Leanne, Hayden and Samantha reacted by making sure she was okay, Ryan looked up to the skies.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" he asked.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Leanne asked her niece, shaking her head as she placed her hand close to Summer, in case the blonde lost her balance.

Summer waited for the dizziness to pass before she ran into a more secluded area. Not wanting her to escape, the three girls followed her while Ryan continued to search the skies.

"Seriously!" he cried. "Do you just pop out of nowhere like that all the time? Or did I just totally miss something."

Samantha ran over, grabbing her husband and dragging him away.

Dillon stepped out of the hospital, pulling out his keys as he turned to the parking lot. Samantha, Ryan, Hayden and Leanne got the point and turned to the younger twin. She shrugged innocently.

"He would have stopped me."

"For good reason!" Hayden frowned. "Summer, your head was practically split in two! You shouldn't even be awake right now!"

"You're pregnant!" Summer retorted, glaring at the youngest member of the group. "You shouldn't be here either."

Hayden grumbled under her breath while Samantha's eyes lit up with both excitement and fury.

"You're pregnant!" she cried out in a tone that confused everyone. Even Leanne, the woman with a PhD in everything, couldn't tell if Samantha was leaning more towards excitement or fury.

"Yeah…" Hayden answered nervously. Samantha squealed in delight, while slapping Hayden on the head. The pink Ranger groaned loudly, rubbing her head, "I don't get it…"

"She did that to me too," Ryan laughed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Samantha growled. She turned to Summer, "Both of you!"

"She can't fight!" Summer said, pointing to her cousin. "I won't let it."

Ryan shook his head, "I get it!" he said. "I'm here to replace Mike. Samantha came down for Summer, who's here for Hayden…"

The girls frowned as they turned to the male SPD Ranger. He caught their looks but shrugged them off.

"You're all protecting each other," he said. "It's kind of cute… in a crazy way. None of you should be fighting."

He pointed to Leanne, "You're old," he went and pointed to Samantha, "You're retired. You've got a bad head injury, and you're pregnant," he finished with Summer and Hayden respectively. All four women glared at him.

Ryan smirked, "I call 'em as I see 'em."

"Call me old one more time and you won't be seeing anything anymore, you little shit," Leanne growled.

Hayden leaned over to Ryan, whispering in his ear, "Do not piss her off. She's been having a really bad day."

"What's been going on?" Samantha asked.

Hayden glanced up at her Aunt to see if Leanne wanted to explain. After all, this whole problem was an Omino deal. The only reason Hayden was involved was because she refused to leave Leanne to die.

Leanne nodded and turned away leaving Hayden to explain to her cousins what had been going on. Hayden went on to explain how Takeo believed Sensei Omino dishonoured the school and Takeo's family, and now the mutant wanted revenge against Sensei Omino by killing his daughter. But with Sensei Omino's death, killing Leanne would do nothing to damage the reputation of the Omino clan. She was the last living descendant (as far as Takeo knew. He was unaware Leanne had a daughter).

Now, Takeo was after the school. He held a small grudge against the Academy for banishing his family from the grounds. If he couldn't get his revenge on the Ominos through death, he would go about it by destroying the Thunder Academy.

Ryan gasped. Though he spent all of his post-apocalyptic life in Newtech, he had gone to Corinth City's Thunder Ninja Academy via portal. He had trained there for years now, and it had become a second home. To hear that someone was trying to destroy it, as well as murder his Sensei made his blood boil.

Summer gasped softly, "That's why you were acting different when you were in my room. That Takeo guy was after you?"

"My father killing himself because of that asshole," Leanne growled. Ryan placed his hand on his Aunt's shoulder.

"You stay away from the Academy, then," he said. "The girls and I will go in. We'll take care of Takeo and try to figure out this misunderstanding."

"You don't get it," Hayden frowned. "You don't just take care of Takeo. The man fights like a thousand angry samurais! Believe me; you do not want to piss off even one samurai."

"How bad can one guy be?" Ryan asked. Hayden shrugged.

"If you're so confidant, I vote you die first."

Ryan shook his head, "We'll take care of this. All four of us."

"I don't know…" Leanne said hesitantly as she looked at the group of Rangers who had been recruited to protect her school. She didn't have a problem with Ryan. She had trained him personally for many years. He was a great ninja and very skilled at fighting. He would put up a good fight against Takeo.

It was the girls she was worried about. Samantha, though perfectly healthy, had never been trained in the way of the Thunder Ninja Academy… or any Academy for that matter. Though she was skilled in her own right, she would be easily outmatched by Takeo.

Hayden was pregnant. Though she could handle any punch or kick thrown her way, one cut anywhere on her body and it could mean the life of her child.

Summer really had Leanne worried. No matter how hard the yellow Ranger's head was, Summer wasn't ready for a battle against a great warrior like Takeo. Out of the four, Leanne believed Summer would be the first to fall in the fight, and if Summer fell, it could mean her life.

However, Leanne also knew these kids were determined for several reasons. With a small nod, she sent them on their way to the Academy, praying for the best while she turned and headed for the command center.


	63. Explosion

The Thunder Ninja Academy grounds were filled with Thunder Ninjas fighting off a lone Takeo. They were faring rather well against the mutant, however, from the outside; it was obvious Takeo had the upper hand.

Ryan, Samantha, Summer and Hayden used this fight as a distraction so they could get inside the Academy. Hayden and Ryan would blend in perfectly with their Ninja uniforms, but Samantha and Summer definitely stood out of the crowd with their yellow shirts.

Once through the Academy doors, Ryan led the twins through the main hall. It was rather large because it was used as training grounds in terrible weather, as well as a dinner hall for students who lived on campus. The footsteps echoed loudly in the room as Ryan walked up the center. Samantha and Summer looked around in awe.

"This place is…"

"… enormous," Summer finished for her sister. They had both been on Ninja Academy grounds, but never inside the schools. The room was lightly decorated, with banners hanging down from the ceiling bearing either the Crimson Thunder insignia, or the Navy Thunder insignia. The tables were long with many chairs placed on both sides to host the many students who would be eating.

"Yeah… The Wind Ninja Academy is a lot more cheerful looking," Hayden chuckled. "Our colours are a lot brighter."

Ryan chuckled before disappearing behind the door. Samantha went to follow him while Summer sat down in a chair. She continued to look around in awe.

"So, while mom and dad sent Sam and I to regular school… you guys went here?"

"We went to regular school," Hayden laughed as she put a lock on the doors to keep anyone from coming in. The plan was for the four of them to surprise Takeo, not the other way around. "But while you two were doing homework in your rooms, all alone… Ryan, Mike and I came here to train, and we did our homework rooms like these… with other ninjas."

Summer glared at her little cousin for a moment until Ryan and Samantha came back out of the backroom. Samantha was already dressed in a women's Crimson Thunder uniform. Ryan carried, in his hands a uniform for Summer. He tossed it over to her.

"Slip this on," he said. "I would have given you Crimson as well, but we need a way to tell you two apart."

Summer nodded but motioned for Ryan to leave. The Thunder Ninja frowned and shrugged.

"It's not like I've never see you naked."

Summer frowned, "Excuse me?"

"Well, that body at least…" Ryan explained. "I mean… I've slept with your…"

"AH!" Summer shouted, covering her ears, "Please, not another word… I'll leave to get changed."

Hayden jumped forward slightly, "Um… with that head of yours… I'm not leaving you alone."

The Pink Ranger followed her older cousin into the backroom to accompany her while she got changed, not wanting to risk Summer's head injury to suddenly begin to act up and she hurt herself while locked alone in a room.

Ryan frowned, "I've already seen her naked… why the hell is she uncomfortable…"

"You've seen me naked, Ry…" Samantha sighed.

"And the difference is…?"

"Big…"

"Well then," Ryan smirked, "That would defeat the purpose of identical twins."

Samantha frowned, opening her mouth to respond but realised Ryan did have a valid point. She shut her mouth and nodded.

"You know… you're right," she said.

Summer and Hayden emerged from the backroom and Ryan turned to the two girls. He pointed to Summer.

"You owe me an answer!" he cried out. Samantha rolled her eyes, while Summer turned to Hayden with a curious look. The pink Ranger shrugged, patting her cousin on the shoulder.

Ryan shook his head and chuckled at the girl's confusion. When the moment passed and Hayden finished helping Summer with her uniform accessories (such as the wrist guards and the belt), Ryan changed the topic.

"We're gonna want to get Takeo out of his comfort zone," he said.

"To do that we would have to know if he has a comfort zone," Samantha sighed. "From what I've heard, this guy kicks ass no matter where he is, or who he's fighting."

"Well, he was trained in the Thunder Ninja Academy, right?" Summer asked. "He went to school here…"

"His father… Takeo was trained in the way of the Thunder Ninja… but there would be areas where his training would be different. I think that's why Aunt Leah couldn't take him down."

There was a loud thump from the door, causing the four to jump. Ryan ran to the large doors and pressed his ear against it.

"Who's got the key?" he heard Takeo shouting. There was another thump and a loud cry from outside. Ryan pulled away, joining the girls in the middle of the room.

"Takeo's trying to get inside."

"Good luck with that," Hayden grinned, kneeling down and touching the ground with her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Hold onto something," Hayden called out before the earth began to shake. Ryan and Samantha tried keeping their balance as they put their hands on the table, hoping it would be enough to keep them on their feet. Summer, not wanting to risk falling to the ground and hitting her head, sat down in the middle of the room, away from any danger.

The earth stopped shaking when Hayden stood up. She helped Summer to her feet while turning to her cousins.

"Run," she yelled, pulling Summer across the room. She opened one of the side doors and waited for Summer, Samantha and Ryan to run past her before following them and closing the door behind her.

Outside the Academy, Takeo got to his feet after being knocked over by the earthquake. Before him stood a large mound of earth that appeared from the ground when he tried to break down the door. In fury, he turned to the students, who were all on the ground, at his mercy.

"Who the hell did this?" he shouted, knowing full well that none of them possessed this ability. They were all dressed in the Thunder student uniforms, meaning they were all still in the process of learning their thunder skills. None of them would be advanced enough to being lessons from another school.

One ninja piped up shyly, "It… it wasn't us… Sensei."

"Shut up!" Takeo screamed, grabbing him roughly, "I know it wasn't you."

"It looks like the doing of an earth Ninja…" the ninja whispered.

"I know that!" Takeo screamed again. He glared down at the kid, "Wind Ninja Academy, right?"

"As far as I remember," the ninja nodded. Takeo threw him to the ground and turned back to the mountain. He cried savagely, throwing his hands in the air as a large lightning bolt struck down from the skies, hitting the mountain with such power that the earth exploded before him.

Takeo climbed up over what was left of the mound of earth and reached the door. He knew it would be too strong for him to break down. He turned back to the students.

"Stand up!" he yelled at them. They didn't move, causing him to scream again, "On your feet!"

Slowly, the ninjas stumbled to their feet, holding various injuries. Takeo jumped off the mound and grabbed two of them, pulling them back to the door. He tossed one to the ground and held the other with both hands. He lifted the ninja over his head and threw him into the door. The ninja's body fell limp on impact with the heavy wooden door, and he slumped down. Takeo grabbed the second ninja and did the same.

When he got no results, he grabbed the two kids, throwing their bodies into the door again. He repeated this until another ninja stepped up.

"Sensei…"

"WHAT?" Takeo screamed. The student walked up past Takeo and touched the door. Lightning struck down from the sky again, hitting the door and smashing it to pieces. The student backed down afterwards, letting Takeo run inside the building.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Takeo called as he stepped cautiously into the main room. He looked around, checking every corner carefully to make sure no one would give him the slip. "I know you're in here, Earth Ninja."

Takeo made it to the center of the room. he spun around slowly, checking the room one last time before letting out a loud cry.

"Come out and fight!"

Down the halls, Ryan and the girls stopped running when they heard Takeo shouting. They exchanged worried looks before Ryan whispered.

"He's he-ere."

Samantha slapped her husband on the back of the head, "Don't do that!"

"He knows we're here," Hayden said. Summer rolled her eyes.

"Damn, I thought earthquakes were supposed to be subtle."

"Good point…"

Samantha started running back to the main room, before Ryan chased after her. Her caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Where are you going?"

"He'll think I'm Summer," Samantha said. "He'll think my head is my weak point. He won't go all out… but I will."

"Sacrifice number one," Hayden groaned. "Samantha, we need to stick together."

"Until what?" Samantha asked. "We don't officially have a plan yet."

"That's why we stay together," Ryan told her, but realised she was right. They didn't have the time for formulate a good plan. Right now they were just running for their lives. Samantha nodded slowly.

"Okay… You three stay back," she whispered. "Think of a plan. I'll go back there and draw him out… at best, maybe he'll think I'm the earth Ninja."

"He won't believe it," Hayden said. "You're wearing the student uniform. To start training in another element, you would need to have a solid stripe on your right shoulder in your colour. That indicates to everyone else that you've not only mastered your initial element, but you're also in training in another element."

"So?" Samantha asked. "I thought he wasn't trained in the Academy."

"So, if he knows we're fried! He'll kick your ass to find an Earth Ninja."

"Yeah, and Hayden's not getting involved in any battles," Summer nodded.

"Neither are you," Samantha added as she glared at her sister. "No one by Ryan and I are getting involved."

"Too late," Hayden shrugged. "We're already here."

"Um… girls…" Ryan called when he heard footsteps echoing faintly in the halls. The girls shut up and turned to him. He pointed upwards, indicating for them to listen. When they too heard the footsteps, their eyes widened.

"We need to run," Samantha whispered.

"No shit," Summer nodded, taking off further down the hall, hoping they would find another room to hide in so they could come up with a better plan that running away.

-----Afterlife-----

After all the drama in Corinth, Dillon was rather happy to be back in NewTech. This was a city that had nothing to worry about. Because Corinth took care of threats in the wasteland, NewTech was left to worry solely about problems inside their own domed city. Dillon never found himself worrying about mutants attacking the city or outside threats. NewTech was a safe place to live a problem free life.

Dillon put the key in the lock on the front door and turned it carefully. He opened the door and stepped inside him home. The lights were all out, and Dillon didn't bother with turning them back on.

He could smell something funny in the house but chose to ignore it. He must have left something on the counter in the kitchen to rot while he and Summer were away on vacation. He would deal with that once he found Rex.

Choosing to start in the closet, he opened the door and peeked in. It was too dark to see, so Dillon snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, Dillon's vision was blurred by a white light, and his ears began to ring loudly. When the light faded, Dillon blinked rapidly. He looked around and found he could see outside his house.

"What the hell…" he muttered as sirens began to sound in the distance and people started to gather. Looking around again, Dillon noticed that his house was no longer standing. "Oh… fuck…"

"Sir! Sir!" a fireman called jumping out of his truck and rushing over to Dillon. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Did my house just blow up?" Dillon asked. The fireman chuckled.

"It looks like it. Are you okay?"

Dillon snapped his fingers once more, showing the fireman his ability to manipulate fire, indicating that he was perfectly fine.

"Alright," the fireman said, guiding Dillon away from the wreckage. "Sir, we're going to need to you for a report."

"The house went boom," Dillon told the fireman as reporters started to gather.

"Okay…" the fireman frowned. "Um, how did it go boom?"

"I don't know…"

"Describe your experience before the explosion."

"Normal," Dillon frowned. "What do you expect me to say? I saw a ghost!"

"No… but was there anything out of the ordinary that could have caused an explosion?" he asked. "Was there a gas leak, for instance?"

"It did smell like someone did let out a big one," Dillon nodded. "But I must have left some food…"

"Did it smell like gas or food?"

"Well, with the way my wife cooks…"

"Sir, can you please co-operate?"

"I have trouble working with people," Dillon chuckled. "It took months before I could work with my team. And even then… I was still a loner."

The fireman shook his head, "Sir…"

"It smelt funny. I already told you. I don't know if it was gas or food for sure, but can't we just assume it was a gas leak?"

"Sir, we want to know what happened…"

"Who cares if it was a gas leak or terrible luck? Either way, my house just blew up and my wife is in the hospital. I need to give her her…"

Dillon's face twisted in panic as he remembered the reason for being here. He had come to get Summer's stuffed toy. But the house, and everything inside it was gone.

"Dammit!" he screamed, kicking the dirt. "I can't stay! I need to find an old T-Rex stuffed toy!"

"What?" the fireman frowned. "Sir, if we contact your insurance company I'm sure we can…"

"Not right now! My wife needs a plushie and I blew hers up!"


	64. Flynn, Dillon and the Baby

Dani had long since left the Garage to go back to the hospital and be with her husband, leaving Flynn to close up on his own. It had been the first time in a long time that he worked from open to close, and he felt great about it. The money he would be making would be money well earned. A few more customers came in during the day, on Kelly's request, and they had small projects for him to do. He was almost done a fair share of them, but was leaving the rest of the work to be done tomorrow.

He got into his truck and checked the time. Unaware if Hayden was home with Engel or not, Flynn decided to stop by the Bradley's to see if he needed to pick up the little Angle or not. He started the car and headed down the road. When he reached the Bradley house, he saw Blake and the kids were outside.

He jumped out of his car and walked over to Engel, scooping her up and kissing her stomach. Engel cried out in laughter as Flynn held her up straight. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Flynn approached Blake, "Scott asked Hayden and me to take care of the lass until her parents were better."

Blake nodded, "I figured at much. All her stuff is still at your place."

Flynn smiled and turned to his car. He realised he was missing one very important object: a car seat for the little girl. Without one, he couldn't drive her home. Groaning loudly, he turned to Blake.

"Do you…"

"Nope," Blake sighed, shaking his head. "Once Elena was big enough, we gave it away. We didn't think we would be grandparents so soon."

"Mind watching the truck tonight then?" Flynn asked the navy Ranger. Blake shrugged.

"So long as she doesn't poop all night."

Blake reached out, tickling Engel's sides, "You weren't feeling well, right? Did grandma Tori cook something funny for dinner?"

Flynn had to suppress a giggle when he heard Blake's voice rise, as it always did when he spoke to Engel directly. It was something he couldn't help. Of course, Flynn was sure he was the same way, so he said nothing.

"I'll be sure to remember that," he nodded, touching Engel's stomach. He looked the two year old in the eyes, "Will you be getting sick for Uncle Flynn and Aunt Hayden?"

Engel shrugged then dove in, hugging her Uncle's neck. Flynn wrapped his arms around her little body and started down the street. The walk back to his place wouldn't be too long, and it would allow him some bonding time with his niece.

At about the halfway point, Flynn spotted a familiar car racing down the street. It skidded to a halt before him and the driver hopped out.

"Flynn, I'm in such deep shit!" Dillon cried.

Flynn shook his head, covering Engel's ears before Dillon said something else she wasn't supposed to hear. The former black Ranger noticed the little girl and his face dropped. He looked up at Flynn, letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry."

Flynn looked down at Engel. She stared up at him, blinking. Flynn chuckled.

"It's alright, man, I don't think she caught it," Flynn approached the car. "Why are you in trouble?"

"Summer won't sleep in the hospital unless she has her T-Rex plushie… I kinda blew it up…"

Flynn frowned deeply, "That's not a nice thing to do."

"I didn't do it on purpose."

"She's going to be pissed off when she finds out."

"She's not going…"

"She might chew your head off."

"Flynn…"

"Or worse. Maybe she'll divorce…"

"Flynn!"

Flynn chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder, "You are in trouble, man."

"I know…"

"No in trouble," Engel said, smiling brightly as she reached out for Dillon to carry her. Dillon grabbed her from Flynn's arms and held her for the moment.

"A little bit," he told her. Engel shook her head.

"New teddy!" Engel cried happily, throwing her hands up, almost hitting Dillon in the face. Flynn chuckled, taking his niece back before she caused Dillon some serious harm. Dillon glared at his friend.

"This isn't funny."

"Not on your end, it's not," Flynn nodded, "But it's pure gold on my end… Summer's not going to be happy when she finds out you blew up her T-Rex."

Dillon gulped, "Well… it's more than just her dinosaur… I kind of blew up…"

Dillon's voice trailed off here and Flynn couldn't catch the rest of the sentence. He cupped his ear with his hand and leaned it closer.

"I'm sorry, lad, I didn't hear that," he said. "You blew up…"

"I blew up the…"

"One more time," Flynn said, getting in even closer.

Dillon groaned loudly, "I blew up the house! Okay? Are you happy? I walked in, smelt something funny, ignored it, went to the closet, snapped my fingers, created fire, and BOOM!"

"Boom…?"

"Don't make me say it again," Dillon glared.

"Boom… what happened after boom?"

"The house blew up…" Dillon muttered. Flynn burst out laughing, while Engel looked from one uncle to the other.

"Bye-bye house?" she asked Dillon. He nodded sadly.

"Bye-bye house."

"Uh-oh!" Engel gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. This only made Flynn laugh even harder.

"Dude, you know you're screwed when even Engel can pick up on it!"

"Tati Thummer be very mad at you!" Engel warned Dillon, as if it would be news to him. Dillon leaned against his car, holding his face in his hands.

"I know…"

Engel shook her head and crossed her arms, "Not nice!"

Flynn squeezed his niece gently, "You tell him, Engel."

Engel nodded at her uncle before turning back to Dillon. She pointed at him with her little fingers and gave him the angriest look she could muster.

"Time out for two minutes!" she scolded him with her baby voice. Dillon ran his hands through his hair.

"I'm getting trouble from a two year old…"

"You blew up the house," Flynn laughed.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Dillon screamed, hitting the car with his hands. Engel gasped again.

"Free minutes! No make go to four!"

Flynn laughed even louder while Dillon tried not to show his anger for the toddler's sake. Engel crossed her arms and pointed to the driver's seat of the car.

"Sit and no say word until time up," she told her uncle. Dillon rolled his eyes.

"I've got to get to the hospital."

"Mind if we tag along with you?" Flynn asked. "If Hayden didn't stop by to pick up Engel, she's probably still out of the house and the only place she would be is the hospital."

Dillon nodded, "Yeah, I've got a car seat in the trunk. Summer wanted to buy one for just such an occasion."

"Leave it to her to come prepared for kids," Flynn said while Dillon ran to the trunk to get the car seat. Engel sighed loudly in frustration. No one ever listened to her when she tried to be the mommy.

When the car seat was set up, Flynn buckled her up and took shotgun. As Dillon drove to the hospital, he could see his niece glaring daggers at him from the rear-view mirror. He sighed, looking back at her for a moment.

"What?"

"You a trouble-maker," she told her uncle. "I be telling on you!"

"What a kid," Flynn smirked, wiping the tears from his eyes. He turned around in his seat and smiled at his niece, "I love you, Engel."

"Love too," Engel smiled. She turned her eyes back on Dillon. "Not really him."

Flynn laughed again, turning back in his seat, "Ouch."

-----Afterlife-----

"Okay, so here's the plan," Ryan whispered to the girls as they sat on the ground in a closet. The door was locked, just in case Takeo did find them, and they already knew where the vent was for any emergency exits. "We split up…"

"No," Summer frowned, shaking her head. "Splitting up is a terrible idea! Someone always dies when teams split up."

She glanced at the three in the closet with her: the Ninja, the healthy twin and the healer. She let out a deep sigh, "And I'm not liking my odds right now."

"Summer's got a point," Hayden nodded. "Takeo and his brothers took out my entire Eagle Squad and their back-up, without breaking a sweat. I'm sure Takeo can take on two of us no problem!"

"But there's four of us and only one of him…"

"There are actually five of him," Samantha corrected. "Him, his brother, his brother, his brother and his brother. We're just dealing with the fifth that wants to destroy the Academy."

Ryan growled, "Will you three shut-up? I don't see any of you coming up with a better plan."

The girls nodded, keeping quiet to let Ryan think. Summer pouted.

"My plan of not splitting up was better than yours…"

Ryan growled, "Summer…"

"Sorry…"

"Okay, look, what if I go out there and take him on?" Ryan suggested to the girls. "After three minutes, Samantha can come out and surprise attack him."

"Three minutes?" Samantha frowned, "That's an odd number. Can we make it four… or two…?"

"What do we do?" Hayden asked, pointing to herself and Summer.

"Nothing," Ryan told them."

"Six, maybe," Samantha continued, "I mean, if you can hold out that long..."

"What?" Summer frowned, glancing at Ryan. "Why can't we help?"

"You know, I don't even have the time on me? How about I just estimate? Or you give this verbal signal that I can listen for…"

Ryan, ignoring his wife, simply glared at Summer. When he saw she wasn't getting the point, he motioned to her head, then Hayden's stomach, raising his eyebrows. Summer crossed her arms.

"We're not totally useless…"

"Three minutes? Seriously, how do you expect me to sit here for three minutes while you get your ass kicked?"

Ryan shook his head, "You two are staying here."

"C'mon!" Hayden cried out. "Aunt Leah said I was good to fight. As long as I don't bleed!"

Ryan shook his head, "No! You two stay here."

He turned to his wife, tapping her on the shoulder, "Are you ready, babe?"

Samantha looked around the small room, realising no one had been listening to her rant. She rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll deal. Go, get your ass kicked."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe," Ryan chuckled, kissing her on the cheek.

Samantha waved him off, "I'll be out there in four minutes!"

Ryan stepped out of the closet, careful to close it behind him as he walked down the halls, following the faint echo of the footsteps as he made his way closer and closer to Takeo.

He turned the corner, passing by the control panel for the lights and choosing to remain in the dark so he could at least hide in the shadows. His only advantage over Takeo was that he knew this school like the back of his hand. He didn't need the light to know where he was going.

He could hear the footsteps getting louder and louder and smiled to himself. He was getting closer, and his was making no sound. There would be no way Takeo could anticipate his arrival.

Suddenly, he felt something sharp dig into his back. He fell forward, hitting the ground face first.

-----Afterlife-----

Inside the hospital, Flynn chose to stick with Dillon until he saw his wife. On the drive he had tried phoning home, just in case he was wrong about his wife's location and she was safe and sound, but there was no answer. Hoping she would be where he initially thought she was, he remained with Dillon and walked into Summer's room.

He set Engel down on the floor so the girl could run over to her Aunt, hoping that would cheer her up. Dillon hung up his jacket on the coat rack while Engel climbed up on the bed.

"Hey, babe… I have a little bad news for you," Dillon said, walking over to the bed without looking up. Until the truth was out, he didn't think he could look his wife in his eyes. He sat down on the bed. "Sweetheart, I'll find us a new place to live in the meantime… but…"

He reached out; grabbing the first hand he could find and kissed it.

"I blew up the house, babe," he finally managed to say. He heard a loud gasp, then the sound of hands softly hitting a face, much like Engel's reaction when she found out.

"Bye-bye house?" he heard Summer ask, but her voice didn't sound like it normally did.

"Yeah… bye-bye…" Dillon paused. This was all too familiar. He looked over at the bed and saw Engel was sitting with the blankets pulled over her lap. Her hand was wrapped in his gently. Dillon jumped out of the bed, letting go of her hand.

"What!?"

"You blow up houses and marry little kids?" Flynn asked, picking up his niece. "Lad, didn't you feel the size difference?"

Dillon glared at Engel, "You're really testing my love for you, squirt."

Engel shrugged and wrapped her arms around Flynn, "He love me."

Rolling his eyes and ignoring the comment, Dillon looked around the room.

"Where is Summer?"

Flynn shrugged, walking to the bathroom door that Summer had in her room. He knocked gently, "Summer, are you in there?"

There was no response. Flynn looked to Dillon and shrugged, before his eyes caught the open window.

"Um, Dillon…"

Dillon turned around and saw the same window. Groaning loudly, he kicked the foot of the bed. Engel gasped again, and Dillon found himself earning another minute of time out.

The black Ranger looked to Flynn, "My wife ditched me."

"Better ditch than dump," Flynn shrugged.

Dillon groaned, "I wouldn't laugh. We still haven't seen any sign of your wife."

Engel's stomach grumbled loudly, causing the toddler to wrap her arms around herself. She looked up at her two uncles with a sad look on her face.

"Tummy not happy," she whispered.

Flynn bounced her softly in his arms and looked over at Dillon as the desperate man started searching the room for his wife, as if she could hide herself under the blankets or inside the storage units.

"Look, man, she's not here, and the lass is hungry. How about we think about this while we stop for something to eat."

"We have to find her!" Dillon cried.

Engel's stomach rumbled loudly again, causing the poor toddler's face to suddenly begin to fall. She looked at her uncles pleadingly, waiting for one of them to offer some food.

"We'll find both of them," Flynn promised. "But we won't get far once the kid starts crying."

Engel's stomach rumbled again and she began to sob. Usually by now she would have some sort of food in her hands or her mother would be bringing her to the kitchen for a snack.

Upon hearing the sobs, Dillon began to settle. He straightened himself out, dropping the shelves onto the bed.

"Alright. Food, then we'll go find our wives."

Flynn nodded, "Last thing you want to do is murder Summer's dinosaur, blow-up the house, cheat on her with her two year old niece, then starve the lass to death."

"I didn't do any of that on purpose!" Dillon shouted, grabbing his jacket as he followed Flynn to the hospital food court.


	65. Mamello Turns

Takeo looked down at the body before him in disgust as he pulled out his blade from the figure's shoulder blade and wiped the blood on the person's back. The figure groaned in pain and tried to roll over to see his attacker. Takeo grabbed the person by the back of the neck, lifting him up and pinning him into the wall.

"Who are you, Thunder Ninja?" he growled.

"Crimson Thunder," Ryan answered. He didn't want to give away his real name, even if it didn't make a big difference. Takeo wouldn't recognise him anyways.

"I can see that," Takeo barked as he slammed Ryan against the wall again. He wanted answers. He needed to figure out who was following him, and why. "I'll ask again."

"Does it really matter?" Ryan asked. "Aren't you just going to kill me?"

"You're right," Takeo nodded, holding up the blade. He grabbed Ryan again and flipped him over so his back was pinned against the wall. He pressed the blade to Ryan's neck. "I don't need to know your name to kill you. It would just be… sweeter if I knew the name of my enemy."

Ryan scoffed loudly as he spotted a dark figure moving closer and closer to Takeo.

"It shouldn't be me you're worries about," he said before the figure launched herself forward. Takeo somehow anticipated the attack and spun around, holding his blade out and striking the figure across the face. Ryan tried to jumped forward, but Takeo kicked his foot into his gut, holding him against the wall while the figure pulled away, holding her face.

"Mother fucker!" Samantha cried. "That hurt!"

Takeo laughed, "How many more of you should I be expecting?"

"None," Ryan cried out as he grabbed Takeo's leg and tried to push him away. Takeo held strong though. Ryan couldn't put much force against his foot due to his shoulder injury. Takeo barely had to try to keep the crimson ninja out of his hair.

"It's just us," Samantha nodded as she wiped the blood from her cheek and dropped into a defensive stance. Takeo smirked and tossed his blade at the yellow Ranger. She ducked just in time as the blade flew over her head and stuck itself in the solid wall behind her. Samantha looked over her shoulder and touched the blade. She tried pulling it out, but it stayed pinned in the wall.

She turned around slowly. "That is some arm…"

Takeo grabbed Ryan by the shirt with his fists and threw him into Samantha, putting them both on one side to make it easier to attack. While they were both on the ground, Takeo kicked his foot into one of their stomachs. He couldn't care less who he hit. As long as they both died in the end.

-----Afterlife-----

Summer and Hayden peeked out the doorway and looked down the hall. They could both hear the grunts and cries as Samantha and Ryan took on Takeo. Hayden looked up at her cousin who sighed and retreated back into the closet. Hayden closed the door and sat before Summer.

"We can't just sit here," she whispered.

"I know," Summer nodded. "But we need to find a way to guarantee we both won't get hurt."

Hayden frowned as her eyes scanned the room. She spotted an old Thunder Staff sitting in the corner. With a smile, she reached for it and tossed it to Summer.

"You've seen Uncle Blake train with this thing, right?" she asked her cousin. Summer nodded. Everyone had seen Blake training with Leanne. It seemed fairly easier.

Hayden knew otherwise. The Thunder Staff was hard to master. She had received a few lessons from Mike and was still struggling on how to use it. However, she knew enough to give Summer a crash course.

"You'll use this to keep Takeo at bay. If he can't get close to you, he can't hit your head and you'll be fine," Hayden said.

"What about you?" Summer asked. "You can't bleed."

"Even pregnant women bleed sometimes. I just can't bleed, and bleed, and bleed. I'll be fine."

"Hayden…"

"It's either that, or we let your sister and brother in-law die at the hands of a crazy mad-mutant!"

"I hate lose-lose scenarios," Summer grumbled.

Hayden smirked. She grabbed a broom and held it in her hands, "Okay. We only have a few minutes. Hold the staff like this…"

-----Afterlife-----

Dillon and Flynn picked up a snack for Engel at the hospital cafeteria but decided they would go out to eat at a restaurant after getting a look at the food served in the hospital.

They were sitting at a table, with Engel occupying a booster seat and playing with the crayons, and discussing the many places their wives could be, while giving those places phone calls.

The waitress came over with their drinks, putting them down on the table as Engel snapped a crayon in half. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth after dropping the crayon on the table. She looked at Dillon and Flynn with wide eyes.

"Oopsie."

Flynn grabbed the crayon, pulling it away from Engel while Dillon told her that it was okay and crayons broke all the time. The young waitress smiled kindly and quickly replaced that crayon with a new one.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked as Engel returned to colouring. She was very careful this time. Flynn looked at Dillon and nodded.

"I'll have the meat lover pizza," he said, handing his menu to the waitress. Flynn nodded.

"I'll have the same," he said. The waitress took the menus, holding them against her hip as she looked at the boys.

"Would you like me to upsize the one and you can both share?" she asked. "It'll save you a few bucks and it's just as filling."

Flynn gazed over to Dillon and smiled. Dillon shook his head, not wanting to share anything. However, Flynn continued to look at him, and his gaze slowly turned into the puppy face.

"C'mon, man," Flynn begged, "I'm running low on money. I can only afford so much. And with the lass here…"

"Last time I shared my food I got less than half," Dillon reminded Flynn, referring to the time he brought Pizza to the Garage, and all the Rangers took a slice.

"I promise I'll leave you with your half," Flynn smiled.

Engel looked at her two uncles, then up at the waitress. She crossed her arms.

"Fight a lot," she told the girl. "But love me and get me food. They stay together!"

The waitress chuckled and smiled at Engel kindly before turning her attention back to Flynn and Dillon.

"She's so cute," she said, interrupting their little debate. "How old is she?"

"I think she's two…" Flynn frowned, looking at Dillon for confirmation. The Black Ranger shrugged and Flynn rolled his eyes before looking back at the waitress, "I'm really not that good with ages. We're just taking care of her for the moment. But we might wind up adopting…"

"Aw, that's adorable!" the waitress cooed. She looked at Engel softly, "Do you like these guys?"

Engel nodded her head furiously, "Love lots!"

The waitress recomposed herself and smiled at Flynn and Dillon. "She's so lucky. You seem like you would make great fathers."

Flynn smiled, "Thank you… It was a little scary at first… but my head's slowly wrapping around the idea."

"Just wait until it's official," Dillon teased the blue Ranger with a smirk.

"Aye, but it'll happen to you too," Flynn nodded before taking a sip of his drink. The waitress smiled.

"I had a friend with gay dads," she breathed.

Flynn spit out his drink and Dillon nearly fell out of his seat. Engel clapped her hands joyously at their reactions. Though she had no idea what was so funny, she thought they looked like the people she always watched on TV.

"Again!"

"We're not gay," Dillon told the waitress.

"No… no, it's okay!" the waitress assured him. "I'm totally for it. It really doesn't matter who you love. You two are just so adorable… I'll be right back with that pizza!"

The waitress walked off with a skip in her step as she left the table. Dillon and Flynn looked at each other for a moment before pushing their chairs away and sitting as far apart as they could.

Flynn grumbled, "I am not tipping!"

"Like you were going to anyways," Dillon said. "I was betting myself you were going to leave me with the check."

"I work hard for this money," Flynn said. "I'm not going to throw it away when I can pawn the check off you!"

Engel giggled, "Sound like mommy and Scotty."

Dillon's face dropped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out more crackers for Engel.

"You're not helping, squirt."

Engel snatched the crackers out of Dillon's hand and dumped them on the table. She scattered them and gave them all a good look. They were moulded into different animal shapes, and Engel loved to have the animals fight each other before she devoured them. It made her feel powerful.

She grabbed a lion and a wolf and made them butt heads together until the lion's head snapped off.

"Uh-oh," Engel whispered. She moved the wolf over to the lion and made them kiss. "It be okay. Kiss all better! Mua!"

Flynn and Dillon exchanged sharp glances at each other.

"I hope you head does fall off," Dillon grumbled. Flynn was about to respond when his cell phone went off. He picked it up and left the table to talk. When he came back, his face was white as a sheet. He grabbed Engel out of her chair and dropped some money on the table.

"We need to go," he told Dillon.

"What? Man, I'm hungry! If you let my stomach grumble I'll start crying too!"

"Leanne was on the phone!" Flynn explained. "She called to ask if Hayden came home from the Thunder Ninja Academy."

"So?"

"So, when I asked her why, she answered with Oops, and hung up. That doesn't sound right, lad."

"Think Summer's with her?" Dillon asked as the two bolted out of the restaurant.

"Unless they're in different cities, when are those two not together?" Flynn said, bringing up a good point. Odds were good that wherever Hayden was, Summer was nearby.

"What about the brat?" Dillon asked.

"We'll take her with us," Flynn said. "We don't have a choice at the moment."

-----Afterlife-----

Takeo laughed as he picked up Sam's and Ryan's limb bodies and dragged them back into the main room. He tossed them each on their own table before walking up to the main table. He kicked it over and took the biggest seat, using it as a throne. He sat down and smiled.

"This feels nice," he breathed, relaxing. "The whole Thunder Ninja Academy is at my hands."

Summer and Hayden crept into the main room, staying low and making as little noise as possible so as not to alert Takeo of their presence. They ducked behind one of the large tables and Hayden turned to Summer.

"Remember how to use this?" she asked her cousin as she pointed to the staff. Summer nodded.

"Please be careful."

"You too," Hayden said. She poked her head over and saw Takeo had his eyes shut. If anytime was the right time for a surprise attack, it would be now. Just as she was about to jump up, four large figures burst into the Academy, dragging along Kaylee and Tori.

"There you are!" Caleb screamed, throwing Kaylee to Mamello who caught her with his free hand. His other was holding onto Tori's upper arm to keep her from running.

"Do you know how hard it was to figure out how to get in this place?" Austin shouted.

"How did you find me?"

"Um, hello," Olivier frowned, pointing to his head, "We're linked, you moron!"

"This is my own mission!" Takeo screamed, hitting his fists on the sides of the chairs and acting like a child.

"We got the commander and her sister," Mamello pointed out, pushing the two women forward. "We thought you would like to know."

"Great," Takeo smirked. He pointed to the table, where Samantha and Ryan stood, "I took out two more of those hideous humans."

"I know who she is," Mamello frowned, pointing to Samantha. "Who is he?"

"They are both Ninjas here," Takeo explained.

"Samantha?" Kaylee breathed, seeing her niece and nephew on the tables. "Ryan?"

"What the hell did you do to them?" Tori barked. Mamello pulled on her arm, shutting her up.

Over by the table, Hayden and Summer growled.

"Now?" Summer asked impatiently.

Hayden nodded, "Drop the staff. We're going to have to do this slowly."

"What?" Summer asked. Hayden didn't answer. She stood up, bringing attention to herself.

"You missed me!" she cried, jumping over the table and running to the middle of the room. Takeo leaped out of his seat.

"What? Where do you come from?" he asked. Hayden smirked, touching the ground with her hands and causing a small earthquake.

"I've been here all along, you numbskull!"

Takeo growled under his breath and glared at the pink Ranger. Summer saw this and jumped out of his hiding spot, landing behind Takeo. She screamed loudly, bringing him to his knees, as well as the rest of the people in the room. Due to the echo, her already hear-piercing scream was even louder.

When the screaming stopped, Hayden pulled her hands away from her ears, "Warn me next time! Even the blob inside me heard that one!"

"Aw," Kaylee cooed, "She's calling her baby a blob, just like a called her one!"

"A baby?" Mamello frowned, catching Kaylee's words over the loud ringing in his ear.

"My daughter's pregnant, you idiot," Kaylee barked. "And I swear, if your little Asian man does anything to hurt her or junior, I'm going to unleash some serious momma bear ass kicking on all of you!"

"There's a child involved?" Mamello asked before Tori and Kaylee both felt his grip on them weaken. They looked up at his face and saw the anger disappear, replaced quickly with a look of guilt.

Summer, hoping Takeo was still stunned from the sonic scream, went in for a punch to his head, but Takeo grabbed her arm and lifted her up. With a loud cry he tossed her across the room. Hayden gasped. If Summer landed, whether on the ground or on top of someone, she would hit her head. There wasn't any time to run and catch her, nor would she be strong enough to keep Summer from hitting anything. She turned to Takeo with a look of pure hate.

"You son of a bitch."

"SUMMER!" everyone heard Dillon cry as the man appeared from nowhere, catching Summer before she hit the ground. He set her down gently but held her firmly in his arms. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

Flynn ran into the Academy, carrying Engel in his arms. He spotted Hayden and let out a sigh of relief.

"There you are, lass."

"Flynn, what the hell are you doing here?" Hayden frowned.

"Finding you!"

"You brought Engel?" Kaylee asked.

"Tati Mayden!" Engel squealed while worming herself out of her uncle's arms and getting her feet back on the ground. When they were there, she took off towards Hayden, happy to see her Aunt. Hayden shook her head.

"Engel, no!" she screamed. "Stay with Uncle Flynn!"

Takeo smirked. He stepped forward, drawing his blade. "Well, well…"

Hayden caught the look of murder in his eyes and her blood began to boil. Already these mutants hurt her cousins, her sister and her husband and apparently kidnapped her mother and Aunt. There was no way she was going to let any of them lay their nasty hands on her niece.

"Takeo, you're fights not with her," Hayden growled as Engel made it over to her, wrapping her arms around her legs in a hug.

"Our fight's with the entire human race," Caleb said. "Babies included."

Takeo held the dagger up, pointing it at Hayden, then down at Engel. Just before he could make a move, Mamello screamed savagely. He let go of Tori and Kaylee and rushed forward to Takeo. He charged right into his brother, knocking him down and landing on top of him. With another loud cry, he hit the smaller man in the face, knocking him out. This caused him, as well as the other three mutants, to hold their heads in pain. However, while Caleb, Austin and Olivier were still recovering from the sudden pain, Mamello chose to ignore it. He got to his feet and grabbed Hayden and Engel.

"Come with me," he told them. "All of you!"

He gently pushed Hayden and Engel over to Flynn before he ran back to the tables to pick up Ryan and Samantha. He carried them both over his shoulder while leading Summer, Hayden, Dillon, Flynn, Tori and Kaylee to safety.

Kaylee, feeling it her responsibility, caught up to Mamello once they were outside the school. She grabbed his arm, stopping his run.

"What the hell…" she started, but Mamello cut her off.

"I'm not letting my brothers hurt the children," he said. "If you promise to let me protect the children from them, I'll promise to hear you humans out. Maybe we can work together."

Kaylee smiled, looking back at her family behind her, "Okay… but we'll have to talk privately. I know a place…"

"I need the lover humans," Mamello told her. "They can interfere with the link my brothers and I share."

Hayden frowned, "You kinda hurt them," she said.

"I just need one… either one… they need to be present. I'll teach them to block our link…"

Kaylee sighed, pulling out her communicator, "Rose, is Dani with you?"

"_Yeah, she's right here."_

Kaylee nodded. She pulled away from Mamello so he wouldn't hear her. She knew that if he knew where they were headed, his brothers would as well.

"Tell her to come to the Wind Ninja Academy right away," she said. "It's an emergency."


	66. Mamello's Story

Daniela waited impatiently inside the Wind Ninja Academy, feeling very out of place in her civilian clothes. Tradition required all Ninjas and Senseis to wear their uniforms while on school grounds, meaning that everyone around her was wearing the same. The Academy was still kept a secret from the normal world, so there weren't any visitors who would be dressed down.

Daniela found herself glaring at another student hatefully for giving her odd looks. She knew she was dressed differently. She didn't need people pointing it out.

Finally, Kaylee and the others arrived, with Mamello in tow. Daniela recognised the scars on his face, arms and legs and gasped.

"He's one of the mutants!" she screamed, launching herself forward, but Tori and Flynn caught her, keeping her back. "You son of a bitch."

Mamello lowered his head in shame, "I'm sorry."

Daniela stopped struggling and looked up at Mamello.

"What…"

"I have apologized," Mamello said. "I realise what my brothers and I were seeking was unfair. I have come with your family to explain our reasons and to settle this disagreement."

"You and the jackass crew give in?" Daniela frowned. This didn't sound right to her. She had experience firsthand just how savage these monsters could be. For them to give in, while they still held the power seemed very suspicious.

But Mamello nodded, "I have… my brothers have not."

He picked up Engel, which caused her to begin crying. Daniela tried to grab the young girl from Mamello, but Tori stopped her. Mamello bounced Engel gently, trying to sooth her while he looked at Daniela.

"I do not want to harm the children," he told her. "I will tell you my reasons, after you do me a favour."

Daniela growled. "You nearly killed my husband. Why the hell would I do you a favour?"

"Because… if you don't, I'm afraid this entire city is dead."

Mamello cleared out of the way, showing Daniela Samantha and Ryan, who were awake, but very badly injured. Ryan's shoulder was still bleeding, but was covered in hopes of keeping him from losing too much blood. Samantha was black and blue, with several gashes along her body.

"My brother did this to your friends," Mamello said. "He could have done worse… but it's not them he wants dead… not yet."

Kaylee stepped forward, taking Daniela's hands, "He says you can create a mental block. You can keep his brothers from getting inside his head and figuring out where we are. If you can do that, we'll figure out his motives and we'll get to the bottom of this."

Daniela shook her head, "I'm not helping that son of a bitch!"

"I promise, I will keep your family safe," Mamello said. "Please, help us out."

Kaylee looked down at her niece, "You don't have to trust him… but trust the rest of us."

"Not unless Dillon can trust him," Daniela growled. She knew that earning Dillon's trust was one of the hardest things a person, or monster could do, especially after hurting Summer. If Dillon trusted Mamello, then there was definitely something good about him.

Dillon nodded, "I don't like it… but it's our only hope."

Daniela sighed, "I was hoping you would say no…"

Dani looked over at Mamello and saw he was cradling Engel. The two year old had fallen asleep in his arms. He held the child very gently and on his face was a look that told Daniela that he meant no harm to Engel. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With her mind, she reached out to Mamello's. he granted her access into his head, and Daniela created a mental block, like the one she had between Greg.

When she opened her eyes she looked at the monster, "Now, unless you let them, they can't read you."

Mamello smiled, "Thank you Lover Gi… I mean…"

"Daniela," Dani whispered.

"Thank you, Daniela."

"C'mon," Tori called, stepping ahead of the group now that they had the first problem figured out. "Cam rebuilt a Ninja Ops in this Academy."

Tori led them behind the large Academy building and tapped her foot on the ground. When she hit the right spot, she brushed away the dust, finding a knocker. She pulled it up, opening a trapdoor.

"This is just as cool as the first time," Kaylee giggled, leading the team down the stairs. She pressed her hand against a scanner while Tori shut the trapdoor behind her. The room lit up, and the team made themselves at home.

This ninja Ops was built exactly like the last. With the computer at the far end and the table in the center. Kaylee and Tori felt a wave of nostalgia wash over them as they looked around the room. None of the kids had been born when the original Ops was still standing and Kaylee and Tori had their first run as Power Rangers.

Kaylee knelt down on the green cushion and smiled. Times were definitely much simpler when she was seventeen. Save the world from an evil Alien Ninja. That was her only care in the world. It seems big back then, but compare to the weight she carried around now, fighting Lothor was child's play.

Tori seemed to have the same feeling. If Tori had the chance to go back in time, she would want to be eighteen again, back with her friends: Shane, Dustin, Kaylee, Hunter, Blake, Leanne and Cam. Back to when it was just the seven of them.

Their thoughts were interrupted when Flynn spoke up, asking Mamello to start his story. Mamello obliged, handing the sleeping Engel off to Hayden before he started.

"I was back home in Africa," he said. "I had a family. A wife and a daughter. They were my entire world. Everything was going fine… until the Venjix was unleashed…"

"If this is some sob story about how you lose everyone, we've already heard it," Daniela barked. "We all lost people that day. People we loved. It's not an excuse to destroy humanity."

"I understand that," Mamello nodded. "My wife was hit by the first explosion and died on the spot. I tried reviving her, but fate wouldn't have it. I grabbed my daughter in my arms and began to run. She was screaming for me to turn back… 'save mommy', she would cry…"

"Mommy?" Tori asked. She exchanged a brief look with Kaylee. "Was she young?"

"She was two," Mamello nodded.

Hayden held Engel tighter in her arms as Mamello said this.

"She was Engel's age…"

"Yes," Mamello said. "About that age… when she died."

"It is a sob story," Daniela frowned, completely unfazed. She couldn't feel any pity for one of them men who beat her husband senseless. Father or not. He had done her and Greg very wrong.

"Please…" Mamello begged her. "Let me continue."

"Daniela, quiet," Tori snapped. Daniela pouted, retreating into the corner so she could keep her mutterings to herself.

Mamello continued, "I heard about Corinth City and how the shields were going to open periodically for survivors. It was the only safe place. I took my daughter, and I ran… however, she never made it out of Africa. A bomb dropped as survivors were loading onto a rescue chopper. The United States had sent some around the world. Those robots killed my daughter…"

"So why did you hate humanity?" Summer asked. It was her turn to relate to the story. When the Venjix attacked her school, she had lost Dillon to the Grinders. Because of that, she had nightmares every night for a year. Her father would have to sleep with her, in her bed, for her to get some sleep. But even with all that, Summer never found herself swearing revenge against humans. It was robots she hated.

"It wasn't because of my daughter…" Mamello answered. I travelled all the way to the United States, putting my life at risk, just to make it inside the shields of Corinth that would protect me. But I was too late. By the time I arrived, you put up the shields and locked it for good, making my whole adventure worthless. I was better off dead back with my family!"

Mamello started to shout, but a quick look from Kaylee calmed him down. She lowered her eyes sadly and began to play with her hands. Mamello decided to continue, but kept his voice down.

"I was stuck in the poisonous wastelands and found my brothers. They had all suffered the same way I did. We travelled day and night, searching for somewhere to hide. Of course, as you can see, such exposure to the radiation in the wastelands took its toll. Our injuries healed but our figures were morphed. We look disgusting."

"I'm sorry…" Kaylee whispered.

Mamello continued, as if she hadn't said a word. He appreciated the apology, but he still wasn't done. He needed to get to the end if he wanted these normal humans to understand.

"My brothers and I… we would have come into the city once the Venjix was destroyed… but Austin remembered how America responded to monsters. They sent out teams of Power Rangers to kill them. People were scared of them and they were treated poorly. We all believed humanity would do the same to us. So, we became what we are now… monsters."

Kaylee got to her feet and walked over to Mamello.

"I'll be totally honest with you," she started. "If you and your brothers had walked into the city… we probably would have arrested you just because you look like monsters. I know it's not right to do… but after everything the world is been through… Humans have been burned so many times before by what was different. We can't trust it."

"That is exactly why my brothers hate you now," Mamello sighed.

"But you didn't help yourselves," Kaylee said. "You convinced yourselves you were monsters, and you turned into them! Daniela and Gregory… they weren't out in the Oasis to hurt you! They were in love! She was his wife! You can understand that."

"The story was true?" Mamello asked, finally believing what the humans were telling him. After he had opened up his heart, he had no reason not to believe they would do the same.

Dani nodded, stepping out from the corner, "We didn't even know there was life outside the dome. We had teams searching, just in case… but we thought the Oasis was clean."

"You attacked us," Kaylee snapped, turning Mamello's attention back to her. "You kidnapped two of our people. We responded the way anyone would, human or mutant or whatever! We sent people out to get them."

Tori touched her sister's arm, pulling her back before Kaylee got herself worked up. She took over for the younger Hanson.

"We understand how you and your brothers were scared," she said. "And you acted out of fear. We did as well. We didn't want to hurt you guys… but when you hurt us, you called for war."

"We told you the truth," Dani cried and Mamello turned to her. "You asked us what we were doing, and we told you the truth. But you… you wouldn't listen!"

"I'm terribly sorry," Mamello sighed.

"You hit him!" Daniela screamed. "Over and over! You hit him and made him believe I was dead! He still believes that! He hasn't woken up yet! He doesn't want to come back…"

"Dani…" Summer whispered, stepping forward to comfort her cousin, but Dillon held her back. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight again, for fear of her running off and putting herself in danger again.

Tori held out her hand, pulling Daniela into her arms and held the sobbing girl as she looked back at Mamello.

"There was a misunderstanding between us," she said. "There were terrible consequences… mostly to us… but we're willing to forgive if you can just help us."

"I wanted to hurt you," Mamello sighed. "It was me who was with your children that night you came home…"

Tori frowned, "You were the stranger?"

"I didn't mean them any harm… I can't bring myself to hurting children, especially the innocent ones, after what happened to my daughter. Some children don't judge if they know they can trust people. Your daughter… the blind one… she made me realise that."

"Elena can't see you," Tori whispered. "She wouldn't you know you look…"

"Like this," Mamello nodded. "Your son couldn't see me either… but he did judge. Simply because I looked scary, he thought I meant danger. But your daughter couldn't see that. And because she couldn't see, she had to use her heart to know if I was safe or not…"

Tori lowered her head. She remembered her reaction when she saw the stranger with her children. Like Jason, she had judge Mamello solely on his appearance. Now, she trusted he wouldn't hurt her kids, but before, she hadn't been too sure and jumped to conclusions. It was her instinct, as a mom, to do so, but she realised she was wrong.

"I'm sorry," Tori whispered.

"Okay… this is all nice," Flynn commented from the sidelines. He sat on the small table in the center of the room, watching as his leaders made peace with the monsters that had attacked him and his friends. Though he could trust Mamello now, there were still the other five mutants who needed to learn some respect. "But could we please move on. We were all wrong, we all apologize. How do we defeat the others?"

"You cannot," Mamello said. "We're built strong. We have a high tolerance for pain and have no attachment to life, making us very daring in the face of danger."

"Sounds like someone I know," Tori smirked, looking over her shoulder at Kaylee. Kaylee shrugged.

"Yeah, but I like my life. I just don't care about a few booboos here and there."

"We'll need to fight fire with fire, then," Dillon said.

"The Fire Ninja Academy burned down last year," Hayden commented out of the blue. All eyes turned to her with curious stares. She shrugged, "It's only ironic until you remember that most fire ninjas are beginners."

"I meant, find four people stupid enough to put their lives second and fight fearlessly against the others," Dillon frowned.

"Unfortunately, they aren't allowed to fight," Kaylee said. "Hayden's pregnant."

"Hey!" Hayden cried out. She turned to her Aunt Tori, "Did my mom just call me stupid."

"No, sweetie," Tori said, rubbing her niece's back. "She said you were just stupid enough."

"I heal spontaneously, thank you very much," Hayden snapped. "I don't put my life in danger because I'm stupid."

"I know that, honey," Kaylee chuckled.

"Doesn't sound like it," Hayden muttered.

"I will gladly fight along three of your kind," Mamello said, offering himself as part of the team of four. "It's the least I can do to fix this misunderstanding."

"Maybe we can get the others on our side, without fighting," Hayden said. "I know Takeo wants to avenge his honour."

Mamello nodded, "He's put his honour above his need for revenge. I know if we can help him there, he might see that you humans are not what we originally thought you were."

"We're all humans," Tori corrected him. "You, just like us."

Mamello smiled and mouthed a thank you Tori's way. She caught it and smiled back.

"Unfortunately, Sensei Omino is dead…" Hayden said, pausing to let the room gasp loudly at the shock. She hushed them and motioned to the sleeping Engel, not wanting her to wake up.

"He's dead." Kaylee asked.

"Seppuku," Hayden nodded.

"Why?"

"Same reason Takeo's father did it. He had dishonoured his family," Hayden explained. "Takeo wants his honour back. Maybe if we give his family a chance at the Thunder Ninja Academy, without looking back on a past of lies, he'll consider letting the debt die."

"Wait, what's going on here?" Tori frowned. "Takeo's father was…"

"It's a long story. All you need to know is Takeo wanted to kill Aunt Leanne until Sensei Omino killed himself. There was no point in killing the daughter of the man who hurt you if he can't feel pain, so he's going after the school. I was there…"

"You were what?" Flynn gasped. "Hayden…"

"I was safe…" Hayden frowned. "Hello, Takeo wanted to kill Aunt Leah."

"I am not comforted by this fact," Flynn groaned. "Hayden, you're carrying our child. You can't keep putting yourself in danger."

"She's going to be all kinds of trouble the longer this pregnancy thing lasts," Tori frowned. "Kaylee was a handful and a half. Maybe you're better off losing the kid and adopting."

Flynn shook his head, "Hayden…"

"It's my family, Flynn," Hayden frowned. "And you know I would never hurt our child."

"It doesn't look like it."

"Aunt Leah said I could get hit all I wanted. My body will heal itself and the baby. As long as I don't bleed I'm okay. I've yet to shed a drop of blood since my last period!"

"O-kay!" Dillon frowned, shutting his eyes, "Can you two discuss this privately. It's already awkward enough when Summer talks about this."

"Hayden…" Flynn sighed desperately.

Hayden approached her husband with Engel still wrapped in her arms. She looked up at Flynn.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she told him quietly. "It's just… this is what I do. Myself second, everyone else first. You know that…"

"I know, but start putting yourself first," Flynn said. "Or, if you want to put it this way, put yourself and your need to save the world second, and our little baby first. You wouldn't want anything to happen to him or her, would you?"

"I'm sorry," Hayden whispered. Flynn smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Promise me you'll keep our child safe?"

"I promise," Hayden nodded. She pulled out of Flynn's arms and turned to her team. "I'm out! I'm not getting back on any kind of battlefield until this sucker falls out of me."

"They don't fall out," Kaylee told her daughter. Hayden held her hand up.

"Please, don't freak me out now. Let me believe what I want."

Dillon looked down at Summer once the drama with Flynn and Hayden was over. "This goes for you too, Sunshine. Until that head of yours is back to tip-top shape, no move leaving the house. Once we get home…"

"You don't have a home, remember, lad?" Flynn smirked. Dillon glared at him while he made a mock explosion happen with his hands.

Summer turned from Dillon, to Flynn, then back to Dillon.

"What's he talking about?" she asked.

"This was easier to say when I cheated on you with Engel."

"What?" Summer frowned. She continued to turn her attention between the two boys. "What the hell is going on? Cheating on me with Engel?"

"Summer, there's a reason Dillon doesn't have your T-Rex with him," Flynn chuckled, while Dillon was throwing death glares his way. Flynn ignored them completely. "Or have you forgotten you sent him home?"

"Wait a minute…" Summer frowned, turning back to Dillon, "He's right. Where is Rex?"

"About that…" Dillon said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now, remember, Sunshine… you have to be careful of what you do with your head. We wouldn't want you…"

"Dillon… where is my Rex?"

"Boom!" Flynn chuckled. Summer turned to glare at him, while Hayden smacked him in the chest. Dillon was also glaring at Flynn. He was not making the truth easier to spill. Flynn shrugged, "That's what you get for telling me to kill my child."

"Oi!" Hayden cried out, turning on Dillon. "No killing my baby! Go ahead, Flynn, spill the secret! He deserves to die!"

"Dillon blew up the house, and everything inside it," Flynn smirked, finally getting permission. Summer gasped and turned to Dillon while everyone else did the same.

Engel had begun to stir in her Aunt's arm, but woke up when she heard her Uncle Flynn mention the bye-bye house. She perked up and glared at Dillon.

"You in big trouble now, missy!"

Dillon groaned, dropping his head as he prepared himself to receive the third degree from his wife, and very menacing looks from the two year old.


	67. Humanity Fights Back

Dillon, Flynn, Mamello and Kaylee were the four chosen to take on the mutants threatening the city. They had been wired up so they could remain in constant contact with those still inside Ninja Ops. They were just entering the Thunder Ninja Academy, where they hoped the mutants were still waiting for them when they bumped into a figure hiding in the bushes. Kaylee jumped a foot in the air as the person grabbed her leg, pulling her down.

A ninja knelt over Kaylee's fallen form. She was obviously a woman, but the mask over her face kept her identity secret, covering everything but her green eyes. They suddenly widened when the figure saw Kaylee.

"Kayl?" she asked, getting off the world Leader. Kaylee got to her knees, brushing herself off. "What are you doing here?"

Kaylee frowned, reaching out for the mask and pulling it off the figure's face. She grinned happily when she saw the red hair fall out, framing Leanne's face.

"Hey, it's you!" she giggled.

"No shit," Leanne growled, shaking her head, "Who else would wear the Thunder Ninja Headmaster Uniform?"

"Hunter?" Kaylee shrugged. Leanne gave her a sharp look before shaking her head.

"Whatever," she sighed. "What are you doing here with…"

Leanne looked up and spotted Dillon, Flynn and Mamello. When she recognised the former, she fell back on her butt and glared up fearfully at Mamello. Kaylee touched her shoulder gently and smiled.

"Leah, it's okay," Kaylee whispered. "He's here to help. He's turned."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, we're dead either way," Kaylee shrugged. "Sorry to break your bubbles, everyone, but we're dead unless this plan works."

Dillon groaned loudly, touching his ear with his finger, "Summer, did you hear that?"

"_I can't hear anything over the sound of our house blowing up!"_ Summer retorted over the com-link. Dillon rolled his eyes while Flynn chuckled at the black Ranger's expense.

"Look, Sunshine… No matter what happens now…"

"_You murdered Rex,"_ Summer grumbled. _"He was my oldest best friend."_

"He was plush."

"Man, don't ever mess with a person and their childhood toy," Flynn said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

Mamello dropped his hands on both boys' shoulders, snapping their attention back to the task at hand.

"We'll deal with this issue when we know for sure we'll have houses to go home to."

Kaylee looked back at Leanne, "What are you doing here?" she asked her friend. Leanne pointed to the Academy.

"Settling a score," Leanne growled. "Takeo made my father kill himself."

Mamello frowned, "In this family, when women get hurt… do any of them cry?"

Dillon shook his head, groaning loudly, "Haven't met one yet…"

"I'll cry at the funeral," Leanne growled. In her head she had been keeping track of time. Her countdown reached zero, and she leaped forward. Kaylee, however, grabbed her before she got too far away from the bush and pulled her back.

"No, no, no!" she cried, dragging Leanne back under cover. "You're not going in there alone."

"He killed my father," Leanne snapped, freeing herself from Kaylee's grip. The Wind Ninja reacted quickly, jumping forward and tackling Leanne down, wrapping her arms around her waist to keep Leanne from moving.

Leanne huffed loudly, "Kayl, let go."

"No!" Kaylee shouted. "We have a plan!"

Leanne finally relaxed, giving into Kaylee's struggles for her to keep still. She rolled over, looking up at her former student with a small smile. Kaylee had never let her down before.

The blonde gave a wink, "How hard are you willing to fight?"

-----Afterlife-----

Takeo sat on his self-made throne, glaring hatefully around him while the other three brothers paced the room. It was obvious they were pondering Mamello's actions. He had betrayed them to save the humans, after swearing vengeance against them. He had protected them from well-deserved harm and left them to fight all of humanity on their own.

"I can't reach him!" Austin screamed, kicking a table and knocking it over.

"Who cares about him?" Caleb asked, taking a seat on the turned over table. He ripped off a chunk of the wood and played with it gently in his hands. "If he wants to side with the humans, I say we kill him as well."

He threw the piece of wood like a football into the wall, watching as it shattered and showered down to the ground.

"Mamello's always been soft," Olivier nodded, giving into his French accent now that he no longer needed to hide it from the humans. They knew he wasn't from the States, and to be honest, he preferred his flawed accent over the American accent.

"Don't talk like that," Caleb spat, "You sound stupid."

"He sounds stupid?" Austin chuckled, "You're a Kiwi! Nothing sounds stupider than that!"

Takeo groaned loudly, muttering under his breath as he rubbed his temples.

"This is why we agreed on local accents," he told his brothers. "And for the record, you all sound stupid!"

"We do not!"

Takeo rose from his seat, "We still have a few humans to kill before we can rest."

"You're the one sitting on your throne," Caleb pointed out. "Who made you king."

"Sensei," Takeo corrected, "And I did. The whole reason for me coming here was so I could take over and destroy."

"Next time you do that, mind letting us in on the plan?" Olivier frowned. "We spent hours…"

"Shh!" Takeo called, silencing his brothers as his ears picked up on a faint sound. "I hear something."

The brothers listened closely for the noise, picking up only a collection of strange syllables. They barely sounded like words to Austin, Caleb and Olivier, but with their telepathic connection to Takeo, they quickly picked up on the language. It was Japanese.

They turned to Takeo and saw his face was red with anger.

"Where is she?" he screamed, jumping off his throne and marching to the center of the room. "I can here you!"

Leanne dropped down from the roof, landing directly on top of Takeo and pinning in to the ground. In one swift motion, she dug her knee into his stomach and punched him hard in the face.

Austin, Caleb and Olivier lunged forward to attack the Headmaster, but were suddenly grabbed by three other figures and pushed into the wall.

Dillon looked up as he held Caleb, "Surprised?"

Olivier tried to throw Dillon off, but the former Black Ranger wouldn't stand for it. After all the drama these mutants had put him and his wife through, he wanted this to all be over with. Whether in victory, or in death, he didn't care. Dillon brought his elbow up, hitting Olivier in the jaw and hearing a faint crack.

Flynn held Caleb against the wall and smirked wildly, "There's only room for one pretty accent in this town," he told the Kiwi, grabbing him by the throat, "And Scottish sounds so much better than New Zealand, don't you think?"

Kaylee held Austin to the wall and looked to her sides at Flynn and Dillon. She rolled her eyes before bringing up her knee between Austin's legs. The mutant's eyes nearly popped right out of his head as he was rendered paralysed for the moment. Kaylee let him drop to the ground and dust her hands off.

"That's not nice, lass," Flynn groaned, trying not to feel Austin's pain.

"Neither is he," Kaylee spat before Mamello stepped out of the shadows. He shut his eyes, holding his hands to the sides of his head before his four brothers started screaming.

"Mamello!" Olivier cried through the pain, "C'mon… don't do this."

"Shut up!" Dillon shouted, grabbing Olivier's face in his hand and throwing him to the ground. Olivier landed face first. He would have gotten up quickly, but Mamello was inside his head, causing a loud ringing in his ears and intense pain all through his brain. With his mental strength weakened, he couldn't command his own physical strength and was rendered useless, just like the rest of his brothers.

To finish off the French man, Dillon kicked his foot down on the back of his head and heard a sickening crack. He knelt down beside Olivier and smirked.

"If you or your brothers do a thing to hurt my wife again, I'll make sure you die."

Mamello pulled his focus away from Olivier, knowing he had taken enough physical damage to stay out of his new friend's way. With his skull cracked, there wasn't much he would be doing now that could hurt Dillon, Flynn, Kaylee or Leanne.

Flynn growled loudly, hitting Caleb in the face, crushing his nose. Caleb spat out the blood that quickly gathered in his mouth and reached for Flynn.

"I'm going to kill you!" he shouted.

Mamello implanted a though in Caleb's head. The only way Flynn would win a fight against the mutant was if he had something to fight for.

Caleb received the thought and didn't think twice before using it, "I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going after your wife and child."

Flynn screamed savagely, throwing himself towards Caleb. He grabbed the mutant by the throat once again, squeezing his neck tight; Flynn could almost feel the bones crushing from the power. With his free hand, he delivered a powerful punch, knocking the Kiwi out in a single shot.

Flynn let Caleb slump to the ground and spat on his unconscious body. Just as an added touch, he kicked the man in the stomach.

Mamello regretted using that thought against Flynn, but knew it was the only thing that would motivate the Scotsman enough to forget his own safety. He pulled his mind out of Caleb's, focusing solely on Austin and Takeo.

Austin scrambled to his feet and glared at Kaylee.

"That was uncalled for."

Kaylee smirked.

_ZWOP!_

She disappeared in a flash of green, leaving only smoke where she had once been standing. Austin looked in shock and scanned the room, waiting for her to appear again.

_ZWOP!_

Kaylee appeared behind him, grabbing his shoulders to spin him around then hit him again between the legs.

"C'mon, Kaylee!" Dillon cried. "It's just not right."

"I need him awake."

"That won't happen if you keep that up," Flynn said, wincing painfully as he watched. Kaylee shook her head and looked down at Austin.

"Don't move or I'll get you and your little man again, got it?" she threatened.

While Kaylee, Dillon and Flynn took care of their mutants, Takeo and Leanne were going at it with such passion. Having both found their reason to fight, they weren't willing to give up at the first sign of blood.

Takeo picked himself off the floor faster than Leanne could and dove for her. Leanne rolled out of his way and stopped before she hit the wall. She looked up and saw the stake of wood that Caleb had tossed.

Takeo rushed for her, so Leanne broke the stake off the wall and spun it around, using it much like she would a Thunder Staff. When Takeo was close enough, she swung at him. Takeo staggered backwards, cradling his face in his hands. When he pulled his hands away, he saw his own blood and growled.

Leanne swung her makeshift staff again, but Takeo caught it and ripped it from her hands. He turned it over, finding one side sharper than the other, and jabbed at Leanne with it.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" he screamed as Leanne ducked, narrowly avoiding a stake in the shoulder.

From the ground, Leanne swung her leg out, sweeping Takeo off his feet. He landed with a thump on his back and Leanne jumped in top of him. Before she landed, Takeo grabbed the staff and pointed it upwards.

It was at that moment that Mamello broke his mental connection with Austin so he could focus only on Takeo. Two loud screams rang through the building Leanne's body slumped to the ground, and Takeo stopped moving altogether.

With only Takeo's mind to focus on, Mamello sent a powerful wave of energy over the telepathic link. Takeo shouted again before dropping into unconsciousness.

Austin looked up at Mamello while Kaylee ran over to Leanne and Takeo.

"What have you done?" Austin asked his old friend.

"I've learned," Mamello whispered, grabbing Austin. "So will you."

"Leah!" Kaylee shouted, dropping to her knees beside her sister. She rolled Leanne off Takeo and saw the stake he had been using had dug into her stomach. Leanne's face was twisted in pain, but it was obvious she was out.

Kaylee turned to the boys, "Cuff them all!" she shouted before grabbing the stake from Leanne's stomach. She placed it beside her before grabbing her uniform belt and ripping it off. She tied it around Takeo's hands, making sure it would hold against his struggles. When she was sure, she let his hands drop and reached for the stake, slicing her hand almost in half so it would bleed enough.

The first thing she did was place her bloodied hand on Leanne's wound so her blood would mix. She still had the healing factor, and though it didn't work as well as Hayden, it would save her life.

Next, she placed her hand on one of Takeo's cuts so he would heal. She didn't keep her hand on him for long though before rushing over to the other three and doing the same.

She finished with Austin and growled loudly as she glared at him.

"Tell us what you want," she whispered venomously. "Tell me now, or Little America meets my knee again."

"We'll leave you alone," Austin said, finally caving in. "We won't hurt your race anymore… I swear."

"You won't hurt anyone, anymore," Mamello shouted. "We're not different! We're all human."

"What happened to you, man?" Austin asked his friend. "You used to be our brother."

"You tried to hurt the innocent."

"None of them are innocent!" Austin screamed.

"The child," Mamello breathed, "The child is innocent. She has done nothing to us. She does not judge us…"

"She cries whenever she sees you."

"We hurt her parents," Mamello snapped. "She's been hurt by us, just like we've been hurt by them."

"Exactly! We have every right…"

"We have rights," Mamello growled, interrupting Austin. "This isn't one of them."

Mamello turned to Kaylee with a small smile.

"The scrawny one… the boy who brought us into the city…"

"Ziggy," Kaylee nodded. "His name is Ziggy."

"Ziggy told us about this place," Mamello continued. "I believe he called it the New Dawn Center…"

Kaylee nodded her head slowly, "My niece runs it. It's for people who have been hurt by the Venjix attacks."

"He said she could help us," Mamello smiled. "She would find a place for us and she wouldn't judge us… we could fit into society…"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kaylee's lips as she turned to the other four mutants who were slowly coming to. They would still need medical attention, but they were awake.

"You'll need to prove you mean no harm," Kaylee said. "You'll need to promise me you won't do anything to hurt the city. If you can hold up that end of the deal, I'll hold up mine."

"And that is?" Mamello asked, already nodding his head. He trusted Kaylee and the regular humans by now.

"I'll protect you," Kaylee said. "You guys were right… we're not kind to people who look different. Anyone who treats you with disrespect solely because of your appearance will be punished. I don't know how yet, nor do I know how I'll get the message out that the five large, scary men are friends… but I'll do it."

Mamello walked over to Kaylee and held out a hand for her to shake. Kaylee accepted it with a smile.

"I'll keep my brothers in line," he assured her. "We'll all live up to our end of the deal."

"And I'll live up to mine."

"We're sorry for the trouble we caused," Mamello said. "We would like to make it up to you and the city by allowing Daniela and her husband a free stay at the Oasis."

"I'm sure they'll appreciate that," Kaylee nodded, "But I don't think they'll take you up on that offer. Right now, I'm sure they just want to be reunited."

"And I'm sure you want your family to get better," Mamello smiled. "I can't imagine the suffering we've caused you."

"We'll call it even," Kaylee said softly. "You suffered for six years out in the wastelands and it's my fault. I'm not going to try and pin the blame on Venjix, or Grinders or Colonel Truman. I was in charge; I should have done something to help those stranded in the Wastelands."

Mamello pulled away from Kaylee and walked to his brothers as they regrouped. "C'mon, brothers. We'll stay away from the hospitals and let the City-Folk recover. I'll take you all back home and patch you up myself."

"Whenever you want to come back to the center, give me a call," Kaylee smirked. "I'm sure Dawn will be happy to help a few more people."

Mamello waved goodbye to the commander.

-----Afterlife-----

The day was nearing its end. Kaylee and her team had gotten back and were being looked at inside Ninja Ops. Leanne led the medical procedures, though she was injured herself. She definitely found it strange telling Tori how to stitch up her wound, but it was better than freaking out the others still at the hospital.

Dani, however, chose to leave. She wanted to be back with Greg and tell him the good news. They had won, and the people who tortured him had learned their lesson.

She walked into the waiting room and found the rest of her team. Gem, Gemma, Scott, her mother and Mack were watching the TV.

Scott was the first to notice her and turned around in his wheelchair. Dani walked over to him and gave him a big hug.

"It's all good," she whispered in his ear, "We don't have to worry about the… beautifully-challenged anymore."

Ronny got up from her chair and approached her daughter. She touched her stomach gently.

"How's the bullet wound?" she asked.

"I forgot it was there," Dani chuckled. She looked at the twins, "How are you two doing?"

"We feel…"

"… great!" Gem and Gemma smiled, giving Dani a happy thumbs-up. Dani giggled, hugging them each before looking at Scott.

"Still in the chair."

"I kinda like it," Scott chuckled. "My back's still really hurting, and the doctors don't want me moving around too much. Your dad said I was pretty lucky the bullet didn't actually hit my spine."

"You probably are," Dani nodded. She looked around the room, "What about the others?"

"Summer disappeared…" Gem started.

"I know. She's with us. It's a long story."

"Mike's back at his place," Mack said. "Vanessa signed him out. She's taking care of him. But the doctors say he needs to rest."

"I guess he won't be taking care of Engel for a while, then?" Dani sighed. "Well, at least he's okay."

"Samantha's awake," Scott smiled brightly. "Kaylee's blood really helped, especially with the healing factor."

"How is she?" Dani asked.

"Tired and in extreme pain," Scott said, "But it's official. She's going to live. She's going to stay here through until her wings heal up completely. David said it could be a while, still."

Dani smiled but lowered her eyes. There was one person she was missing.

Ronny wrapped her arm around her daughter, rubbing her back gently as she turned to Mack. The Red Overdrive Ranger smiled at his Yellow before speaking up.

"Um, Dani… you know, I think I forgot my jacket in Greg's room…"

"So?" Dani asked.

"You know your Uncle Mack," Ronny chuckled, "He's always doing something stupid."

"I think I hurt my ankle. It kinda hurts to walk on it. Would you mind…"

"Fine," Dani said. Mack waited until she was gone behind the door before jumping to his feet and smiling to show that he was perfectly fine. Ronny laughed, rolling her eyes at her friend's behaviour.

Behind the doors, Dani reached Greg's room after a few minutes and opened the door slowly. As usual, Rose was sitting beside the bed, watching TV. Dani walked over to the coat rack, but saw it was empty.

"And so the family disputes begin," she muttered to herself, turning away. She just about reached the door when a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Dani?"

Dani spun around and looked to the bed, gazing past Rose until she saw Greg. He was sitting up, eyes wide open in shock and very much awake. Without taking his injuries into consideration, she launched herself onto the bed, falling into the open arms of her husband.

Greg let out a pained groan as all his wife's weight landed on him, but he couldn't care less about how he was feeling. Up until this very moment, he believed she was dead. Now, he was holding her in his arms and comforting her as she sobbed loudly.

"You're awake," she whispered.

"You're alive," Greg whispered back, kissing the top of her head. "I thought…"

"They never touched me," Dani told him. "Well, I was shot… but it's technically Scott's fault. I'm okay! You're okay!"

Rose got out of her seat and kissed her son's forehead before walking out of the room, leaving the two alone.


	68. McAllistair Household

"So where are you going to go?" Hayden asked Summer as she put Engel on the ground, letting the two year old run over to the small play structure in the park. It had been a long couple of weeks since the mutants came into town and the Rangers were finally going back to their regular lives.

Gem and Gemma were back with Eagle Squad. No head or rib injuries were going to keep them down for long, and with Scott out of commission, they needed someone to run the Squadron.

Dani and Greg had moved into Daniela's house. Greg had been checked out of the hospital but required rest. Dani, being his wife, was going to take care of him until he was better. Flynn and Scott had made jokes about the treatments Greg would be receiving with his wife acting as nurse, but Greg couldn't care less. He loved the idea of being home with his wife, who was still very much alive.

Dani's bullet wound was healing pretty quickly. She could really only feel the pain if she over-exert herself (which she did all the time at work). But regular day-to-day activity didn't irritate her in the slightest.

No one had heard from Mike since he checked out from the hospital aside from the occasional phone call he made to Engel. According to the two year old: "Daddy okay and love me".

Scott was back at home, though not back at work. He was going to be taking it easy. He had been ordered to be careful of his back.

Samantha was still in the hospital, and in no condition to do anything but recover. Her wings still had the hole from where she was impaled, and the scar from the bullet, as well as bruises all over her wings and body. It would be a few weeks before the doctors let her leave, and a little longer before she would be ready to take care of her daughter.

After receiving that news, Hayden didn't want to damper little Engel's heart with a visit to the hospital. While the little girl was still happy living with her and Flynn, Hayden wasn't going to remind her where her mother was staying. She took Engel to the park so she could play, and Summer tagged along.

Summer took a deep sigh, "I really don't know, Hayden. I mean… Samantha and Ryan offered their house… but I don't know if I want to take care of them while they recover."

"How bad are they?" Hayden asked. Summer shrugged.

"Not too sure," she answered. "Sammy's sore all over and needs some medicine. Ryan can't move his arm until it's healed a little more. But it would be a little imposing, right?"

Hayden shrugged, "Not really. I mean, you and Dillon are grownups. You can take care of yourselves."

"Yeah, but it'll be cramped… and mom and dad live in NewTech… close to Sammy… they'll come check up on us all the time."

Hayden smirked, "My mom doesn't do that. I mean, she calls pretty often, but aside from that, it's pretty much just Flynn and I in the house."

A small smirk appeared on Summer's lips as she turned to her cousin slowly. Her face dropped into a puppy pout while her arm reached out to Hayden, grabbing her attention. Hayden looked away from Engel and turned to Summer, surprised to see the puppy pout.

"Whoa! No… not that… anything but that…"

Hayden giggled, pinching her cousin's cheeks, "After I do this…"

Summer pulled away from the pinching, but kept the pout.

"Hayden… You can say no… but can I ask you a huge favour?"

"No…" Hayden frowned, answering hesitantly.

"Can Dillon and I move in with you and Flynn?"

"What happened to just say no?" Hayden joked. Summer sighed, looking away. Hayden rolled her eyes, launching herself at her cousin. "Of course you can! Why would you think I would say no?"

Summer shrugged, "Just giving you the option… are you sure it's okay?"

"I'll have to talk with Flynn," Hayden said. "We've already got Engel moving in for the next little while… it'll be hard…"

"We'll help pay some of the bills," Summer shot in quickly. "And groceries… we'll pay for half, including what you buy for Engel… and I'll even babysit if you and Flynn wanna go out!"

Hayden giggled, "Let's see, Flynn and my bills getting cut in half, free babysitting for the Angel and my sister/cousin gets to live with me again! That's more than a deal!"

Summer launched herself on Hayden, burying her in a hug, "I knew it was a good idea to become friends with you when we were little!"

Hayden pouted while still stuck in her happy cousin's grip, "That's the only reason?"

Summer kissed her cousin's cheek, "One of them."

-----Afterlife-----

Flynn was back at work with Dani, not allowing her to take any more time off just to take care of Greg. Though he was seriously in need of help at home, it would be easier for him to call a friend than for Flynn to call Hannah and pay her for a shift, as well as paying himself and Dani as owners.

Dani seemed to agree with him. She wanted to be at home with her husband, but she knew that once her shift was done, she could go home and be with him for the rest of the night. And, by leaving him for a few hours, she wouldn't be driving herself crazy running around for him.

While the two worked together on the set of cars stocked up in the back (again, thanks to Kelly), Dillon walked into the garage with his phone in his hands.

"Hey housemate," he smirked, placing the phone on the counter. Dani looked up.

"NO!"

"Not you," Dillon frowned, "But glad to know where I stand. I meant Flynn."

"Excuse me?" Flynn asked, looking up from his work while Dani returned to fixing the engine. "What are you talking about?"

"You know how my house burned down."

"I heard it blew up," Dani called out. "Actually, I heard you blew it up."

"You told?" Dillon growled, glaring angrily at Flynn. The Scotsman shrugged and chuckled.

"I had too. It's such a great tale."

"Whatever," Dillon scoffed. "Summer and Hayden were at the park, and they were talking about where Summer and I would be staying…"

"She didn't…"

"Summer asked to move in and Hayden said yes," Dillon nodded. "Apparently she still wants to talk to you, but I was told to give you details."

"Hayden knows we're in financial crisis," Flynn groaned loudly, dropping his head on the hood of the car he and Dani were working on.

"Summer and I agreed to split the bills with you guys," Dillon smiled. "Everything from Water bills, to the mortgage for the months we're living there. Consider it rent."

Flynn stood up straight, his jaw hitting the ground. He looked at Dillon in awe. If he and Summer helped pay for the bills, he would be saving quite a bit of money. Money that could be used to establish a good start for his unborn child.

"Dillon, I…"

"Wait, there's more," Dillon smirked, his voice changing slightly as he began to sound like an announcer, "If you agree to shelter me and my wife now, we'll also help pay for any and all grocery bills!"

Flynn's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Dani looked up nervously at her business partner.

"Dillon, you're breaking him..."

"And…" Dillon continued, "While you and Hayden are busy at work, Summer's offered free babysitting for the twerp!"

Flynn nearly broke down and cried as he stumbled over to Dillon and wrapped his arms around the man. Dillon jumped back slightly, surprised by Flynn's reaction.

"You and Summer can stay for life if you need it!" he said, hugging the black Ranger tight. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Yeah… I do," Dillon nodded, pushing Flynn away, "Stop hugging me. You know how I feel about hugs."

Flynn wouldn't quit so easily. He grabbed the black Ranger again, pulling him back in.

"Just a few more seconds…" he said.

Dillon rolled his eyes and growled loudly, but accepted the hug, patting his friend on the back.

"It's only temporary."

"But it's a life saving temporary solution!" Flynn cried, letting a few tears of joy fall from his eyes. Though it wouldn't be saving him a fortune, the money he would save because Dillon and Summer were splitting the bills would put his mind at ease. It hadn't rested since he received that dollar pay check. At the moment, he and Hayden were financially stable, but with a baby on the way, money was going to be very tight. The last thing Flynn wanted was to bring a child into a world where he already had to deal with financial debt.

When Flynn was finally satisfied with the hug, he pulled away and wiped his tears. Dillon chuckled at the man's display of emotions, until Dani jumped on him, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling in. Dillon jumped back in utter shock and pushed the red head away.

"What the hell are you doing?" he cried. Dani recomposed herself and shrugged.

"I thought I would sneak one in while you were giving out freebies," she giggled. "I don't know what all the fuss is about, though. It wasn't very good."

"Good," Dillon frowned. "Don't do that again."

-----Afterlife-----

Flynn got home late that night. After receiving the news that would save him and Hayden from financial woes, he felt like working harder to finish up all the cars in the garage and earn even more money. He did exactly that then called their owners to let them know they could pick up their cars within the next few days. He wanted to make sure that he could save up all the money possible for when his child was born.

When he stepped inside his home, the rooms were all dark. He peeked inside the living room and noticed a Summer and Dillon were sleeping on the pull-out couch. He assumed that Hayden was allowing them to stay for the night, even if she hadn't spoken to him yet. After all, it wasn't nice to leave them on the streets.

The only light in the house was coming from the guest bedroom. When Flynn looked up the stairs, he could also hear Hayden's soft voice singing a lullaby. He put his bags down by the door, kicked off his shoes and walked up carefully.

When he got to the door, he opened it slowly, peeking in to find Hayden sitting by the bed with Engel slowly falling asleep. The light Flynn had seen was coming from the nightlight. When he looked around the guest bedroom, he saw Hayden had already decorated it with some of the things Engel had back at home, such as her own blankets, the toys, a few pictures, and her toy chest.

Flynn walked in the room silently, placing a kiss on his wife's head as she finished singing Engel to sleep. He wrapped his arms around her and looked down at his niece. She was curled up in the blankets, looking so tiny inside the queen sized bed. Her little arms were wrapped around a blue teddy bear and yellow stuffed duck.

"Be very, very quiet," Hayden whispered, tilting her head up so she could see her husband, "I just got her to sleep."

"I can see that," he whispered back. "And you did it very professionally."

Hayden smiled and got up from the chair. She walked over to where Engel's clothes were scattered on the floor and picked them up. As she began to fold them, she glanced over at Flynn.

"I guess you saw Summer and Dillon…"

"I know you've invited them to stay," he nodded. "Dillon stopped by."

"I hope its okay. If not, just say the word, Summer and Dillon are more than happy to go… somewhere else."

"Are you kidding?" Flynn chuckled. "With the rent they'll be paying and the free babysitting. I don't think I want them to leave."

Hayden smiled. She put Engel's clothes in the dresser, making sure they were all organized for tomorrow. Flynn would have to be up early for work, and she was going to have to figure out a routine to get Engel out of bed, feed, and get herself to work so Summer wasn't overloaded in the morning. She picked out a sundress for Engel to wear and laid it out on the foot of the bed.

When she went to kiss Engel goodnight, the two-year old rolled over. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at her Aunt.

"Where mommy?"

"Why do you want mommy?" Hayden giggled, rubbing Engel's cheek softly. "You're with Aunt Hayden and Uncle Flynn. It's better than being with mommy. Now go back to sleep because you'll need a lot of energy to eat chocolate chip pancakes!"

Engel's eyes widened in sheer happiness, before she screwed them shut and tried to fall back asleep. Hayden smiled and kissed her forehead. When she turned around, she noticed Flynn was wiping away a few tears.

"Don't tell me you're going soft, m'boy," Hayden whispered, using the Scottish accent Flynn had worked so hard to teach her. Flynn chuckled as her wrapped his arms around his pregnant wife and kissed her.

"That was just…" Flynn started, but felt himself get choked up. He held Hayden tighter and rested his head on hers. "You'll make a great mom."


	69. Baby Talk

"Pancakes!" Engel screamed, running down the stairs in only her underwear as Flynn followed her with her dress in his hands. He also wasn't ready for the day, but that could easily be fixed if Engel would just co-operate for two seconds so he could slid the dress over her head.

"Engel, lassie, be quiet. Aunt Summer and Uncle Dillon are still asleep!"

When she heard that her Aunt Summer and Uncle Dillon had also stayed the night, Engel grew even more excited. She ran into the kitchen to see if they were there. Only spotting her Aunt Hayden, Engel ran up to her.

"Whoa," Hayden said as a half naked Engel clung onto her legs. "Careful, squirt. I have the stove on. Go find Uncle Flynn. I'll call when…"

Engel obeyed her Aunt and rushed out of the kitchen. However, her mission wasn't to find Flynn. She wanted to figure out where Aunt Summer and Uncle Dillon had slept. She ran to the living room and saw them sleeping on the couch.

"Wake up!" she screamed, jumping onto the pull out bed. She crawled up to where their heads were resting on the pillows and started jumping. "No sleeping time! Wake up! Play with me!"

Summer sat up, before Engel fell and landed on her face. Dillon, however, grabbed Engel's leg, forcing her to fall onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her down so she couldn't move.

"Five more minutes."

Summer yawned, but smacked Dillon's arm, "Don't pin her down like that."

"She woke me up," Dillon said. Engel growled and dug her chin into Dillon's arm. It was technically still broken, but Dillon, being Dillon, decided to ignore the cast and the doctor's orders once he heard Summer was in danger. And even now, he didn't think a cast would do him much good. However, it would serve as protection against Engel's strangely sharp chin.

"Ow!" he cried, letting go of the two year old. She crawled out from his grip and started jumping again. Dillon rubbed his eyes before looking up at her, "Why aren't you dressed?"

"Pancakes!" Engel giggled, sticking her hands in Dillon's face before she was lifted off the bed by Flynn. The blue Ranger finally got the dress on the active two year old and let out a long breath.

"That was harder than expected," he said. He looked at Summer and Dillon, "Sorry about the wake-up call."

Dillon threw the blankets off, "She mentioned pancakes."

"Hayden's in the…"

"Flynn, I suddenly like your wife," Dillon smiled, patting his friend on the back, "But once those pancakes are in my stomach, keep her and her insanity away from me."

Flynn frowned, watching Dillon leave with a look of slight panic on his face.

"He just really loves pancakes," Summer assured him. "He's really not a threat."

Flynn nodded and turned to Summer, before he started laughing. Her hair was messy, she had no make-up and she looked like she was highly allergic to being awake.

"You… you look…"

Summer grabbed her pillow and whacked Flynn with it.

"You've seen me in the morning, before."

"Yeah, but normally you're a little more awake," Flynn laughed. "You look like… you look like…"

"Monkey!" Engel cried, finishing her Uncle's sentence. Flynn nodded.

"A blonde monkey, but a monkey nonetheless."

Summer narrowed her eyes, "You're lucky you're the one housing me and my husband, and this wasn't the other way around."

Flynn grabbed Summer's wrist, checking her watch, "You're lucky I have to get to work. I have so many jokes lined up for you right now."

Flynn put Engel down, letting the two year old run back to the kitchen. Summer got out of bed, following the girl.

"Good morning," Hayden smiled when she saw her cousin. "Looks like someone got a visit from the hairy fairy."

The hairy fairy was a thing Kaylee and Kira made up after their incident with the fairies back when they were in high school. According to them, fairies did exist, and there was one fairy for everything. A fairy for taking out the trash (R.I.P Sir Mountain the Great), a fairy for doing homework, a dinner fairy, and a fairy who came in the middle of the night and turned lovely locks into terrible bed head.

"Shut up," Summer grumbled, taking the stool beside Dillon as Hayden handed her a plate, "You had time to put your make-up on and do your hair."

"Not yet," Hayden said, pointing over her shoulder to the clock, "I still have half an hour before I really need to get ready."

"It's 5:30."

"Work starts at 7:00," Hayden nodded. "But I promised the kid pancakes, and I'm going to make them. I just need to be up early."

"That's a sacrifice," Summer groaned.

"Maybe," Hayden smirked. "But watch this."

Hayden rounded the counter and walked over to Dillon. He stuffed a forkful of pancakes in his mouth before hugging the former pink Ranger. Hayden looked over Dillon's shoulder at Summer.

"Pancakes change him!"

Summer laughed, "I know."

Hayden pulled out of the hug and grabbed a plastic plate with a pancake on it. She stole Summer's fork and knife, just before the yellow Ranger was about to eat, and cut up the pancake into tiny pieces.

"Engel," Hayden called as she sat on a barstool. Engel rushed over to her Aunt, crawling up on her lap and digging into the pancakes. Hayden smiled, giving Summer her cutlery back.

"Thank you," Summer said, holding her fork and knife possessively so Hayden wouldn't deprive her from food again.

Flynn came down the stairs, ready for work. He grabbed a pancake, folding it up and stuffing it in his mouth.

"Aren't you going to chew?" Hayden asked him. He shook his head, swallowed the pancake and kissed her forehead.

"Not this time. I'm going to be late and Dani's going to kill me. She doesn't even want to be at the garage for 6:00."

Flynn kissed Engel on his way to the door.

"Breakfast was great!"

"You're gonna get hiccups!" Hayden called to him.

"No I…" Flynn paused allowing a hiccup to pass, "Don't do that."

"I love you!" Hayden laughed.

"Love you too!"

"More love!" Engel giggled, throwing her sticky hands up in the air, hitting her Aunt in the face.

"I love you too, Engel," Flynn called to the girl before walking out.

Hayden reached for a wet cloth to clean her face as Dillon hopped out of his seat and brought his dishes to the sink.

"Food's gone, I'm going back to bed."

Hayden watched as Dillon walked out of the kitchen. As she did, she saw Summer was looking at her with a look of awe on her face. Hayden frowned.

"What?"

"That was adorable," Summer cooed, reaching over and pinching Hayden's cheeks. "You and Flynn are playing house."

"We're not playing house," Hayden frowned. "This is our house."

"Engel's not your baby," Summer smiled. "You guys are like… natural parents!"

Hayden blushed, turning her focus to the plate of food set before her, "No…"

"You downstairs making breakfast, Flynn trying to get the kid dressed, then you take the kid to feed her while he goes off to work. It's like a family from the fifties… but dad's helping out with the kids a little more."

"You mean perfect?" Hayden frowned.

"Kinda," Summer chuckled. "If my parents had worked together like that, maybe Sam and I wouldn't have been late for school every day in kindergarten."

"Speaking of late," Hayden said, looking back at the clock, "I'm going to start getting ready for work."

"You work for your mom," Summer frowned. "She saw you in your worst state. I'm sure you could walk out the door like that."

"Oh, I could," Hayden chuckled, "Especially if you were coming with me."

"I don't look that bad!" Summer said as Engel was dropped in her lap so Hayden could get ready. Engel looked up at her Aunt and giggled.

"Monkey!"

"Eat your food," Summer grumbled, pointing to the few pieces of pancakes that were left on Engel's plate.

-----Afterlife-----

"So, how was a night with three houseguests?" Dani asked Flynn as she signed off another car, sending it back on the roads with its owner behind the wheel. She put the money the Garage earned from that one car into the register. Flynn looked up as he was busy accepting money from another customer for a job well done on his car.

"Crying, screaming, wanting to go home…"

"Engel getting homesick?" Dani asked.

"I'm talking about Summer and Dillon," Flynn chuckled. "Kept me up all night."

"Really?"

"No… they were fast asleep when I got home."

"Sounds like the perfect houseguests," Dani laughed. "How late did you stay?"

"Got home just in time to watch Hayden put Engel to bed," Flynn smiled. "You should have seen it… she handled it so perfectly. She's going to be a great mom."

"How are you feeling about this whole pregnancy thing? Feeling like a dad yet?"

"In some ways," Flynn nodded. "I'm feeling the stress, but I don't feel like there's really something for me to do yet. I mean, Hayden's still making the kid."

"When you hold your child for the first time," Dani smiled. "That's when you'll feel like a dad. My dad's always telling me the same thing. 'Your mother started acting like a mom the moment she found out she was pregnant. I didn't feel like a dad until I held you in my arms for the first time'."

"I guess he's kinda right."

"Have you thought of any names?" Dani asked him, finally realising bother customers had left with their cars. She grabbed the forms and walked over to a filing cabinet, sorting them in their right spot.

"We don't even know the gender."

"Never too early to think of names. I like Adeline… for a girl."

"It's not your baby to name," Flynn frowned. He stopped, and looked to Dani, "Adeline? Really."

"It's cute," Dani nodded.

"Aye, but… Adeline? Where did you come up with that?"

"Went to the future, saw you and Hayden had a girl named her Adeline. Before I came back, I promised her she wouldn't be erased from existence. Seeing as I can't do that, I can at least suggest you name your child after… your child."

"Where do you come up with these stories?" Flynn asked, tapping Dani on the head. "How's Greg doing now that he's home."

"It's fully true!" Dani called after him. "And he's doing better. I have to leave at noon though. I can't leave him stranded in bed for too long or he'll break loose and raid the fridge."

"Has he driven you crazy yet?"

"Not yet… but that's because you have me working at this ungodly hour!"

"I wanted to make sure customers knew we were flexible."

"Once they find out your wife is pregnant, they'll realise someone is flexible," Dani muttered.

"What was that?" Flynn asked, turning to the filing cabinets. Dani's head snapped up as she turned to him, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Nothing… nothing at all," she said. She turned back to the drawer before her, skimming through empty files, "This is why you don't ask me to work at 6:00am…"

The bell rung as the front door to the garage opened and Hannah walked in. She looked around with a huge smile on her face.

"Wow, mom really wasn't kidding when she said you two punched in early for work," she said as she stepped up to the counter. Flynn frowned, wondering why she was here. Last time he found her in the Garage, she was "stealing" his money on Kelly's orders.

"What are you doing here, Hannah?" he asked, using a harsher tone that he should have. Hannah moved away slightly, remembering his rage from the last time she saw him, when he threw a cash register and almost hit Dani in the face.

"Mom sent me here to see how you guys were doing," she answered. "Has business been picking up?"

"A lot," Dani growled from the back. "I was perfectly fine with not making any money and focusing on my racing career. But Flynn and the baby had to fuck that part of my life up."

Hannah looked stunned at Dani's reaction, but Flynn chuckled.

"She's just sour because she's working here, earning money, instead of working at home for free," he explained. Hannah nodded slowly.

"Right… anyways, mom just wanted to make sure you guys were okay."

"We're doing great," Flynn nodded.

Hannah smiled, turning to leave so she could report back to her mother, when Dani jumped up and chased after her. She grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

"Oh, Han, are you free this week?"

"More or less," Hannah nodded. "I work for my parents; I pretty much make my own schedule. Why?"

"Well, when everyone found out Hayden was pregnant; they kinda all got mad at her because she was putting herself and the baby at risk. No one's really congratulated her properly so far. So we're all going to throw her a little party to celebrate."

"Don't I get a party?" Flynn teased.

"Shut-up, you're not pregnant," Dani snapped. She turned back to Hannah, "What do you say?"

"I'm in," Hannah nodded. "Give me the time and place and I'll be there."

Hannah walked off and Flynn stepped over to Dani, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Doesn't the baby shower normally take place towards the end of the pregnancy?"

"Name your baby girl Adeline, and I'll throw you a daddy shower," Dani bargained.

"Oh boy…"


	70. Chewing Gum Incident

"…Then we play Aunt Summer says, and me win every time!" Engel smiled as she sat in her bed, holding a bowl of cheerios while Hayden tried to find her pyjamas.

"Where did Uncle Flynn put your jammies?"

"Me not telling," Engel giggled. "No want go to bed."

Hayden groaned as she finally realised how difficult it was putting children to bed. Her mother had warned her, and she heard all the stories from her sister, but it was only now she understood the true meaning bedtime fuss.

The day had gone perfectly. Hayden had left for work and Summer took over being mommy for the day and according to Summer, it went smoothly. Engel was a perfect Angel. She played nicely with the toys, ate her lunch without complaining, took a nap when she was told, and even helped Summer make dinner for the family to come home to. Hayden, Flynn and Dillon were very happy when they walked through the front door and smelt pizza.

But now, Summer's babysitting job was over. She was downstairs with Dillon and Flynn, watching TV, while Hayden was putting the two year old to bed.

There was a routine Samantha had when putting Engel to bed. Teeth needed to be brushed, then a small snack, then pyjamas, then a story, then bed.

But the pyjamas were nowhere to be found, and Engel refused to help.

"You need to go to bed, sweetheart," Hayden told her niece. "Finish up your snack quickly. I'll find something for you to wear to bed."

While Hayden continued to search the room for pyjamas, Engel looked down at her empty bowl. There wasn't anything else to eat, but she was still feeling a little hungry. She scanned the room to see if there was something to eat.

Her eyes settled on a pack of gum that her Aunt left sitting on her tea table. She had seen her Aunts and Uncles put that in their mouths all the time. She hopped off the bed, holding her bowl in her hand, and walked over to the little tea table. She opened the pack and grabbed several pieces of gum, sticking them all in her mouth. She began to chew.

"Okay, Engel, seriously," Hayden grumbled, shutting the toy chest and moving to the hamper in the corner of the room, "Where are your jammies. This isn't…"

Hayden stopped when she heard Engel's bowl hit the floor. She turned around and saw Engel was no longer on her bed, but over by the table, holding her pack of gum in her hand.

"Engel, no!" Hayden frowned, snatching the pack of out her hands. Engel was too young to have gum. Hayden looked at the pack to see if Engel had taken any. Four pieces were missing. "Engel, give me back…"

Again, Hayden paused as she looked at Engel and noticed a look of distress on her face. She knelt down before her niece.

"Engel…"

Tears formed in Engel's eyes as she grabbed her Aunt's arms, holding tight. She couldn't breathe anymore. She tried swallowing the gum, but it stayed stuck in the back of her mouth. She didn't know what to do.

Neither did Hayden. The former pink Ranger was in a state of shock as it sunk in. Her niece was choking on gum.

Finally, when Engel's face started turning red, and her lips blue, Hayden picked her up. She did the only thing she could think of and ran downstairs to where the rest of her family was.

TV time was interrupted for the three downstairs when Hayden rushed in, carrying Engel. It took a moment for Summer and Flynn to realise what was happening, but Dillon had seen Hayden rushing down the stairs from his spot on the stairs and already knew what to do. From the frantic look on Hayden's face, Dillon assumed she had no idea how to treat a choking child.

Dillon grabbed Engel from Hayden and opened her mouth. He could see the gum lodged in the back of her throat. With two fingers, he reached in, pulling it out.

Engel let out a loud wail, screaming desperately as Dillon held her gently in his arms and began bouncing her from side to side to calm her down. He handed the gum to Hayden and frowned.

"You should know better."

"I didn't…" Hayden protested. "She found it and ate it behind my back…"

"You should be watching her!" Dillon growled. "C'mon, Hayden, even I know better than that."

Summer pointed a glare at Dillon and lifted her hand, indicating that she would have hit Dillon for that comment had he not been soothing Engel. He shrugged at his wife.

"I was," Hayden muttered. "She was upstairs with me… I was looking for her pyjamas."

Flynn wrapped his arms around Hayden, hugging her, "It's okay. It happens. The important thing is that Engel's okay."

"I almost killed her," Hayden whispered.

"No," Summer breathed, taking her cousin's hand. "This wasn't your fault…"

"I couldn't find her pyjamas… I couldn't get her to help me look… I wasn't watching her… I didn't know what… what to do…"

The tears started to swell up in Hayden's eyes as her hands dropped to her stomach. At only a month pregnant, there was nothing to feel, but Hayden knew there was a baby, just like Engel, growing inside her. A baby who would need a perfect mommy to take care of him or her and make sure nothing bad happened.

"I can't do this," Hayden said. She pulled herself away from Flynn and ripped her hand out of Summer's as she darted for the stairs. Summer, Dillon and Flynn heard the bedroom door slam shut and they all exchanged looks.

Engel's crying started to calm at this point. Only small sobs were escaping her lips. Dillon kissed the top of her head gently.

"We won't let Aunt Hayden feed you anymore now, will we?" he asked.

"Dillon, hand me the baby," Summer said. Dillon handed Engel to his wife, before both she and Flynn punched him hard in the chest. Dillon jumped back in slight pain and looked at the two.

"What?"

"This isn't a joking matter," Summer scolded him.

"I know," Dillon frowned. "I'm serious. Who gives a two year old gum? And that much, too!"

"She obviously didn't give Engel gum," Flynn said. He looked towards the stairs, where Hayden had run, and let out a deep sigh. This was going to be a huge confidence killer for her. Hayden had been told she was going to make a great mother, and Flynn still believed that, but after this little incident, he was sure Hayden doubted herself.


	71. From Father to Daughter

Flynn hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Hayden after the incident with the gum. She had bolted up the stairs before anyone could comfort her and had fallen fast asleep when Flynn decided to talk to her. When Flynn woke up that morning, Hayden was lying in bed, wide awake, but she wasn't in the mood to do any talking. He had tried telling her that Engel choking wasn't her fault, but she wouldn't listen to him just yet.

Instead, she rolled over in bed, turning her back to him. With a great sigh, Flynn pulled himself from the bed and got ready for work. Just as he was brushing his teeth, the phone rang.

"Hayden, can you get that?" he asked with his mouth full of toothpaste. Hayden groaned loudly, rolling away from him again. He sighed and ran for the phone before it woke up anyone else in the house.

"Hello?" he spoke into the phone, "Who's this?"

"_I know I said I was only going to do this if you named the brat Adeline, but I decided to throw you a celebration party anyways."_

"Dani?"

"_I closed the store today. We can both use a day of the week where the shop's closed. It'll actually help us! I even talked to Kelly about it and she recommended closing for two days out of seven, seeing as we're still beginners and we need days off. I think Sundays and Tuesdays are good."_

Flynn chuckled, "Dani, what are you talking about?"

"_Just go to Uncle Dustin's house as soon as you're ready. The guys are all there waiting for you to have a party. But you might want to talk with your dad."_

Flynn groaned loudly. He still hadn't told his father he and Hayden were expecting a child. When the news came up, so did the financial struggles. Flynn knew that if he told his dad, Mr. McAllistair would insist on giving his son and daughter in-law some money. Flynn didn't want to accept money from anyone. If he was going to be a father and a husband, he was going to provide for his family on his own; with no help from others.

Then there was the problem with the five mutants. Flynn hadn't come home in the time the mutants arrived inside the city. There was no way he could take an afternoon off to sit down with his father and announce the news.

Flynn would have preferred if Dani hadn't of told his father the news, however, he couldn't blame her for spilling the beans early. How was she supposed to know that Mr. McAllistair still wasn't aware he was a grandfather-to-be? And of course, it wasn't like he could miss out on the party. Of all people, Flynn wanted his father to be a part of this celebration the most.

He was simply going to have to explain the situation to his dad and hope for the best. It wasn't that he didn't want to share the news with his dad. He was really excited to tell him. It was just that the timing was terrible.

Flynn got more information from Dani before hanging up the phone. He learned that, apparently, she was already downstairs with the women for Hayden's surprise party. Dani had invited Hannah, Heather, Summer (it wasn't really an invited for Summer, more of a matter of convenience seeing as Summer now lived in the McAllistair house), Samantha (Bradley), Dawn, Kaylee, Kira and Tori.

He quickly finished brushing his teeth and checked the clock. Surprisingly enough, it was already almost nine. Apparently when Dani and the other women got to his place, they snuck upstairs and turned off the alarm.

"Hayden, maybe you should start getting ready?" Flynn suggested as he kissed her gently. Hayden sighed.

"I don't want to."

Flynn sighed. He sat down on the bed beside her. Hayden sat up in her bed and looked at him sadly. He placed his hand on her leg.

"Look, I know what happened yesterday has got you a little shaken up…"

"I froze," Hayden said. "I saw she was choking and I didn't know what to do."

"You did the right thing, though."

"No I didn't," Hayden frowned. "I'm supposed to be taking care of her. I left the gum where she could reach it, I let her out of sight, and I couldn't help her when she really needed me."

"You're still learning…"

"I can't still be learning! We have baby coming…"

"Samantha trusts you. She knows you'll take good care of Engel…"

"Just… go away," Hayden frowned. "You don't understand."

"I'm trying," Flynn sighed. He shook his head and kissed her on the cheek again. "Just, get dressed and come downstairs, okay?"

"Whatever," Hayden breathed as she crawled out of bed to get ready for the day. Flynn stepped out of the bedroom and hurried down the stairs, where he saw all the women (and Dillon), were waiting for him.

"Are you ready yet?" Dillon groaned. Being the only man in a room full of women seemed like a dream. However, Dillon was a married man, with his wife in the same room, as well as most of the women he was surrounded by were already married, under 18, dating, or old and married.

Not only that, but the women he was with had a record for being cruel to men when the time was right.

"Yeah, just one second," Flynn chuckled as he scooted his way through the crowd of women and made his way to Kaylee. He grabbed her arm, pulling her away slightly.

"I need to ask you a favour," he started. Kaylee looked at him and nodded. Flynn sighed, "I think Hayden's second guessing the pregnancy thing."

Kaylee groaned loudly, "Was I unclear in the sex talk…?"

Instinctively, Samantha and Summer covered their ears with their hands.

"La, la, la, la!"

Kira laughed, shaking her head, "Apparently not."

"Once you're pregnant, there's no going back," Kaylee stated. She looked around the room to see if she would be getting any support from the other women. When she set their gaze on them they all nodded from either experience or fear that if they said otherwise Kaylee would give them "the talk" again.

"I know," Flynn nodded, "It's just, something happened last night that kinda…"

"Engel choked," Summer explained for Flynn when she heard him struggling.

"Hayden's starting to doubt herself."

"I see," Kaylee nodded. "I'll talk to her if I think she needs it."

"Thanks," Flynn smiled.

"Okay, you talked with the in-law," Dillon groaned loudly as he grabbed Flynn and pulled him off. "Can we leave, now?"

Dillon dragged Flynn out the door, leaving the women to await their guest of honour.

Upstairs, Hayden finished getting ready and walked over to Engel's bedroom. She opened the door to see if the toddler was up. However, when she looked in Engel's big bed, she realised the little girl was missing. At first she figured Flynn already got her ready, or Summer already started her day of babysitting.

But when Hayden turned to leave, she saw Engel's clothes were still set on the end of the bed. She began to panic. Everyone knew that Engel wasn't supposed to eat breakfast in her pyjamas unless it was the weekend. Being a Tuesday, Hayden was supposed to go to work, as well as Flynn, and Engel needed to be ready before they both left.

"Engel?" Hayden called, searching the room for the girl. "Engel, where are you?"

Hayden ran out of the bedroom, hoping to find the girl downstairs. As she hurried her way down the stairs, the women in the house cried out: "Surprise!"

Hayden stopped in her path, startled at the sudden exclamation of surprise. Her eyes scanned the room, and the many women smiling happily at her.

"What's going on…?" she asked.

"Baby party!" Engel cried, running to her Aunt and jumping in her arms. Hayden sighed a breath of relief as she caught her niece.

"What's this?"

"Well," Dani explained, pushing through the crowd, "When you told us you were pregnant, we were all kind of in a life-death situation. We never got to tell you congratulations!"

Hayden started to tear up, a mixture of happiness and fear. She wiped her tears and held her niece tight.

"Yeah… it was more of an announcement than a death threat sent my way if I did anything to hurt my baby…"

"Exactly," Summer smiled. She looked around the room, where the rest of the women were nodding. "We didn't get a chance to tell you how happy we were, so we're throwing this little party."

"All my idea," Dani giggled. "I'm taking credit for this one! And the party will continue if you agree to name your first baby girl…"

Dani didn't finish her sentence as Dawn grabbed her head and dunked her down, effectively getting her to shut up. Dani's arms flailed at her sides as she tried to keep her balance.

"The party's going," Dawn smiled up at her cousin. "Congratulations."

"No fair," Dani frowned. "I wanted to be first to say it… aside from Aunt Kaylee, obviously."

Hayden smiled slightly, "Actually, you still wouldn't have been first. Aunt Leah…" Hayden paused to look around the room, "Was she not invited?"

Dani bit her lower lip. "She was, but she said she had something more important to do. Don't worry about it though! Celebrate with us, preggers!"

-----Afterlife-----

Though celebrating her niece's pregnancy was very important, Leanne did have something better to do with her time. It had been a few days now since her father had committed seppuku, and she needed to clean up his mess.

Before calling the police, she did everything she could to make his death look like an accident. Though there was no harm in telling police it was a suicide, she didn't want to deal with everything that went with it. She didn't want them to question her on why he would have killed himself, or if she was aware of his plans or even if she helped. Saying it was an accident seemed like the easiest thing to do.

A police officer came from upstairs. Leanne got up from her father's couch and walked over to him. He presented a blade to her.

"It looks like this killed him," he told her. Leanne nodded.

"My father had a collection of them before the Venjix," she explained to the officer. "He was only able to take that one with him."

"Do you have any idea how he could have killed himself with it?"

Leanne nodded. She knew exactly how he killed himself. She would forever remember the days at the Thunder Ninja Academy where her father taught her about the traditions of seppuku. However, this wasn't the story to tell.

"He usually keeps the blade on his end table," she started. "The only time he ever touches it is when he meditates. He usually takes it with him to the center of the room. When I saw what happened, I assumed he must have tripped."

"There was a blanket under his feet," the office said.

"He lays the blanket out when he meditates. I guess he tripped over it and fell on the blade."

"It was a clean cross in his stomach. He would have had to fall in some special way to do that."

Leanne had to think for a moment. Seppuku asked that the person spill out their guts to expose their true intentions. Simply falling on a blade wouldn't cause such a wound. Though it was believable that a fall and a stab from a blade could kill an old man, it was hardly believable the cut would be clean.

"I don't know what happened," Leanne sighed, turning her head away as the tears started to fall. "I just came in to visit. He wasn't answering the door so I invited myself in and went upstairs."

The last part wasn't a total lie. She and Hayden did come to see Sensei Omino when they found him dead.

Another officer walked down the stairs, holding a piece of paper in his hands. He gave it to Leanne.

"I found this," he told her. "It's a note, but I can't read it."

Leanne nodded slowly, glancing at the note, "It's in Japanese."

"Can you read it?" the first officer asked her. "It could be a suicide note?"

Leanne read over it quickly.

"It's nothing," she told the officer. "It's a grocery list."

The second officer looked at her quickly, before scanning the letter again.

"That's a long grocery list for an elderly man living on his own."

"It's a different language!" Leanne snapped. "The translation's never exact! Some words are longer in Japanese, and sometimes it's shorter."

"Surely eggs, milk and bread can't fill up an entire page in Japanese," the second officer muttered.

"There's more than that," Leanne told him. "It's traditional… in Japan you go shopping once in three months. Everything he needs to live in on here."

That part was another lie.

The officer shrugged, "Well, if you say so."

The first officer looked at Leanne. "Are you sure that's what it says."

Leanne was shaking by now as she pushed back her tears, "I can't do this anymore," she whispered.

"Miss…"

"My father's dead. I don't know what happened. There was a blade, his stomach's cut open. What does it matter if it's suicide or an accident?"

"It could be…"

The second officer stopped when his co-worker elbowed him in the ribs. Leanne shook her head.

"Why would I kill my father?" she asked. "He's the only family I have."

"We're just trying to cover every detail," the first officer told her. He gathered up the rest of his policemen and went for the door. "If you find out anything else…"

"I'll let you know…" Leanne nodded. She stepped away from the door as two paramedics carried her father's body out on a stretcher. A white blanket was covering his body, keeping Leanne from seeing his face one last time.

When everyone was out, Leanne closed the door. She made her way over to the couch, clinging to the note in her hand. As soon as she sat down, she broke into tears. Though she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, she read the note her father left once more.

_My dearest Sakura,_

_I understand I have not been the best father, nor have I been a great man. I admit, my actions against the Takana Family were dishonourable, as well as my intentions for becoming Sensei for the Thunder Ninja Academy. However, I will never regret what came out of it._

_Our relationship has been very fragile since your mother's death. It was hard for both of us to ever move on. She was the love of my life and I've never found anyone I've loved as much as her. She was also your mother. The woman every young girl needs to look up too. She was taken from you long before she should have been. It's not been easy for you, or I, without her._

_Though this isn't the traditional poem for Seppuku, I couldn't leave without these words. I've always loved you. Though we've grown our own ways, we've still managed to hold onto what was once the Omino Family. I'm so proud of the woman you've become and I will continue to watch over you as your family grows._

_Your father,_

_Akio Omino._


	72. Parental Matters

"Drink, drink, drink, drink!" the men chanted as Flynn chugged another beer. When the glass was empty, Flynn set it down and wiped his mouth. Dustin patted his son in-law on the shoulder.

"Drink up, kid," he laughed. "If Hayden's anything like her mother, she won't allow you to drink while she's pregnant."

Flynn chuckled, "She's not legal to drink."

"That won't stop her from preventing you," Dustin smiled as he poured his son a drink. Though it was still early in the morning, this was the only time the parties could be done. Though Flynn had the day off work, the rest of the guests couldn't get the entire day off.

Ben, former SPD Black Ranger, was needed back in NewTech before the evening. He now worked as SPD mechanic, fixing up whatever technology broke throughout the work days.

Dillon was needed back at SPD as well. Since he moved to NewTech, he had taken up a job working at the SPD headquarters. He ran jobs for Conner and Kira when they were too busy to do them themselves.

Conner needed to be back as well before the day was over to look over the day's work. Unlike Dustin, he took up a job working for his wife. With no kids at home to care for, Conner was in desperate need for something to do all day.

Blake was also wanted back before too late in the day. Factory Blue II (the first one perished when the Venjix attacked, so Blake created a second) wouldn't look too kindly at him they heard their boss had been up all night drinking with his friends instead of looking over the races and paperwork.

Even Greg and Ryan weren't allowed to stay out too late. They were on sick leave and needed their rest.

The only two men free were Dustin and Mr. McAllistair. Dustin could stay out as late as he wanted, because Christian was going to visit Samantha at the hospital after school to cheer her up, and Mr. McAllistair was retired. Though his fiancée wouldn't like it if he spent the entire night out, she could understand if he stayed out late to celebrate his son's news.

As for the other men of RPM and Corinth, they couldn't make it. Ziggy was teaching at his school and didn't want to call class off again after missing all the time during the attack of the five mutants. And Gem and Gemma couldn't leave work to go to either party (men or women's) seeing as Scott was still out of commission so he could take care of his back, and his wife.

Mr. McAllistair approached his son and pat him on the back.

"So, son, I hear there's going to be a little McAllistair joining the family."

Flynn looked away from the group of men to turn to his dad.

"About that, dad."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to, but Hayden and I ran into a little problem… then another problem."

"But you couldn't tell your own father about the news?"

Flynn winced slightly, "I couldn't… We had financial problems."

"I could have helped out."

"I didn't want help," Flynn explained. "I wanted this to all be okay before I told you."

"You told her parents?"

"Aye, but if they offered money, I could turn them down a lot easier," Flynn nodded. He looked at his father gently. "It wouldn't have been long before I told you anyways."

Mr. McAllistair put a hand on his son's shoulder, "Don't worry, lad, Dani explained it to me on the phone. Though, I wish I had known earlier, m'boy," he said, smiling softly. "I'm proud of you. You're taking care of your family like a true man."

Flynn smiled. He was happy his father understood his troubles. He pulled his father into a warm hug.

"I learned from the best."

"Hey, Daddy!" Dillon shouted from across the room, breaking the moment between the father and son. Flynn groaned loudly, turning to his friend.

"Don't call me that again, Dillon!"

"Time for parenthood scares!" Ben smirked, grabbing the Scotsman and leading him to the couch.

"Parenthood scares?" Flynn frowned. He turned to the older men of the group. They just shrugged. Ryan went on to explain as he placed a bag of ice over his shoulder.

"Seeing as this is the first ever man-pregnancy-congratulation-baby-shower, we needed to make up a few games," he said. "And what better way to congratulate you on becoming a future father than by scaring you shitless."

Greg rolled his eyes and whispered to explain, "Kinda like at your bachelor party, where we told you what you would be missing out on now that you're married."

Flynn nodded, "Oh…"

"So, whose going first?" Ben smirked. Greg, Dillon and Ryan's hands all shot up at once, while the older men laughed. They weren't as interested in this game as the younger boys, but they were going to let this party run its natural course. After all, every father ran into his own moments of fear and panic. It was best to get Flynn's out of the way now."

-----Afterlife-----

Dani face twisted into all sorts of strange looks as the entire room watched her. Her hand was placed on Hayden's stomach and she was sitting patiently.

"Nope, I don't feel anything," she finally said, pulling away.

"She's only a month and a half in," Dawn reminded her. "There's nothing to feel."

"It's a blob," Hannah told the older girl.

"My little blob," Kaylee giggled excitedly. Though she was a little upset she was already going to be a grandmother at 43, she also couldn't be any more excited. She was finally getting the chance at watching another life grow before her eyes, and this time it wasn't going to be her job to take care of it 24/7.

"Mom," Hayden frowned.

"My little, little blob," Kaylee giggled. She sat down beside her daughter and squeezed her lovingly. "My little blob's already all grown up and having her own little blob."

"Have you thought of names?" Heather asked her cousin. Hayden shrugged.

"Not really."

"Adeline," Dani stated, only to be shoved off the couch by Dawn once again.

Hannah rolled her eyes at Dani as she turned to Hayden, "Have you considered Adeline?"

"A little… but it's still too early," Hayden said. Her voice remained monotone as the girls continued to ask her questions about the baby. Kira and Tori grew concerned as they watched. They remembered when they were first pregnant. After the surprise, they were over the moon. The idea of growing a human being inside their stomach was simply amazing, and the prospect of becoming a mother was even more miraculous. Even with morning sickness, discomfort and blowing up to the size of a well-inflated balloon, they loved every minute of their pregnancy.

Labour was another story entirely.

However, Hayden didn't seem delighted at all. In fact, the more they observed their niece, the more they noticed she seemed depressed. They looked over at Kaylee with concerned looks. The youngest mother could only sigh.

"Hayden, are you okay?"

Hayden looked up at her mother and nodded, "Yeah… I'm just, tired."

Engel ran in from the kitchen, where she had been colouring a picture to give the women some time to talk pregnancy. She jumped up on Hayden's lap and offered her the picture.

"Look! It's family. There you, Uncle Flynn and baby!" she explained, pointing to the picture.

Hayden took the picture from Engel's hands to look at it. She was standing beside Flynn, and the baby (in this picture it was literally a blob) was hovering in the air just under her arms. Though Hayden wasn't supposed to make anything of the fact that it looked like she had dropped her baby, she couldn't help but imagine that. She had already screwed up once with Engel. Who's to say she wouldn't screw up with her own baby and drop her?

Hayden suddenly began to tear. Engel noticed. At first she thought they were happy tears, until she looked into her Aunt eyes. Her Aunt Hayden did not look happy at all.

Afraid Aunt Hayden didn't like her picture, Engel began to cry. Hayden shook her head and wiped her eyes as she leaned forward to comfort her niece.

"No, no, Engel… I love it."

"No…" Engel cried out, hopping off her Aunt's lap. She ran over to Summer and hugged her legs, crying loudly, "Hate it!"

"No… Engel…" Hayden tried, but Engel buried her face in Summer's legs. The yellow Ranger regretfully picked up the child to comfort her.

Hayden had a look of horror on her face. In two days, she had caused Engel to cry not once, but twice.

Noticing the look of distress on her daughter's face, Kaylee took a step forward, muttering her daughter's name gently.

Suddenly, Hayden took off, storming out of her own house as the tears streamed down her own face. She couldn't take care of a child.

-----Afterlife-----

"Alright," Dillon smirked, rubbing his hands together as she looked over at the nervous Flynn. "Last but not least, me."

"Oh boy," Flynn groaned.

"What I'm going to say is important," he said before taking a long, deep breath. "Are you ready?"

Flynn gulped, "Not after those other statements."

Already, Flynn had been told about the fears of fatherhood by the other boys: the duties of a husband during labour, or the never happy yet very pregnant wife and a husband's job to do all her work to try and please her. Though Flynn was positive he and Hayden would be okay for the pregnancy, all these boys were causing him to worry about the upcoming months and years.

Dillon smiled wickedly as he leaned forward in his chair, "How the fuck are you going to support a baby?"

"Excuse me?" Flynn frowned. Dillon shook his head.

"I know its all fine and dandy now," he said. "But Summer and I are only going to be living with you for a few months. Once we're gone, all your bills will be your own again, and you'll have to go back to work. The garage is doing well, but your daddy duties haven't even started yet, dude!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Hayden's still capable of taking care of herself. She hasn't turned into this massive planet of doom. She's not wobbling around, yet, or getting these strange cravings. Pretty soon, you're going to have to turn into two, maybe three men!"

"Three?"

"A full time husband, who takes care of his pregnant wife," Dillon started listing, "a full time employee at the garage, and once the baby is born, a full time father. Not only that, but you'll have to make time for yourself, if not you'll go ballistic, and if I read Summer's parenting book right, you might blow up."

"You won't blow up," Mr. McAllistair assured his son.

"You actually read the book?" Conner asked his son in-law.

"Summer and I are thinking of having a baby," Dillon shrugged, "I want to be prepared."

"T-There's a b-book?" Flynn stammered nervously. "Hayden and I just… did it."

"Oh, there's a book," Dillon nodded. "And it talks all about the right moment. Basically, if you want to start a family, you have to be physically ready, emotionally ready, psychologically ready, financially ready…"

"That's a lot of readies," Flynn gulped. "Hayden and I just…"

"Why do you think Summer and I are still childless?"

Conner held up his fists, "Reason one and two," he said. "You may be married, but she's my baby girl."

"Okay, three reasons," Dillon nodded. He leaned back in his seat. "I don't mean to scare you, Flynn, but think about it. Taking care of a baby is very demanding, long before the kid is due. Enjoy the time now, because soon, you'll blow up."

"He won't blow up," Mr. McAllistair stated again.

"I don't think you read that part right, Dillon," Greg frowned. "Blowing up?"

"He's going to wish he blew up," Dillon said. "And imagine all that hard work, and the thing pops out a girl."

"What's wrong with having a girl?" Dustin and Conner bother asked.

"Nothing," Dillon shrugged, "But at least if it's a boy, you'll know what you're in for. Men never know exactly how to raise their daughters. I mean, if it weren't for the mother being around… who knows what would happen…"

-----Afterlife-----

Leanne was finally home in NewTech city. After everything that went on with the mutants, Takeo and her father, she was happy to be somewhere where she could feel safe.

Thirteen year old Madeline was coming down the stairs with her school books in her hands when she saw her mother was finally home. She dropped her books and ran into her mother's arms.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "Dad and I have been worried sick?"

Leanne looked down at her only child. Maddie was a beautiful girl and though she couldn't see if, Cam never failed to point out how much Maddie looked like her. He always said how amazing it was that a mother and daughter could look so much alike.

Leanne kissed her daughter on the head, "I've been out."

"Duh," Madeline laughed, rolling her eyes, "But where. Last we heard that Ziggy guy was taking you away, saying there was an emergency."

Cam stepped out of the kitchen and kissed his wife.

"I told her not to worry," he said. "But she's been asking if you've tried called for days now."

"Yeah… sorry about that," Leanne sighed.

Maddie wasn't happy with her mother's answer. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Where have you been? I've been at home worried sick, thinking the worst!"

Leanne hugged her daughter again, "I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

Maddie calmed slightly in her mother's arms. Something felt off. Normally when Leanne left for a few days, she always made sure to come home and explain. Even when she had been shot, the moment she came back home, before anything, she announced to her husband and her daughter that she was perfectly fine.

Now, however, her mother didn't seem to be in any mood to announce she was feeling fine.

"Mom…"

"Leanne?" Cam frowned, noticing the same thing as his daughter. Leanne pulled away from her daughter and handed Cam the note. Maddie ran over to her father, trying to read it over her shoulder.

"Man, it's in Japanese," she grumbled. Though she could speak Japanese, and she could understand it perfectly, she had yet to learn how to read. Cam and Leanne both wanted her to focus on mastering the English language before starting her on another language entirely.

Cam's face suddenly darkened as he looked up at his wife.

"Seppuku?"

Maddie frowned, "Seppuku?"

She was fully aware of the traditions of Seppuku. As a Thunder Ninja student, she had to learn all about it in school.

"Who committed seppuku, mom?"

While Cam read over the letter again, Leanne took her daughter to the stairs. She sat her down carefully and wrapped her arms around her baby girl.

"You grandfather passed away."


	73. Baby Troubles

Almost as soon as Hayden was out the door, Kaylee followed, hoping to catch up with her daughter before Hayden got lost. She knew there was something bothering her thanks to Flynn. He had warned her before the party started that Hayden was having doubts about pregnancy. If this was true, then Kaylee needed to have a serious talk with Hayden about parenthood before matters got worse.

She caught up with her daughter on the front lawn, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. Hayden stumbled quickly but held her footing. Her mother supported her, but held onto her upper arm tight to keep her from running.

Hayden tried to pull free as the other women stepped out of the house and gathered on the front porch to watch. A loud sob escaped Hayden's lips as the continued to struggle.

"Let me go!" she screamed. Kaylee held tight, now using both arms to keep her daughter from running.

"Hayden…"

"Leave me alone," Hayden shouted, pushing her mother. Kaylee wouldn't let her run off. Not alone, and not in her current state. She pulled her daughter in close, wrapping her arms around her.

"Hayden, it's okay," she whispered gently. "Calm down. We can talk about this."

"I don't want to talk!" Hayden screamed, still pushing her mother away. Kaylee was now happy she had spent most of her life as either a Ninja or a Power Ranger/Mentor. She was strong enough to resist Hayden's shoves.

Summer stepped out on the patio after putting Engel down for a nap. She saw her cousin and Aunt fighting on the front lawn and frowned. She had an idea on what was going on with Hayden. She had witnessed the choking incident, when Dillon blamed Hayden on being a bad parent, and saw how it had shaken the pregnant woman up. She stepped to the front of the group, looking longingly at Hayden.

She whispered her cousin's name softly.

"Hayden…"

Hayden heard her name and looked over at Summer.

"You wouldn't understand," she cried. Summer took a few steps off the porch, but this only frustrated Hayden. "You wouldn't understand!" she screamed loudly, pulling away from her mother. She didn't run off. She stood, shaking just beside Kaylee.

Kaylee reached out, touching her daughter's shoulder.

"What's going on?" she asked her gently.

"Nothing."

"Liar," Summer spat. She looked up at her Aunt and explained. "Hayden was getting Engel ready for bed. She took her eyes off her for a minute to look for pyjamas. When she turned back to Engel, she was choking. Dillon was the one who got the gum out of her throat."

"What's wrong with that?" Kaylee asked her daughter.

"Everything," Hayden sobbed, turning to her mother. Kaylee wrapped her in her arms again.

"Sweetheart, there's nothing wrong with that," she whispered. Hayden pulled into Kaylee, finally taking comfort in her mother's arms.

"I froze… I didn't know what to do…"

"Do you think I knew what to do when I was raising you?" Kaylee asked. She pushed her daughter forward slightly so she could look her in the eyes. "You already know I hate your spontaneous regeneration, but every day when you were growing up, and even now, I'm so happy you have that power."

Kaylee let go of her daughter for a moment and drew her blades from her knuckles. She held them up to show Hayden.

"Ask Tori and Kira. When you were a baby I accidentally stabbed you with these so many times! All your screaming made me clench my fists, lose focus and when I went to pick you up, these little sons of bitches would come out. And they wouldn't just scratch you or nick you. They would pierce right through you!"

"I was there," Tori nodded, raising her hand slowly. "It scared me half to death."

Kaylee nodded as her friend backed her up. She turned back to her daughter.

"Sweetie, we never know what to do right from the start."

Hayden lowered her head, "I knew what to do before…" she whispered. "Flynn and Summer both…"

"No one knows what to do," Kaylee stated firmly, smiling at her daughter. She kissed her forehead. "That's why humans always reproduce in pairs."

"But you always said that to make a baby you needed…"

"God was planning ahead," Kaylee interrupted. She frowned at her daughter. "Now you listen to my sex-talks?"

Hayden shrugged, letting a ghost of a smile appear on her lips.

Kaylee shook her head and chuckled slightly, "Have you ever heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child? Not children, but one fucking child?"

Hayden nodded, "Yeah."

"It takes two parents, who work as a team," Kaylee explained. "You and Flynn are going to have to rely on each other constantly. What he can't do, you'll do and vice-versa. Then, there's a little something called Aunts and Uncles."

"Like me and Dillon," Summer smiled. Kaylee nodded.

"Yes, like Summer and Dillon. When you don't know what to do, you can ask them. Once you have the title of Aunt or Uncle, you're job is to help the parents raise the blob. No excuses, no ifs, ands or buts. But sometimes, Aunts and Uncles don't have the experience you need to raise the kid…"

Kaylee paused as she looked deeply in her daughter's eyes.

"That's why I'm still alive. That's why your father's still here. We've raised you and we're still raising Christian. We know, more or less, what we're doing. We know what works, and we know what fails miserably. You have a network of people at your disposal."

"You didn't have grandma or grandpa…" Hayden stated. Kaylee furrowed her brow.

"Yeah, and look how that turned out. I miscarried one kid, stabbed the other and left the last to be raised by your father…"

"Mom, Christian loves dad."

"We all screw up, Hayden," Tori stated, stepping off the porch as she joined her sister and niece. She hugged Hayden tight. "That's why you kids are so messed up now. We blame TV, but really… it's all our fault."

"Yeah," Kira nodded. "I mean, Tori dropped your mother on the head. Look what happened!"

"I was one!" Tori shouted, turning to her friend. Kira backed away slightly.

"Doesn't matter how old you were. You screwed her up bad!"

"Get in the house," Tori shouted before chasing after her friend. Kira ran into the house, not wanting to feel the wrath of the Water Sensei. Kaylee rolled her eyes at her sisters' antics before turning back to her daughter.

"We all screw up," she smiled, kissing her daughter on the forehead. "But you can't let that put you down. Feel better?"

Hayden nodded, putting her hands on her stomach, "A little bit."

"I promise, you'll be a great mom," Kaylee said. "Not perfect, but great."

-----Afterlife-----

Maddie looked up at her mother in horror before turning to her dad. He seemed just as surprised as she was to hear that her grandfather had passed. While Maddie was frozen in a look of terror, Leanne went on to explain.

"I went to visit him and I found him dead," she said. She turned to Cam, giving him a look that told him they would talk later.

"Grandpa died?" Maddie asked. "What does that have to do with Seppuku?"

Leanne hugged her daughter, "Nothing, sweetheart."

"But dad read the letter…"

"Grandpa mentioned Seppuku in the letter," Leanne lied, turning to Cam and giving him a sharp look. He nodded slowly, putting the letter in his pocket so his thirteen year old daughter wouldn't be distracted by it anymore.

"Why…?"

Leanne shook her head, "I don't know… it came up…"

"Did he kill himself?"

"No… not at all. Sweetheart, he was getting older. You remember? We've discussed this a few months ago. It was bound to…"

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Leanne sighed. "I've called the police and the ambulance. They took him to the hospital…"

"Why? If he's dead, why are they taking him there?"

Leanne sighed deeply. Her daughter was curious. She had always been. Madeline always wanted to know what was going on, and had so many questions stored up in her brain. Once she got started, there was no end until her quench for knowledge was satisfied.

"It's routine. They're going to look him over…"

"NO!" Madeline shouted before storming upstairs to her room. The door slammed loudly behind her before the Watanabe parents heard muffled sobs coming from her room. Leanne leaned back on the stairs, looking up at Cam sadly. He sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"He did kill himself, didn't he?" Cam asked his wife gently. Leanne shook her head.

"Seppuku… He dishonoured the family. He had no choice."

Cam shook his head, "I know."

There was a silence before Leanne looked up at her husband. She leaned in, resting her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry I left," she whispered. "The Rangers needed me and David, and then there was this whole thing with the Thunder Ninja Academy."

"Is it okay?" Cam asked.

"Yeah… we saved it. Takeo was seeking revenge. My father dishonoured him and the school."

"I don't…"

"Please don't make me explain it," Leanne muttered, choking back tears. "I don't want to tell you. I don't want to talk about it."

"Then don't," Cam said, hugging her comfortingly. "I'm going to go call my dad. Are you going to be okay with that?"

Leanne nodded, "I will."

Cam kissed her gently, "We'll figure this out. I promise."

-----Afterlife-----

When he got home from his party, Flynn found he was too nervous to do anything. What Dillon had told him about raising a baby, and living with a pregnant wife was really starting to get to him. He was only 23, and his wife was 20 years old. They were still young, very young. Life was just starting for them.

Now Flynn had a lot on his plate. He had a job, bills, a family, houseguests, a niece… it was all starting to pile up.

"Dillon, get you feet off the table!" Summer shouted from the living room before there was a loud thump that broke Flynn from his train of thought. He shook his head and checked the clock. Already it was 9:00pm.

"I'm tired," Dillon whined. "I had a party then I had half a day of work."

"Boo-hoo," Summer grumbled and Flynn heard Braveheart's squeaky toy go off. Braveheart, who was normally a calm dog, suddenly started barking and jumping up and down. Flynn got up from his spot at the kitchen table and walked into the living room.

"Braveheart," he grumbled, grabbing the dog's collar. Normally Braveheart stayed in the Garage with Flynn and Dani, but because the garage was closed for the day, and Braveheart needed company, Flynn had taken him home after his party.

Braveheart was another thing he could add to his list of responsibilities. He had promised Hayden he would take care of the dog (so long as she watched out for Karly when the demon cat was visiting). He couldn't ignore the big ball of fluff.

"Dude, he drooled all over my beer," Dillon groaned. Summer rolled her eyes.

"Dillon, that's your fourth beer since dinner. This isn't your house. Have a little respect."

"I pay half the grocery bills," Dillon told her. "This is my beer."

"Half your beer," Summer corrected. "And either way, too much of this is bad for you."

"C'mon, you know what happens when I get a little…"

"Don't finish that sentence," Flynn groaned, sensing what his friend was going to say next. Of course, he could totally blank out and skip dinner, but his mind wouldn't let him travel elsewhere when Dillon started discussing personal matters.

"You okay, Flynn," Summer asked, noticing the blue Ranger seemed a little out of it. Flynn nodded.

"Yeah, I think I drank too much at the party," he lied.

"You're a Scotsman," Dillon smiled, lifting his beer, "There's no such thing as too much. Hold up a second while I join you. That fuzzy feeling's looking really good right now."

Dillon leaned over to Flynn, "The wife's being a real drag tonight. I think someone's getting her…"

"DILLON!" Summer shouted, tossing a pillow at her husband. She rolled her eyes, "Help me with the bed."

Dillon groaned as he got off the couch. Summer picked up the cushions, tossing them on the loveseat while Dillon pulled out the bed. He grabbed the sheets and blankets that were folded nicely on the back of the couch and made the bed. Summer jumped in, spreading herself out comfortably.

Dillon sat down next to her, then looked at Flynn.

"Get out of my bedroom. It's private time."

Flynn's face twisted in a look of disgust, while Summer smacked her husband on the back of the head. Flynn frowned.

"Wash the sheets, the blankets and the… you know what, just burn the whole thing," he told the couple. "I'm going to bed. I don't want to hear that."

He turned to leave but stopped.

"Is Engel sleeping?"

"I put her down an hour ago," Summer nodded.

Flynn shook his head, "No nine o'clock kiss while the baby's in the house. What if she gets up, comes down here and sees Uncle Dillon doing weird things to her Aunt Summer."

"I hear her grandma Kaylee's really good at explaining the birds and the bees," Dillon smirked.

"Or the wolf and the bear," Flynn nodded before shaking his head, "No… no… just… be very, very careful. You know what? I'm going to forbid it, so that I'm not thinking about it endlessly."

Again, Flynn turned to leave before another thought hit him.

"Where's my wife?"

Dillon's eyes widened, "Oh, you forbid us. But the lions can mate all they want…"

"No… no… I haven't seen her all day," Flynn said. "Is she upstairs?"

"Yeah," Summer nodded. "And Aunt Kaylee talked to her at the party. I think she's calmed down a little bit."

Flynn nodded, "Okay. Goodnight… and go right to bed."

Flynn left the couple to sleep (or so that's what he wanted to think. But the snoring coming from the living room made him believe Dillon passed out). He walked up to his room and opened the door slowly.

Though 9:00 was early for young couples to go to bed, everyone had had a long day. Flynn saw Hayden was sleeping soundly on her side of the bed. He kissed her gently before stripping down to his boxers and climbing in next to her. He wrapped his arms around her gently, placing a hand on her stomach before shutting his eyes and going to sleep.


	74. Flynn Panics

Flynn noticed Hayden was no longer lying in his arms when he opened his eyes. He yawned loudly while rolling over in bed and checked the clock before she rushed into the room.

"Flynn, get up," she called to him as tossing him some pants and a shirt. "He's downstairs."

"Downstairs?" Flynn asked.

"I was getting Engel ready for school when there was a knock at the door," Hayden explained quickly. "It's the man from the government."

Flynn furrowed his brow. There were so many things wrong with what Hayden had just said. Engel wasn't old enough to go to school, and if the government wanted to talk with him and Hayden, they would just send Kaylee to do the job. He looked at his wife as he grabbed his clothes that were now scattered on the bed.

"What are you talking about?"

Hayden groaned loudly as she checked her watch, "Dammit, Engel's going to be late and I still have to feed the baby before…"

"Hayden," Flynn called. "What are you talking about? What's going on? Where's Engel going? What baby."

"Hello? Man downstairs, taxes and loans, school and our baby, remember?" Hayden stated matter of factly as she rolled her eyes at her husband. "Are you feeling okay?"

"We have a baby?"

"Yes, you idiot. Now get up! You promised you would be ready when Paul showed up."

"Who is Paul?"

Hayden turned to her husband, sending him frustrated glares.

"No more joking. At least put your pants on and get downstairs. I'm gonna take care of the kids."

Hayden rushed out of the room without answering any of Flynn's questions, but he decided to do as he was told. He pulled on his pants and shirt and made his way down to the kitchen. When he was there he saw an older man sitting at his kitchen table. The man looked up with a faint smile as he got to his feet.

"Good morning, Flynn," he said, shaking Flynn's hand. "Overslept, I see?"

"I guess," Flynn nodded. He took a seat across from the man, who he assumed was the Paul Hayden was talking about. He frowned curiously as Paul grabbed a heavy file from his briefcase on the floor and dropped it on the table.

"Well, I'm afraid we have a little bad news," Paul started. He opened his file and pulled out a page that had been marked with a sticky note. He showed it to Flynn. "You've had a year and a half to pay off your loans…"

"Loans?"

"Your loans from the government," Paul nodded. "We've been over this 18 times now, Flynn. When you borrow money from the government, you have to pay it back."

"Look, this has to be a mistake," Flynn frowned. "I've never seen you before."

Paul seemed flattered as he rubbed his stomach, "I'm so glad you noticed. I've dropped some pounds since our last meeting, and I've been working out more. I didn't think it was that noticeable."

"No," Flynn shook his head, "you don't understand. I've never seen you before. Fat or thin, scrawny or muscular. You have never occupied space inside my home."

Paul nodded his head slowly. "I understand. It's always hard to accept at first."

"That the government is taxing me for loans I never borrowed?" Flynn frowned. He turned around in his seat, "Hayden!"

"She left, Flynn," Paul told him. "She's taking the kids with her."

"Where did she go?"

Paul shrugged, "I keep track of your money, not your family."

Paul gestured back to the files on the table, turning Flynn's attention back to the matter at hand. "I'm sad to say this, but you're broke."

Flynn's jaw dropped in utter disbelief as he grabbed the file and skimmed through it. He found the page he wanted and pulled it out, getting a better look.

"I owe, $76 000?" he gasped. He flipped the paper over. On the other side was his bank statement. "Where did all my zeroes go?"

Paul turned the page back, "On this side," he pointed to Flynn's debt before letting out a long sigh. "I've done all I can to help you and your family Flynn. But it seems there was no saving you."

"But the Garage was doing better…"

"Not since a rival one opened up down the street," Paul told him.

"When did this happen?"

"A year ago."

"No. A year ago I was still living with my in-laws."

"Flynn, are you okay?" Paul asked. The concern was obvious in his voice. "Would you like to get something to drink? Maybe a little food?"

"I want you to give me my money back!" Flynn cried.

"We can't. You've have to pay for Engel's education, pay for a babysitter for your baby. Your grocery bills are through the roof… basically, your income pales in comparison to what you've been spending. I would have told you to cut back but we've already reduced your expenses as much as we could."

"I'll pay the government back," Flynn said. "Just give me a few more months."

"This is why I'm here," Paul told him. "Your time has run out. You've failed to pay back your loans, so now they've come to repossess what you own?"

"What?"

Paul leaned forward, "Flynn, as of noon today, you will not be living here anymore. The government is taking it and everything inside."

"They can't do that!"

"I'm afraid they can."

"Kaylee wouldn't do that."

"Kaylee's not commander anymore," Paul frowned, shaking his head. Flynn looked at him, stunned. He sighed deeply, "Her son was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. She gave up her position to spend her time with him."

"Christian's sick…"

Paul patted Flynn on the arm, "I'm sorry, Flynn. I've done everything I could."

He reached back into his briefcase and pulled out a pamphlet. He handed it to Flynn.

"I've looked up a few homeless shelters for you and your family. Give them a look."

Without saying another word, Paul left. Flynn looked at the pamphlets before springing up from his chair. He ran to the study, where he and Hayden kept all their important files. He skimmed through it quickly before finding the registration for an elementary school. He checked the address and ran to his truck.

-----Afterlife-----

Before he knew it, Flynn was at a school. He couldn't remember how he got there, but he didn't mind that. He hopped out of his truck and ran into the school. He somehow knew exactly where the office was and who to talk to.

"Mrs. Carlton! Did Hayden drop off Engel?"

He didn't know how he knew the name of the woman standing before him, nor did he know what her job at the school was. Hell, he didn't even know why Hayden was taking Engel to school.

"No?" Mrs. Carlton frowned. She checked her computer, "In fact, Engel's not at school today. Your wife called her in sick."

"But… Hayden said…"

Flynn suddenly shook his head as a thought hit him. There was a daycare across the street. It was a very convenient location for getting the kids to their respective places before going to work. Again, Flynn wasn't sure how he knew all this, but he was going on instinct.

He ran across the street, avoiding traffic on his way, and rushed into the daycare center. A young woman spotted him and smiled.

"Mr. McAllistair, are you here to drop off your…"

"No, pick up," Flynn interrupted the woman. "My kid, where is he… she?"

"Not here," the woman frowned. "Your wife never stopped by this morning. I assumed you would have…"

Once again, Flynn didn't know how he knew this, but he knew it was odd that Engel wasn't in school and his child wasn't in daycare. Hayden always took care of the kids before going to work.

-----Afterlife-----

After the daycare center, Flynn suddenly found himself standing at Kaylee and Dustin's door. He was about to knock when the door opened. He saw Hayden was standing there with a blanket draped over her shoulder and a children's book in her hand.

But as soon as she saw him, she slammed the door shut.

"Hayden?" Flynn called. He didn't hear the lock click, so he assumed Hayden had forgotten to lock the door. He twisted the knob and the door opened up. He stepped inside and found Hayden in the kitchen.

"Hayden, what are you doing here?"

Hayden threw the book and the blanket at Flynn, "Get out!" she screamed. Her tone was different from this morning. It had already been rather weird when he woke up, but whenever Hayden was in a rush it put her in a bad mood. At the moment, though, she seemed hostile.

"Hayden, are the kids here?" Flynn asked.

"Yes, and you're not supposed to be," Hayden told him.

"You know we have no house?" Flynn asked her. Hayden nodded.

"Of course I know!" Hayden screamed. "That was the first thing Paul told me! You should have accepted help when this whole thing started! You've run us into the ground!"

"Hayden… I don't even know what's going on."

"We have no money!" Hayden shouted. "No… actually, I wish that was the case. We owe money! We owe more money than we have, because you were too proud to accept help from my parents or your dad."

"Hayden… I… last I remember we were doing okay. It was working out…"

"And then it plummet. We have kids now, Flynn. Your pride can't come first!"

"Yeah, about that. Why did you put Engel in school?"

Hayden rolled her eyes and responded, in a rather snappy tone, "Because the law requires all school-aged children to go to school."

"She's two?"

"No, our child is two!" Hayden shouted. "Engel's four!"

"What? No…"

Hayden groaned loudly, her arms flying up in the air as she turned around, away from Flynn.

He took a step closer to her, "Lass… I don't know what's going on… I woke up this morning and…"

"I don't care," Hayden whispered. She turned back to Flynn and he saw her eyes were filled with tears. "I don't care, anymore. You might not want to accept help, but I know we need it. The kids need it… I need it! You can go live out on the streets, hold onto whatever pride you have left… but I'm not doing this."

"Hayden…"

"Goodbye, Flynn," Hayden pointed to the door. "Get out."

"No," Flynn frowned, standing his ground. Everything was just so weird. He needed answers.

"Get out!" Hayden screamed.

"Hayden…"

Hayden grabbed a spoon off the counter and tossed it at Flynn, "Get out!"

The spoon hit Flynn on the shoulder, but didn't do anything to get him to leave. He just looked at his wife as the tears started to form in his eyes.

"I don't want this…"

"I don't want this either," Hayden growled. "But I have no choice. Get the fuck out of this house!"

Hayden grabbed the frying pan, but before she could swing, Flynn took off. He ran out the door, closing it behind him before leaning against it and falling to the ground.

He didn't understand anything at all.

"I'm telling you, he was so hammered when he came home last night," Flynn heard Dillon say, but when he looked up, there was no one around.

"Dillon?"

"He wasn't hammered," Summer's voice came. "He was tired."

"After a certain point, there's no difference, babe," Dillon said again.

Flynn held his head in his hand. He could hear the two talking, but they were nowhere in sight.

"Dillon, Summer?"

"I don't care if he's hammered or not," Hayden's voice came. "He's gotta work in 30 minutes."

Flynn shut his eyes, "Where are you guys? What's going on?"

"Flynn," Hayden's voice called. "Flynn, wake up."

Flynn opened his eyes and jumped back. He found himself lying in bed, his own bed, inside his house, with Dillon, Summer, Engel and Hayden looking down at him.

Hayden?

Before his brain was fully alert, he bolted up and grabbed his wife, wrapping her in his arms. Hayden was surprised by the sudden display of affection but wrapped her arms around Flynn and patted the top of his head.

"Good morning?"

"This is our house?" Flynn asked her as he looked around. Hayden nodded.

"Yes…"

"Do you still love me?"

"What? Of course, why would you…?"

"Do you know a guy named Paul?"

Hayden fell silent as she gazed at her husband.

"Who is Paul?"

Flynn grabbed Hayden again, squeezing her in a hug. Hayden struggled from breath.

"Flynn, the baby and I need to breathe!" she struggled to say. Flynn let go, giving Hayden the oxygen she needed. She smiled, shaking her head at him while Summer and Dillon started to walk off. She tapped his leg.

"You have a little under 30 minutes to get ready," she told him. "Don't be late for work. Aunt Kelly's going to kill you if you don't show up on time, and we need all the money we can get."

Hayden left Flynn to get ready for work. When her back was turned, Flynn's face fell. It must have all been a nightmare. One very terrible nightmare.

His brain must have imagined the worst case scenario that would happen. If Flynn didn't have any money, he was going to lose everything he cared about. His home, his family, his wife…

What Dillon told him at the party must have scared him a lot more than he thought. Taking on the responsibilities of a parent, a husband and a working man didn't seem like it would work in his head. There was too much to be done.

Flynn ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Though he hated it, he was going to have to forget his pride and ask for help. Real help.

He got ready for work and was out the door on time, but when he got in his truck he grabbed an old receipt and a pen. He wrote himself a note, reminding him to stop by his father's house after work and to call Hayden to let her know he was going to be home late.


	75. They'll Be Fine

Samantha had been fading in and out of consciousness since she first woke up in the hospital. Though she was healing up nicely, according to the doctors, she was extremely tired. Her body needed a lot of energy to repair her wings, and it left her sleeping most of the time.

Scott sat by her side, still in his wheelchair. He no longer needed it to get around because he could now stand with very little pain, but traveling through the hospital halls was still easier than trying to walk around. The doctors said that it wouldn't be long before he didn't need it at all.

Samantha woke up again, her eyes fluttering open slowly while Scott watched TV. She moved her hand to brush Scott's arm, letting him know that she was awake again.

"Where's Christian?" she asked.

"Your dad came to pick him up after you fell asleep," Scott told her. Christian had come by to visit after school while Dustin was at Flynn's baby party. He had been constantly asking if his sister was okay, and Dustin and Kaylee assumed this was the perfect opportunity for him to find out.

Samantha sighed, "I didn't say bye…"

"He understands," Scott smiled gently. He kissed her, "How are you feeling?"

Samantha frowned slightly, "Tired."

"Your wings are getting better," Scott said, gently touching his wife's wings with the tip of his fingers. Samantha nodded before looking around the room.

"Is Engel still…?"

"With your sister?" Scott nodded.

"Can I see her?"

This time Scott shook his head, "They don't want to bring her over until she starts getting really homesick. The longer they can keep her thinking she's on a vacation with her Aunt and Uncle, the easier it'll be for everyone."

"But I want to see her," Samantha whined.

"Not until you're all better," Scott told her. Samantha shook her head and tried to sit up. Scott placed his hand on the top of her chest, pushing her back down onto the bed. "Sammy…"

"I miss her," Samantha frowned.

"I do too."

"I'm fine to go home."

"No, you're not," Scott shook his head. "Sam, you can barely stay awake for five minutes at a time."

"I can sleep at home… in my own bed," Samantha argued. "I want my daughter."

"I know you do," Scott said. He sighed, "But you don't want her seeing you like this. You're tired and helpless. She's fine with Hayden and Flynn, I promise. Just focus on resting."

"I don't want to…"

"You'll see her soon," Scott promised, kissing her cheek.

-----Afterlife-----

"Dillon, mind doing the breakfast dishes if you have the day off?" Summer called as she played blocks with Engel. Dillon looked at his wife from the couch and groaned.

"But we didn't use any of the dishes," he said. "Hayden used them."

"And you're going to wash them," Summer stated.

"I'm going to watch sports," Dillon pointed to the TV with the remote held tight in his hand. "Corinth and NewTech are playing."

Summer frowned, "Those are the only two teams."

"But this game is amazing."

Summer left Engel to her games as she walked over to Dillon and snatched the remote out of his hand. She turned the TV off.

"Dishes, now, please," she ordered.

"But we didn't…"

"Dillon, we're guests here," Summer explained. "Flynn and Hayden have been nice enough to let us stay, because you blew up the house…"

"BOOM!" Engel shouted for effect as she knocked down the tower of blocks.

"So we're going to help out anyway we can," Summer continued. "Would you like to come home to dirty dishes in the sink?"

"That's more of a woman's pet peeve than a man's," Dillon smirked. "So long as there are leftovers and a microwave, we men can eat. Hell, sometimes we don't even need the microwave."

"Either way, You have a day off."

"Why can't you do them?" Dillon asked. "You're just playing with the kid."

"Not playing," Engel told her uncle. "Making tower. Hard work. Blocks always fall."

"That's because you keep knocking them down," Dillon smirked. Engel crossed her arms.

"You made house boom."

Summer nodded, "If you didn't blow up the house and Rex…"

"I promised I would buy you a new one."

"There's no replacing dinosaur love," Summer told him. "He was my first best friend… we did everything together…"

"This is sounding a lot like your sister."

"I'm going to miss that little dinosaur. They way he squeaked when I hugged him…"

"You know what," Dillon frowned, pushing himself off the couch before Summer started to go on and on about the stuffed toy Dillon murdered. "I think I am going to do the dishes."

Engel stood up and walked over beside her Aunt, watching as Dillon made his way to the kitchen. She looked up at Summer before doing as she did. She crossed her arms over her little chest and shook her head.

Dillon turned around to see this and frowned.

"Do you both hate me or something?"

"Not hate…"

"Yes," Engel nodded. Dillon knelt down.

"I saved your life."

"Blow up Rex."

"Do you even know what Rex is?"

"No… but boom."

Dillon rolled his eyes.

-----Afterlife-----

After work, Flynn drove straight over to his father's house. He needed to talk to him about what it meant to be a parent, and how to juggle all the responsibilities at once while holding onto any piece of sanity that would be left.

He found his father outside on the front porch drinking. He sat down beside him.

"Hi, dad."

His father turned to him and smiled, "Flynn. What a nice surprise."

"Are you waiting for someone?" Flynn asked. His father never sat outside like this. He was always working in the garage if he needed to pass the time.

"I'm waiting for Clara," Mr. McAllistair nodded. Clara was his fiancée. He had met her shortly after Flynn and Hayden got married and started dating. Things had gone so well, that he proposed in December.

"I see," Flynn nodded. "Do you have time to talk?"

"Of course I do," his father smiled. "What's on your mind, son?"

"I've been worried lately," Flynn started.

"Worried about…"

"The baby."

"Six toes is nothing to be ashamed of," Mr. McAllistair laughed.

"That's not it… how do you become a dad? How do you do it?"

Mr. McAllistair turned to his son, staring for a moment as he tried to come up with advice that could help. He shrugged.

"I don't know."

"But you did it," Flynn said. "What did you do?"

"Pretty much what your mother said," Mr. McAllistair chuckled.

"Serious, dad," Flynn frowned. "I need help. How do you take care of a baby and the family?"

"Keep your priorities straight," Mr. McAllistair told him. "Your family is the most important thing you can have."

"I know that," Flynn nodded. "But… how do you do it?"

"Talk to Hayden," Mr. McAllistair smiled. "No two couple raises their child the same way. You have to figure this all out as you go."

"But…"

"No buts, m'boy. That's parenting. There will be times when you'll have everything figured out. The baby's fine, the wife loves you and work is going great. Then there'll be times when the tyke decides to scream like there's no tomorrow, your wife's yelling at you for getting in late, and work has got you wanting to shoot yourself in the head."

"Um… okay…"

"But, your family is the most important thing," Mr. McAllistair said. "As long as you do everything for the good of the family, you're doing the right thing."

"Is that what you did?" Flynn asked.

"I did what your mother told me to do."

"What about when mom didn't know what to do?" Flynn frowned. "I mean, that had to have happened, right?"

"All the time," Mr. McAllistair nodded, laughing as a few memories from Flynn's childhood came to mind. He knew it wasn't hard being a parent, and he could remember having the same talk with his father before Flynn was born. It was natural for the future father to worry, but there was nothing he could do. Until the baby was born, all the work was the mother's job. All Flynn could do was make sure Hayden stayed healthy and happy. He patted his son on the back.

"You'll make a fine father, boy," he told his son. "If you want advice though, I've given you all I can. No one knows how to be a father right off the start. You do what you can. You'll be wrong most of the time, but that one time you're right…"

Mr. McAllistair took a deep breath as he looked at his son, "You'll do fine, m'boy."

Flynn hugged his father, "Thanks, dad."

"And remember," Mr. McAllistair smiled, "I'm always here to help."

-----Afterlife-----

When Flynn got home that evening, Dillon was on the couch watching sports. Summer was sitting in his arms, reading a book and Hayden was playing building blocks with Engel.

Hayden heard the door click and looked up from her game, allowing Engel to knock the blocks over. Hayden smiled as she saw Flynn walking in.

"Your dinner's on the table," she told him.

"Leftovers," Summer called. "Your choice if you want to use the microwave."

Dillon nudged her gently, chuckling slightly.

"Actually, Hayden, can I talk with you for a minute?"

Hayden nodded and got to her feet. She followed Flynn into the kitchen. He grabbed his plate from the table and put his food in the microwave. Once he set the timer, he turned to his wife.

"About the baby…"

"I talked with my mom," Hayden interrupted. Flynn nodded and smiled.

"Good. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Hayden said. "But morning sickness might be starting up soon."

Flynn smiled softly. He knew morning sickness was nothing to laugh about, but at least Hayden was tackling this topic with a little bit of humour. That always meant she was feeling better.

"I talked with my dad today," he stated as the microwaves beeped. He grabbed his plate and set it down on the counter before looking up at his wife. "He pretty much told me its okay to not know what we're doing from the start."

"My mom impaled me," Hayden nodded. "I think she was trying to give me the same advice."

"No more worrying," Flynn smiled. He walked around the counter and grabbed his wife in his arms, holding her close. Hayden wrapped her arms around him as well and rested her head on his chest. Flynn kissed the top of her head and squeezed her gently, "We'll do this together… a team."

Hayden looked up at her husband, "I think I could manage being a team with you," she laughed. Flynn smiled, kissing her again.

"It won't be too hard, will it?"

"Well, I'm already married to you… I guess I could pull it off."

Hayden rested her head back against his chest, "I guess I got a little panicked when Engel was choking."

"We all were," Flynn said. "Summer's eyes were popping out of her head when she realised what was going on."

"I just… what if that was our baby?" Hayden asked. "What if our baby started choking and I don't know what to do? Dillon's not always going to be here."

"We were lucky this time," Flynn nodded. "Engel's not ours, and Dillon was around. But I'm sure we would have figured it out."

"How can you be sure?"

"I don't know, I just think…"

"Gross!" Dillon shouted from the living room before Engel started crying loudly. Hayden and Flynn exchanged a look before breaking apart and running into the living room.

Engel was sitting in a pool of vomit. Her toys, the carpet as well as Engel herself were all covered and Engel was screaming her head off.

Hayden ran over to Engel, picking her up and holding her in her arms gently while Flynn ran back to the kitchen. He came back with a wet cloth and started cleaning up what he could.

"I'll take her upstairs," Hayden told her husband as she started to take off Engel's dirty clothes.

Flynn looked up, "Toss those over; I'll put them in the wash."

Hayden did exactly that as Flynn finished cleaning. He took the clothes to the wash while Hayden walked upstairs, comforting Engel with calm words and a back rub as she went.

Summer and Dillon exchanged looks and both smiled.

"Something tells me they'll be fine," she said, nestling into Dillon's arms further.


	76. Sick

Madeline heard a knock on her bedroom door as she sat on the bed, infuriated at her parents. She knew they were hiding something from her involving her grandfather's death. Her father had read the letter and mentioned seppuku. Her mother swore her grandfather didn't kill himself, but Madeline wouldn't believe that. His death was hurting her whether it was his time or not, and she was thirteen years old. She could handle the truth if her parents would let her.

A second knock on the door made Madeline groan. She got off her bed and dragged herself over to the door. She opened it slightly and saw her Grandpa Kanoi standing there.

"Grandpa?"

"May I come in, Madeline?" Sensei asked.

"Why, so you can lie to me too?" Maddie frowned. She began to close the door, but Sensei put his foot in the way.

"I do not want to lie to you," he assured her. "I'm merely here to help."

Maddie opened the door so her grandfather's foot wasn't squished. She glared up at him.

"Did Grandpa Akio kill himself?" Maddie asked.

"Your grandfather only did what was right for his family," Sensei answered. Maddie rolled her eyes. Her Aunts and Uncles were right when they told her Sensei's words were as confusing as fortune cookies. Not only did he manage to be honest without telling the truth, but his words weren't helping Maddie figure this out on her own at all.

"Grandpa…"

Sensei walked over to Madeline's bed and sat down. He tapped the spot beside him, inviting his granddaughter over. Madeline took the invite and sat down, before her only living grandparent wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"The death of a loved one is never an easy thing to deal with," Sensei whispered to her. "Many of us already know the troubles and have learned to cope with past deaths. But with every new death comes a new state of grief we aren't ready for."

"If you're telling me I have a right to be upset, I already know that," Madeline frowned. "Dad said the same thing when my guinea pig died."

Sensei chuckled. Cam and Leanne had gotten Madeline a guinea pig when she was little and wanted a pet. Madeline wanted a dog, but her parents didn't want to deal with the responsibilities. So, they told her about the time her grandfather turned into a guinea pig and showed her a few pictures. Needless to say, when little Madeline heard about her grandfather the guinea pig she wanted one of her own.

"You are a smart girl, Madeline," Sensei chuckled.

"If I'm so smart, then why aren't my parents telling me the truth?"

"Your mother lost her mother when she was your age," Sensei started. "From that point on, her family consisted of only herself and her father."

"So?"

"Madeline, your mother is very upset. She never imagined your grandfather would pass the way he did. What she knows is hurting her and she doesn't want to pass that pain onto you."

"I have a right to know," Maddie grumbled, crossing her arms and pulling into herself. "He was my grandfather."

"But your mother has a right to her secrets. He was her father," Sensei kissed Madeline on the cheek and offered her another hug. "Your mother will tell you the truth, whatever it may be, when you're both ready. For now, you have a family downstairs ready to support you whenever you need it."

Sensei got up off the bed and left the room. He made his way downstairs into the kitchen where Cam was pouring a glass of orange juice.

"I've spoken with Madeline," Sensei announced. Cam looked up at his father.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine."

Cam nodded, keeping a silence for a few minutes. He offered his father a glass of orange juice, which Sensei took. While the old sensei was taking a sip, Cam sighed.

"Dad, I don't know how long you can stay here," he said. "I mean… as much as you'll be able to help, I don't think Leanne can be around you right now?"

"How can you be sure of that?" Sensei asked his son.

"Well, as soon as you arrived, Leanne ran upstairs to our bedroom and hasn't come down since," Cam frowned.

"I've noticed."

"It's just… maybe this is going to be too hard for her…"

"Cameron, she can't avoid me for the rest of my life," Sensei said. "At some point, she will come face to face with me, and no matter how she feels about her father's death, it's going to hurt."

Cam sighed. His father was onto something, he knew it. Ever since the guinea pig incident Sensei always had a wrinkle in his nose when he was giving his confusing advice. Cam set his glass of orange juice down and looked at his father.

"Just say it…"

Sensei smiled, "Only Leanne knows what she wants. If she asks me to leave, I will gladly pack up my things and head off. But, she may want me to stay. Leave that for her to decide."

Cam nodded and was about to speak when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

Sensei watched as his son nodded, "Have you taken her… whoa… okay, I'll see if she can talk, one second."

Cam cupped the phone in his hand, "This for Leanne. I'll be right back," he told his father before running up the stairs. He knocked on his bedroom door before entering.

"Leanne, Hayden's on the phone for you," he gently told Leanne, who was buried under the blankets in the dark bedroom. He pulled the blankets down slightly, revealing the back of his wife's head.

"I don't wanna talk," Leanne's voice was muffled, but Cam understood.

"Engel's throwing up and has a fever," Cam told her. Leanne groaned loudly, taking the phone.

"Yes…" Leanne listened to Hayden on the other end. "Okay, but how is she act… never mind, I heard her."

Even Cam heard Engel through the phone. The toddler has screamed so loudly. It was now painfully obvious Engel wasn't feeling well.

"I'm kind of home right now," Leanne frowned. "I just told my family about my father."

Cam frowned, "Hayden knows?"

Leanne nodded, "She was there," she turned back to the phone, "Okay, how about this. Give her something to drink and try to get her to sleep. I'll stop by when I can to have a look. If you need anything else, call me, but if it's an emergency, call your uncle."

Leanne hung up the phone and handed it back to Cam. "I'm going to bed now."

Cam took the phone and played with it in his hands for a moment as his wife pulled back into the blankets again. He watched her and sighed.

"Leanne, my dad's downstairs if you need to talk to him."

"I don't want to talk. I want to be alone."

"I know this isn't easy for you, but…"

Leanne threw the blankets off and looked at Cam, "Do you wanna know what the last thing I said to my father was before he killed himself?"

"I yelled at him, Cam. I pretty much blamed him for mom's death! I stormed out of his house… and he killed himself after that."

"Leanne, it's not your fault…" Cam told her, dropping on the bed side her and wrapping her in his arms.

"I know that," Leanne sobbed. "But he raised me. I was just so mad at him for what he did…"

Cam hugged his wife, "I don't know if this will help, but raising a daughter's not easy when you're a man. I know you and your father had that awkward feeling, but I also know he loved you."

"I know that too," Leanne nodded.

"Leanne, I hate to say this, but you're gone a lot lately. Sometimes, Maddie and I feel like you aren't there anymore."

"You're not helping," Leanne frowned.

"I'm only saying this because… no matter how strained your relationship got with your father, no matter how awkward things were, you're his daughter. His pride and joy. Even when you're mad at him, he still loves you. If he took his own life, it's because he thought it was best for you. He's only ever done anything for you."

"How does that…"

"Maddie told me she liked a boy in her class," Cam said. "When you were gone, the topic came up. I don't know how and I can't remember half of it because I didn't want to talk with her. But now that she's reaching that part of her life, it's my job as a parent to prepare her. You weren't there so I started talking…"

"Oh no…" Leanne groaned.

"Yeah," Cam nodded. "You can imagine her horror. She didn't look at me for the next two days. But I always loved her."

Leanne kissed him on the cheek. "I'll come downstairs in a few minutes."

"A few…"

"Hearing the hormone talk from your father… totally awkward. I'm going to go fix that."

-----Afterlife-----

After getting off the phone with her Aunt, Hayden turned to Flynn. He was holding Engel in his arms and trying to sooth her.

"What did she say?" Flynn asked.

"Basically, have her sleep. If there's an emergency, call Uncle Doc."

"I told you to call him first," Flynn frowned. He tried to put Engel in bed, but the little girl screamed, clinging onto his shirt.

"I don't want to," Hayden sighed. "If I call him, Samantha might find out. And if Samantha's anything like my mother, she's going to fly out of that hospital bed and come right here to take care of Engel."

"We can't have that happen," Flynn frowned. Hayden shook her head.

"No we can't."

"But Engel's not going to sleep," Flynn said, rocking the child back and forth, hoping she didn't throw up on him again.

"Of course not," Hayden sighed. "She's two. In her world, this is the most uncomfortable feeling."

"And I know how crabby your family gets when they're uncomfortable," Flynn grumbled. He tried to set Engel down in her bed again, but the little girl screamed even louder.

Dillon walked into the room, "I know you're trying and all, but I'm trying to sleep. Is there any way you can get that thing to stop?"

Flynn frowned and held Engel out for Dillon to take. The black ranger held her for a few seconds, before Engel threw up on his shirt.

Hayden took the two year old, holding her comfortably as she pointed to the door, "Now go to bed."

"Dammit," Dillon frowned.

Flynn pointed to the bed as he looked at his wife, "Try maybe lying down with her."

Hayden nodded and got into bed. With someone lying beside her, Engel let go and snuggled into her pillow. However, the moment Hayden tried to get up Engel screamed and grabbed her hair.

"Ow! Thanks Flynn, now I'm stuck," Hayden groaned.

"Why not sleep with the lass tonight?" Flynn suggested. "My father did that when I was sick."

"I'll try that," Hayden nodded. She looked down at Engel, "Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?"

"I want mommy," Engel cried, rubbing her eyes as her stomach started to rumble again.

"Sweetie…"

"MOMMY!" Engel screamed. "Mommy, mommy, mommy!"

"I think she wants her mum," Flynn said. Hayden glared at him.

"Really?"

"I'll go get her some water," Flynn said, quickly running downstairs to the kitchen to grab a cup of water for his niece. He also pulled a small popsicle out of the fridge. It would help Engel, and he was hoping that a nice treat would calm her down enough so he and his wife could sleep.

When Flynn got back upstairs, Engel was still screaming for her mother and Hayden was trying her best to help. Flynn walked in with the water and set it on the end table. He held the popsicle up for Engel.

"Here, lassie," he smiled as Engel looked up. "Look what Uncle Flynn brought you."

Engel saw the popsicle and grabbed it, stuffing it in her mouth with a small smile. Hayden gazed up at Flynn with a look of sheer thankfulness. He smiled, kissing her forehead, then Engel's.

"Go to sleep, Engel," he whispered to his niece. "You'll feel better in the morning."

"Tummy…" Engel whined, putting her hand on her stomach. "Hurt badly."

Flynn nodded, "I'll be right back," he told her.

When he came back into the room he was holding two bucket. He put the bucket beside Engel's side of the bed and another on Hayden's side. As he put Hayden's bucket down he whispered, "Just in case the smell of her vomit triggers vomiting for you or baby."

Hayden smiled, kissing him quickly before turning to Engel to explain the concept of the bucket.

"If you feel like you're going to throw up, lean over the side of the bed and aim for the bucket, okay?"

"Miss?"

"That's okay," Hayden told her niece. "Throw up anywhere you want, but try to aim for the bucket if you can."

Flynn winced, "You're going to wake up smelling terribly."

Hayden shook her head, "If you still feel funny tomorrow, I'll have Aunt Summer take you to the doctor's, okay?"

"Mommy…" Engel whined again.

"Mommy can't take you," Hayden said.

"Want mommy…" Engel cried.

"You'll see mommy soon…"

"Want mommy now!" Engel screamed, throwing her popsicle across the room. Flynn groaned. He was going to have a lot of cleaning up to do in this room by the time Engel felt better.

"We know you want mommy!"

"MOMMY!" Engel screamed. "Mommy, mommy, mommy!"

Flynn grabbed the phone when he heard Engel screaming again. Hayden looked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"The tyke wants her mother."

"No, Flynn, if Samantha."

"She's two and sick," Flynn said, pointing to Engel. "There is no way we're telling her no."

Hayden sighed deeply as Flynn dialled the number for the hospital and Samantha's room, hoping the mother was awake.

Of course, with the luck the couple had been having so far, that was asking for too much. Scott answered the phone on the other end.

"Scott, is there any way we can talk to Samantha?" Flynn asked.

"_She just fell asleep."_

Hayden perked up, "Engel, wanna talk to Scotty?"

Engel reached up for the phone. Flynn handed it to her and the little girl started talking with her step father.

"Tummy hurt. Making mess on floor."

Hayden and Flynn waited for Engel to finish talking with Scott, hoping he could help.


	77. Engel's Mommy

Engel and Scott spoke on the phone right up until Engel passed out from exhaustion. Hayden had been relieved for this because she was growing very tired waiting for her niece to fall asleep, and as soon as she had hung up the phone, she too passed out in the bed.

Engel had only thrown up once during the night, but aside from that, everything was smooth sailing.

Hayden was waking up with Engel the following morning and slowly crawled out of bed. She walked over to Engel's side and checked the little girl's temperature with her hand. It was still rather hot. Engel's eyes slowly fluttered open as she looked up at her Aunt.

"How are you feeling, Angel?" Hayden asked. Engel's hands went to her stomach.

"Yucky…"

Hayden lifted her niece out of bed and carried her downstairs. The others were already awake and in the kitchen. Summer was making breakfast while the guys waiting at the kitchen table. They were all already dressed and ready for work. Even Summer was dressed and had her hair and make-up done. Flynn had told her when he got up that Engel might need to go to the doctor's and she prepared herself just in case.

"Good morning," Dillon smiled brightly. He obviously already had his coffee (and maybe a little too much).

"Good morning," Hayden answered. She took the seat next to Flynn, while still holding Engel in her arms. Engel's eyes were wide open, but the boys and Summer wouldn't have been able to tell she was awake based on her posture. She was lying against her Aunt's chest with her arms draped loosely around Hayden's shoulders, and her feet hanging off on either side of Hayden's lap. Her head was resting lazily on Hayden's shoulder as well.

Summer handed breakfast to Dillon, Flynn and Hayden. She knelt down to face Engel and smiled sweetly.

"Are you hungry at all?" she asked. Engel shook her head.

Flynn ripped off a dry piece of toast from his plate and handed it to Hayden to feed Engel. She was going to need to eat. Hayden tried to feed it to Engel, but she turned her head away, digging her face into Hayden's neck.

Summer tried to take the girl so her cousin could eat, but as soon as she tried, Engel tensed up, wrapping her limbs around her Aunt.

"No…" she cried.

Hayden sighed, "Sweetie, I need to get ready for work. Remember, Aunt Summer's going to take care of you today."

"No want," Engel whined. After talking with Scotty the night before, Engel understood that her mother couldn't be there to help her feel better. She was still in the hospital trying to get better.

That meant, if mommy couldn't take care of her, Engel wanted her Aunt Hayden. She already understood that Hayden and her mother were real sisters. Hayden was the closest Engel was going to get to her mother and she didn't want to let her go.

Summer pulled back, a slightly hurt look plastered on her face.

"Ouch," she frowned.

Dillon and Flynn chuckled slightly while Hayden smiled.

"I guess we know who the favourite is," she whispered to Summer.

"If you weren't pregnant," Summer growled, glaring at her cousin, "I would slap you."

"Don't forget the sick child," Hayden pointed out. She seemed to be enjoying her current situation.

Dillon shoved a forkful of food in his mouth before speaking, "Why not call in sick to work, Hayden?" he suggested.

"I'm not sick."

"But your kid is."

"She's not my kid," Hayden frowned.

"I know, but you are taking care of her. Mothers do it all the time."

Hayden looked over at Flynn, "Do you think we can afford it?"

Flynn shrugged. He reached over to try and take Engel out of Hayden's arms, but the little girl began screaming and smacking her uncle as she clung desperately to Hayden.

"I don't think it matters," he said. "The way I see it, you're either going to work with Engel, or taking her to the doctor's."

"Alright," Hayden frowned, extending her arm out, "Pass me the phone."

"Get it yourself, favourite Aunt," Summer grumbled, standing right next to the phone as she cleaned up the dishes. Hayden's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding?" Hayden frowned. "C'mon, Summer. I'm carrying two kids and you're living in my house."

"You're super Aunt!" Summer said. "You can do anything!"

Hayden frowned, "You're lucky one of these two children is sick, or I would get up and slap you."

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn was sitting at her desk with a handful of applications from different people wanting her help. Ever since she gave Emily her arm back, news had been spreading quickly about the New Dawn Center. More and more people, traumatized by the Venjix attacks, were seeking her help.

She was looking through the applications, trying to determine which future customers needed immediate help, and which could wait a little longer, when a note fell out from the pile in her hands. Frowning, she put the papers down and reached to pick it up.

_Hey, beautiful._

_Just wanted to say thank you for everything you did to help Emily. She's so happy with her new arm and her new best friend. If you take a break from this stack of papers, you'll find a little surprise waiting for you right outside the door._

_Dean_.

Dawn smiled brightly. It had been a while since she had really spoken to Dean. When the five mutants were in the city, she had spent a lot of time helping her friends and in the hospital. After that, she had been skimming through applications and helping people non-stop.

She got up and rushed to the door. She swung it open, thinking Dean would be on the other side. She was sadly mistaken, as she saw nobody standing on her doorstep.

She sighed, lowering her head in disappointed when she noticed a small box sitting on the doorstep. She knelt down to pick it up and opened it.

Inside there was a letter, written by Emily, and a much smaller box. Dawn grabbed the letter and read it.

_Thank you Dawn for all your help. It really means a lot to me that you were able to help me with my problem. I really like my new arm, and my teacher says that because of it I'm __amidextrices __oops ambidextrous. I don't know what that means yet, but it sounds really cool. And thank you for my best friend Elena. We have fun all the time._

Dawn's hand went to her heart as she read the small thank you note. It was the only reward that made all her troubles worth it. She wasn't doing this job for the money (though it did help her pay her rent). She was doing it because she knew just how badly Venjix hurt people in his attacks, and she wanted his victims to know that there were people there who want to help them, like her friends helped her.

Before she opened the little box, Dawn walked over to a box that had still yet to be unpacked. She pulled out a small picture frame she had purchase before moving in. She hoped to be able to put a certificate inside if she ever got one, but she found an even better use for it.

She grabbed a piece of paper and quickly jotted down some information. She taped the information to the bottom of Emily's thank you note, making sure the tape was in the back, before putting the whole into the frame and hanging it up.

Underneath Emily's note it read: _New Dawn Center's first patient, Emily Woodstock. Age 10._

Dawn stepped back from the picture and smiled. Now her center felt complete.

As she continued to gaze at the wall, she had an idea. If she was going to continue to get thank you notes, she needed to put them all somewhere. There was no way she would put them away in her desk. The people she would be helping would be truly thankful. She wasn't going to treat them like an everyday customer. She wanted them to feel safe here; like they were accepted.

She grabbed a few pieces of coloured construction paper and cut out some letters. She hung them up, in order, on the top of the wall.

_New Dawn Center Patients_.

She smiled, admiring her work. Whether people were going to send notes or not, it didn't matter. If they allowed her, she was going to at least get their picture before and after she helped them to put it up on the wall. Nothing said acceptance like family, and nothing said family like one big mass of people's huddled together on the wall smiling.

While she was looking at the wall, Dean stepped into the Center. He chuckled, seeing her work.

"I see you got Emily's note," he smiled, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. Dawn nodded, turning around and kissing him.

"I loved it."

"She spelt ambidextrous wrong."

"And that makes me love it even more," Dawn nodded.

Dean smiled, but noticed there was something missing on Dawn.

"You haven't opened my thank you," he frowned. Dawn looked down in her hand and smiled.

"I was just getting to it," she said. She opened up the small box and gasped. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace in the shape of wings. Between the two wings was a small heart shaped picture of Dawn and Emily.

Dean smiled at Dawn's reaction. She was standing with her mouth hung open and her eyes wide.

"I would have put a picture of you and me, but it's a thank you for helping my daughter," he told her. "Every night, before bed, we pray. And every time when I ask her to thank God for something, she thanks him for you. She always tells me, "God sent me an Angel'."

Dawn didn't think her smile could grow anymore. She was already grinning from ear to ear as the tears started to well up in her eyes. Though she didn't believe in God in the slightest after what happened to not only her, but the world, but she knew Dean still believed strongly, and as a result, Emily believed. She was deeply touched to hear that Emily thought of her as not just an Angel, but as her Angel.

"Dean… this is…"

"Not enough," Dean interrupted, knowing what Dawn was going to say. "You gave my daughter more than I asked for. I wanted you to help her feel like she could fit in. You did that, and you gave her confidence, a best friend and her arm back."

"I was just doing my job…" Dawn frowned. "Dean, you've already paid me. That's more than enough."

"No, it's not," Dean smiled, shaking his head. "If you're going to do this with everyone, than I think you should charge more."

"It's not the money I'm after," Dawn said.

Dean grinned, kissing his girlfriend, "That's why."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and kissing her deeply before a thought occurred to him. He pulled away and looked down at his girlfriend.

"Shouldn't Dani have popped up like… five minutes ago?"

"She's too busy taking care of her husband to spy on us today," Dawn smiled. "We don't have to worry about her."

Dean smirked, "Any chance you have a bed or couch stored in the back… that is, if you're ready of course."

"I'm not a virgin," Dawn shrugged, "I'm fully ready."

Dean frowned, "You're nineteen…"

"I slept with one of my best friend's boyfriends," Dawn smiled. "It's a long story."

Dean kissed her, "I don't want to know."

-----Afterlife-----

Summer and Hayden could tell something was seriously wrong with Engel as they sat in the waiting room at the doctor's office. Toys were scattered everywhere. Some Engel had at home, but some were entirely new to her, and even fascinated her Aunts.

But she didn't want to play with any of them. Not the puppets, not the dolls, not the Power Ranger action figures. The toy cars, planes, trains and boats weren't appealing to her at all.

All she wanted was to sit on her Aunt Hayden's lap, curled up in her arms.

Suddenly the doctor stepped out from behind the door. He looked down at his charts, "Evangeline Brooks."

"Here," Summer called, helping Hayden and Engel up. She walked to the room with Engel and Hayden and sat down in the chair while Hayden tried to get Engel to sit up on the table. When Engel refused to let go, Hayden rolled her eyes and took a seat on the table.

The doctor turned around.

"It says here on my papers that Evangeline is two…"

"Yeah, she won't let me go," Hayden nodded. "She almost beat up my husband last time he tried to take her, so I wouldn't recommend you try."

"Good to know," the doctor nodded. "So what's wrong?"

Engel looked at the doctor. She recognised him because he wore the same lab coat and stethoscope as her great Aunt and great Uncle.

"Tummy…" she whined.

"She was throwing up all evening," Hayden told the doctor.

"And once this morning," Summer added.

"She's got a bit of a fever…"

"And she's not acting like herself."

The doctor wrote this down on Engel's chart before walking over to the table.

"I'm going to run a few simple tests, just to determine what it is that's causing this," the doctor said. "Could you turn her around so she's facing me?"

Hayden tried turning Engel on her lap, but the two year old clung desperately to her Aunt. She didn't want to move. She hugged her Aunt tightly, almost in a choke hold.

Hayden groaned, "Doc, you better have powers of intangibility. She's not moving."

"Well, maybe I'll just take her temperature rectally."

"Rekally?" Engel asked. The doctor nodded, leaning forward slightly.

"That's when the thermometer goes up your bum-bum."

Engel's eyes widened and her hands went to her bum. While she was no longer clinging to her Aunt, Hayden managed to turn her around.

Summer grinned, "Well played, doctor."

"I've been working with children for fifteen years," the doctor smiled. "There's no problem I can't fix."

Engel continued to protect her bum while the doctor examined her for almost everything in the book. Hayden and Summer were beginning to get very bored as they watched the clock move slowly. Finally, the doctor pulled away from Engel.

He sighed, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."

Hayden and Summer exchanged panicked looks.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not quite sure," the doctor told the two Aunts.

Engel crossed her arms. Even she knew that didn't make sense.

"TUMMY!" she shouted again. Hayden wrapped her arms around her to calm her down.

"Okay, so what is it?"

The doctor shrugged, "I'm not sure. But whatever it is, it can't persist. This is very dangerous for her."

"So, she's not sick… but it's dangerous…" Summer said, looking at Hayden. "That doesn't make sense."

"What happened around the time Engel started feeling sick?"

Hayden shrugged, looking down at Engel, "We were playing with the building blocks and Flynn came home… I wasn't really in the room…"

"Nothing," Summer frowned. "She was happy as could be until she threw up."

Hayden turned to her cousin, "Did you feed her something funny?"

Summer shrugged, "Not as far as I know… we all ate the same thing."

Hayden looked down at Engel, "Maybe you can answer this. Did you feel anything funny before throwing up?"

Engel nodded and pointed to her tummy, "Hurt."

Hayden nodded, "Yes, but anything else? Did you feel dizzy like when uncle Ziggy swings you on the tire swing? Or very yucky?"

Engel shook her head, "No."

Hayden dropped her head back, "Don't tell me… you threw up once and panicked."

Engel shrugged, shaking her head, "Scary! Yucky feeling… mommy gone."

The doctor breathed deeply and nodded. He placed his hand on Engel's forehead.

"I see what's going on, little girl," he smiled. He looked at Hayden and Samantha, "She was sick."

"Oh, great," Summer frowned, "What happened to not sick but dangerous?"

"I never said she wasn't sick," the doctor told Summer. "She's got a slight fever. It would be nothing to worry about if she wasn't vomiting. However, I believe I know why she's throwing up."

"Why?' Hayden asked.

"She misses her mommy," the doctor smiled. He looked down at Engel, "Sweetheart, do you ever remember being sick and throwing up?"

Engel shook her head, "Scary first time."

"And you wanted your mommy, right?"

"Not there," Engel pouted.

Hayden looked at Summer, her face softening before she turned back to Engel, "Sweetheart, were you having separation anxiety."

"Big word," Engel shrugged, "Me no-no. Me miss mommy, though."

The doctor smiled, "I specialise in medicine, not psychology, but if you'll listen I think I can tell you what happened."

"We're all ears," Summer nodded.

"The child threw up. It's a very uncomfortable feeling for her and at that age, she knows her mother makes every better. No one fixes booboos like mommy and no one makes her feeling better like mommy. What could have just been a small sickness grew larger due to her panic."

Hayden looked at her niece, "You were really missing mommy, weren't you."

Engel spread her arms out, "Like this much. But Scotty says she's sick. So I stay with you."

Hayden smiled, hugging her niece, "You little brat… you had me scared half to death last night with all that screaming and vomiting. You just wanted mommy that bad?"

Engel nodded. Hayden sighed, nodding her head as well.

"Okay… It looks like it's time. We're going to visit mommy in the hospital."


	78. Moving Forward

About a week had passed since Summer and Hayden took Engel to the doctor's, and they still needed to bring her to the hospital to see her mother. They planned on waiting until Samantha could stay awake a little longer before reuniting the mother and daughter, even for a few minutes. They had already explained to Engel that they were still going to wait a while because mommy was very tired. Engel didn't mind.

She had been excited all week. Ever since she had been promised a trip to the hospital, she would not stop talking about what she would do with her mother to her Aunts and Uncles. Flynn, Dillon and Hayden were happy they spent most of their days at work, and only had to listen to her little ideas during the day. Summer, however, was unfortunate enough to be taking care of the little girl, and had to sit through Engel's talks all day long.

"… then, I tell mommy about boom house, and we'll play dress up and…"

Summer sighed in relief when the phone rang. She got up from the floor, where she and Engel were having a picnic lunch in the living room, and answered it.

"Hello?"

"_I'm looking for a Mr. Dillon McKnight. I was told to call this number."_

"He's not here at the moment," Summer said, looking up at the clock. "I'm his wife."

"_Ah, that'll do. I have information regarding the rebuilding of your house."_

Summer smiled. Finally she was going to get some news. It has been almost three weeks since the incident, and aside from the day it happened, neither Dillon nor Summer had learned anything about the progress of their new house.

"_We've finally started working on the blueprints. We're going to be rebuilding your house exactly the way it was."_

Summer's eyes widened, "You've just started with the blueprints? How long will it take before the house is done?"

"_Not long, not long. A few months or so. You're lucky this didn't happen in winter or it would have taken longer."_

"I would hardly call this lucky," Summer muttered to herself as she looked at Engel. "How long do you have estimated?"

"_About three months. Give or take a few weeks depending on weather and unforeseen circumstances."_

Summer groaned, dropping her head back. It had already almost been a month since she had been homeless. She wanted a place to call her own. Not only that, but with Flynn and Hayden expecting a child, she wanted to be out of their hair as soon as possible.

She gazed over to the corner of the room, where Engel's building blocks were stashed away.

"It takes my niece less time than that to build a house, demolish it and rebuild it again."

"_You niece must be very talented. However, we're the ones on the jobs."_

Summer wrinkled her nose at his attitude.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know."

She hung up the phone and put it down beside the tablecloth she was using as a picnic blanket. She looked at Engel, who had pushed her plate forward during the phone call. She had eaten everything on her plate, except the hot-dog. The little girl had eaten her carrot sticks, the bread and the little chocolate bar, but left the hot-dog sitting on her plate.

Summer frowned, "Engel, you missed something."

"But… dog," Engel frowned. "Yucky."

Summer rolled her eyes, "It's not a dog."

"Then what?"

"It's pork."

Engel frowned. "Pork mean pig?"

"Yeah," Summer nodded. "Pork is pig, and it's yummy, see?"

Summer ripped a piece of Engel's hot-dog off and ate it, smiling. Engel furrowed her brow even further.

"Yuck. No eat pig."

"But you like meat."

"Meat not pig," Engel stated. Summer nodded. In a way, Engel was right. Now that they were living in a dome, after the end of the world and a city-wide famine, meat was technically replicated. No more animals needed to be killed for the city to have enough meat for its citizens. It was a crazy version of tofu that had the taste, texture and smell of real meat, but no animals were harmed in the making of it.

Suddenly, Engel gasped.

"Oh no!" she cried, covering her mouth. "Big mistake!"

Summer looked at her, "What?"

"Meat is animals!" Engel shouted. She stuck her tongue out, "Oh no! Yuck! Never eating hot-dog again!"

Summer smiled, rolling her eyes as she took the hot-dog off Engel's plate and ate it herself.

-----Afterlife-----

For the first time since Leanne told her family about her father's death, she was back at the Thunder Ninja Academy. Everything had been running smoothly in her absence. The ninjas were aware that their former Sensei Omino had passed, and now the school would be run by his daughter, Sensei Omino.

In her absence, the school had cancelled classes. Instead, the ninjas went up to the temple to pay their respects and trained on their own. Some of the older students even decided to clean up the temple from when Takeo had destroyed it. It was still a mess, and Samantha and Ryan's blood was still stained on the walls of the hallways, but the temple was looking good.

Madeline accompanied her mom to the Academy that day. Normally, when Madeline had classes and Leanne was present, they arrived at different times. Like any other thirteen year old girl, Madeline didn't want to be seen with her mom, but after the death, she clung to her mother's side, almost afraid of the apologizes and sympathies from her fellow students.

Before entering inside the temple, Leanne turned to her daughter.

"Do you want to go to a class today?" she asked her. Madeline shrugged. Her Sensei was her grandfather, both at this academy, and the Wind Ninja Academy. Now that he was dead, it was most likely going to be a senior student who took over the class. Leanne sighed, "Do you want to walk around with me?"

Again, Madeline shrugged. She wasn't too sure what she wanted to do. She wasn't even sure she wanted to be at the Thunder Academy instead of the Wind Academy.

"What are you going to do?" she asked her mother. Leanne shrugged.

"Move on… I guess," she said, "get this place running again before the students forget everything they've learned."

Leanne turned to the academy and lifted her hand to push the door opened, but she stopped herself. She lowered her head and turned back to her daughter. She noticed a small garden that had been left untouched by Takeo's wake. Smiling, she took her daughter's hand and walked her to the garden.

Madeline followed her mother and looked at the garden. The ground was covered with little white pebbles. There was a bench in the middle and a cherry blossom tree shading the entire garden. Leanne sat down.

"I've told you my Japanese name before, right?" she asked. Madeline nodded.

"Sakura," she said.

Leanne picked off a cherry blossom. She smiled at her daughter, holding the flower up for her to see.

"Your grandfather made this garden for me," she sat. "Before your grandmother passed away, he would work on this garden for ages. He plated this tree here and we've watched it grow."

"He planted the tree?"

Leanne smiled, "Well, he bought one. But it was very small compared to it now."

Madeline took the cherry blossom from her mother's hand and held it gently. Leanne tucked her daughter's hair behind her ear.

"I know you miss him," she said.

"I want to know what happened," Madeline whispered. She looked up at her mother. "Can I know?"

Leanne closed her eyes, her face twisting into a pain expression. Madeline could see her mother wasn't ready to talk yet. Taking Sensei Watanabe's advice, she dropped the topic.

"Why did grandpa make this for you?" she asked.

"Sakura is cherry blossom," Leanne explained.

"So… this garden is pretty much your name?" Madeline asked. Leanne chuckled and nodded. She looked up at the tree.

"Some people say cherry blossoms symbolism the fleeting nature of life. The flowers don't bloom for long," she said. "Father always told me, a falling cherry blossom symbolises a warrior who died bravely in battle."

Madeline looked up at the tree as the wind started to pick up. The branches shook gently but the cherry blossoms held. All but one.

It floated down gently and Leanne held out her hand to catch it. When she did, she smiled at her daughter.

Madeline took it, dropping the one already in her hand.

Suddenly, the wind blew stronger, knocking many of the flowers off the three. Madeline giggled as she and her mother were surrounded by the falling flowers.

When the flowers were all landed, Madeline still held the one in her hand. She looked down at it and, for the first time since her grandfather's death, she smiled. She put the flower in her hair and gazed up at her mother.

"I want to go to class," she said. She kissed her mother on the cheek before darting off. Leanne watched her join her class as she leaned against the large cherry blossom tree.

A final flower fell from the tree, landing on her shoulder. Leanne noticed, but did nothing to shake it off. It rested there, gently, while Leanne watched over the school.

-----Afterlife-----

"Ready?" Hayden asked her niece as she opened the backdoor of the car. Engel clapped excitedly, already fumbling around to unbuckle her car seat. Hayden chuckled, helping her niece out.

Seeing as Summer was being driven crazy by Engel's non-stop talking about her mother, Hayden took her to the hospital after dinner. She phoned Scott, who arranged so Samantha would be awake for Engel's arrival.

"Hold my hand!" Hayden called to her niece as she grabbed the bag from the back seat and closed the door. Engel was already halfway across the indoor parking lot, grabbing at the door to the elevator. Hayden shook her head.

"Engel, you better behave or we're going home," she said. Engel stood patiently, waiting for her Aunt to come help her. As soon as the door was open enough for Engel to squeeze through, she did. Hayden chased after her to the elevator.

"Hey," she called. "Engel, stop!"

Engel pushed the button for the elevator then waited for her Aunt again. Hayden was now wishing Flynn came with her instead of helping Summer and Dillon with some paperwork involving their house. Now that the contractor called, Summer and Dillon were receiving forms and contracts as well as papers from the insurance company. It was a lot of work for them after a full day at work, so Flynn decided to help.

When the elevator dinged, Hayden grabbed Engel's arm so she wouldn't run. She picked up the little girl and walked into the elevator.

She carried Engel until she got to her sister's room. It was the best way to make sure Engel wouldn't run off and get lost. Hayden remembered getting lost once in a mall and it was a very scary experience. She didn't want anything to damper Engel's evening, nor did she want to show up to surprise her sister without Engel.

She knocked on Samantha's door but before opening it she looked at Engel and placed her finger on her lips.

"Be very quiet, okay?" she said. "We're going to see if we can sneak you in for a surprise."

Engel mimicked her Aunt with a smile as Hayden opened the door. Scott was sitting in a regular chair, conveniently blocking Samantha's view of the door. Hayden made it up to the bed, without being seen, before gently dropping Engel onto the bed.

Mother and daughter's eyes met for the first time in weeks as Samantha felt the sudden weight on the bed. Engel's eyes widened in pure ecstasy as she launched herself at her mother. Samantha accepted her daughter with open arms as tears of joy poured down her cheeks.

"Surprise," Hayden smiled, kissing her sister's cheek. She had missed Samantha almost as much as Engel had, and was happy to see her sister getting better. The damage she had taken to her wings had been fatal, and left some nasty looking scars, but Samantha was doing much better.

"But… but…" Samantha asked, hugging her daughter while she looked at her sister and Scott. "You said…"

"She made herself sick," Hayden told her sister. "Well… sicker."

"Engel was sick?" Samantha asked. She looked down at her daughter, who despite everything she had planned on doing with her mother, only wanted to be in her arms and lay on her mother's chest. Engel had never been sick before. She had the occasional "not feeling good", but had never been sick.

"Fever and vomit," Hayden nodded. "Summer and I took her to the doctor. He said she was fine, but she wanted you so badly, and was crying so much that she was making herself sick. She threw up all night the first day."

Samantha kissed her daughter, "Engel…"

"Me kay, now," Engel smiled. "Take good care of me!"

Scott chuckled, "Glad to hear that."

Samantha hugged her daughter again, "I'm sorry I wasn't there, sweetie…"

"No sorry," Engel said. "Hospital. I talk with Scotty."

Samantha turned to Scott, glaring hatefully, "You talked with her."

"When she was sick," Scott nodded. "You were sleeping and I didn't wanna…"

"You knew I was missing Engel!" Samantha frowned. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"We were afraid you would worry," Hayden said, hoping to take some of the blame off Scott. "Flynn and I had a handle on it though, and we had Leanne on call if we needed her. She was fine, Samantha."

Samantha nodded. She knew they were right. If she had heard that Engel was sick, she would have jumped out of bed and flown to take care of her daughter. She felt terrible that she wasn't there the first time her daughter was very sick but it seemed Hayden and Flynn had done a good job. Engel was happy and healthy.

Suddenly, there was another knock at the door. Hayden looked around, frowning.

"Is Flynn here?" Samantha asked. Hayden shook her head.

Scott got up.

"When Hayden called to say she was coming over, I made a phone call myself before waking you up, Samantha," Scott grinned as he opened the door. There stood Mike on crutches, with Vanessa right by his side.

Engel's eyes widened again. She jumped off her mother and ran for her father. Mike dropped the crutches as Engel soared into his arms. He picked her up, holding her high in the air.

"There's my baby girl!" he smiled, bringing Engel down and holding her in his arms. Engel wrapped her arms and legs around him, squeezing him very tight in a loving embrace.

Scott smiled, "I heard Mike was feeling much better and though Engel might be able to go home with him for a while."

Engel heard what her step-father had said and looked at her father to make sure this statement was true. Mike and Vanessa both nodded.

"He's been walking around a little more," Vanessa explained, giving Scott and Hayden a hug and a bright smile to Samantha. "He can take care of himself, and I think I can balance him, myself and Engel until Samantha gets better."

Engel threw her hands in the air, "YAY!"

Vanessa took the little girl from her father before she hurt Mike. His bones were still rather fragile, but he had come a long way. He was moving around the house a lot more, going to the bathroom on his own, making his own lunches and getting himself from the bed to the couch on the main floor. It wasn't much, but it made life a lot easier on Vanessa; which meant Engel could stay with her father.

Engel hugged Vanessa with a big grin. "Nessie!"

Vanessa smiled, hugging the little girl back and flashing a ring on her finger. Hayden was the first to catch it.

"AWW!" she squealed, grabbing Vanessa's hand and looking at the rock on her finger. "When did this happen?"

Vanessa nervously pulled away her hand and turned to Mike. He pulled out a small box.

"It kinda happened today," he said. "Mom gave me the ring before the attack. She said it belonged to grandma."

Mike looked at Vanessa with a huge smile. Vanessa smiled back while Engel curled into her father's fiancée. She truly loved Vanessa, and never had a problem with her.

"After what Vanessa did for me when I was injured," Mike continued, "I knew she was the one."

A choir of "awws" from Samantha, Scott and Hayden sounded in the room, making the newly engaged couple blush. Engel joined the choir, clapping her hands.

"Love?" she asked her father. He nodded.

"Lots of love," Mike nodded, gazing into Vanessa's eyes. She smiled at him before shifting Engel in her arms. She looked at the little girl.

"Is it okay if I marry your daddy?" she asked Engel. Engel thought about it, putting her finger on her chin and looking up. Finally, she nodded yes.

"What took so long?" she joked, hearing her parents, Aunts and Uncles saying that all the time. When the room erupted in laughter, Engel shied away, dropping out of Vanessa's arms. She ran back to her mother, jumping on the bed and curling up with her. Samantha was happy to have her daughter back.

While Scott and Hayden congratulated Mike on the engagement, Vanessa looked over at Samantha. She wanted to make sure Samantha accepted her as an important part of Engel's life. She heard about the problems Engel had trying to identify her father after Scott and Samantha got married, and didn't want to steal Engel away from her mother.

But Samantha smiled at Vanessa, holding her hand out so Vanessa could show her the ring. Vanessa rushed over, grinning happily to show the Angel the rock.


	79. Dawn's Heartbreak

Dawn walked to work smiling. After taking that next step with Dean she couldn't be happier. At the start of her relationship with Dean, she though the big age difference would cause a problem. He was already in his thirties, while she was only twenty.

But now, she saw it made no difference. With Dean, age truly was but a number. He wasn't too old for her and she wasn't too young or immature for him.

Dawn turned down the street, still bearing a huge smile on her face before she spotted Dean standing just outside the convenience store. He was leaning against the wall, talking to someone. Dawn couldn't quite see who, but she figured it was just one of his friends, or one of Emily's friend's parents. Corinth was a small town, and it wasn't unlikely that you would bump into two, three, maybe even a dozen people you knew in a single day.

However, when Dawn saw Dean leaning into this friend, stealing a kiss, her heart dropped. She couldn't believe that only a week after they took the next step, he would cheat on her with another woman.

She rushed to her center, slamming the door shut behind her and rushing to her desk. She checked her schedule for the day and saw she had no customers, just a bunch of paperwork that needed to be done. She wiped all her stuff off the desk, into the drawer and locked it with a key. By now the tears were streaming down her cheeks and she couldn't stop them.

When all her stuff was locked away she ran out of her center, locking the door behind her (which was hard to do with the tears blurring her vision) and she ran.

-----Afterlife-----

With everyone at work, Summer had the house to herself. Mike and Vanessa had taken Engel home, meaning she didn't have any babysitting to do. She was all alone in the quiet house.

At first, she enjoyed the solitude. She hadn't gotten dressed until nine and had all the time in the world to do her hair and makeup. There was no two year old clinging to her leg as she tried to find and elastic for her hair and for once, she could watch what she wanted on TV and not that oversized zebra playing the ukulele and singing about friendship and love.

But with lunch time coming around, Summer was getting bored. She came to realise she missed having a child around the house. Though the work was… odd with a two year old, spending time alone just wasn't the same now that she had a small taste of parenthood.

Summer sighed, clicking the button on the remote to turn off the TV when the front door flung open and Dawn rushed in.

"Where's Hayden?" he asked, spotting Summer on the couch. Summer stood up.

"She's at work," she noticed the tears on her best friend's cheeks and frowned. She took a small step forward, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Dawn lied, turning away from her friend. Summer shook her head.

"Yahuh," she nodded. "I believe you, just like I believed Engel when she told me she didn't eat the last cookie."

Dawn shook her head, "I don't know…"

"You know," Summer said. "You know because you're crying."

Dawn wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "I'm not crying."

"I'm pregnant."

"What?"

"Now we're both lying," Summer smirked. "Isn't this fun?"

"No…"

"Then tell me the truth," Summer said. She approached Dawn and placed a gentle hand on her arm, smiling softly. It was that look that no one could resist. That look made everyone, from Dillon to Dani, break down and spill whatever it was that was bothering them.

"I saw Dean kissing someone."

Summer frowned, "That's not good. Are you sure it was him."

"Yeah," Dawn nodded, "I mean I only saw the back of his head, but…"

Summer shook her head, "C'mon, seriously?" she asked. "He's a family man. You don't think a family man would…"

"Commit adultery?"

"Yeah… okay, I see where you're going. But it was only the back of his head."

"But it was Dean, I know it. I know the way he just stands there. I know the way his moves around when he's flirting with someone. The way he puts himself close to you so you know you want him but not so close so you feel crowded…"

"It sounds like you love him," Summer smiled.

"I know!" Dawn cried, grabbing her hair in her fists and pulling. "That's why this is a problem. The man I loved was just kissing another woman! That doesn't accidentally happen!"

"Well, when you're an identical twin, sometimes…"

"I don't have a twin!" Dawn shouted. "I don't even have a sibling! No one on this earth looks exactly like me!"

"Okay… okay… well maybe he has a twin."

Dawn shook her head, "He said he had a twin, but said he was dead."

"Okay… well, maybe…"

"There's no excuse," Dawn frowned as she dropped on the couch, burying her head under the pillows. "We slept together, and now he's kissing some blonde on the street."

Summer frowned, glancing at her hair on the side of her face before looking back at Dawn.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable…"

"He's a lying son of a bitch!" Dawn shouted, though her voice was muffled by the pillows.

-----Afterlife-----

Kaylee looked up from her paperwork, seeing her daughter sitting at her desk. Her face was starting to turn a slight shade of green, and Hayden wasn't looking well.

"Hayden…"

"Mom," Hayden frowned, turning to her mother, "Can I have a bucket?"

Kaylee didn't question this. She didn't have too. She knew what was going to happen. She grabbed the garbage bin by the side of her desk and rushed it over to Hayden as the pink Ranger threw up.

Kaylee rubbed her daughter's back, brushing her hair out of the way to keep it from catching unwanted projectiles from the mouth.

"It's started…"

"Yeah," Hayden nodded. "And it's really bad…"

"Your baby is getting superpowers," Kaylee explained. "Leanne monitored all our pregnancies when you kids were in our tummies. She knows, for a fact, that this is the start of the mother were the foetus' genes start to mutant and it receives its parents' power."

Hayden threw up again in the garbage and looked up at her mother.

"I don't care. Get it out…"

Kaylee chuckled, still rubbing her daughter's back for comfort, "I think you're already working on that, sweetheart."

Hayden threw up again. Kaylee squeezed her arm gently, reassuring her that all this was natural.

"Do you want to go home?" she asked her daughter. "You're obviously not feeling well."

"I'm fine," Hayden grumbled. "It's the baby that's stupid. It better pray it stays in there, because when it comes out, I'm going to have a few words to say."

"You keep calling it an it," Kaylee frowned. She pulled away the garbage and put it aside to clean when she saw Hayden was done expelling the contents of her stomach.

Hayden nodded. She shut off the monitor of her computer, leaving only her handheld device turned on completely, as well as her buzzer.

"I don't know if the baby is a boy or girl," she said. "I can't call it another gender."

Kaylee smirked, "You know, mother's intuition is a strong thing."

"But my mother's intuition is clouded by the fact that I want a girl."

"I wanted a boy," Kaylee mused aloud, her eyes rolling up into her head as she thought about her pregnancy with Hayden. Hayden shook her head.

"Glad to disappoint."

Kaylee quickly shook her head and wrapped her arms around the woman.

"No, no… I wanted a boy because of Samantha. We knew she was a little girl after she died. Your father and I weren't sure we had the room in our hearts for a little girl only a few years after the death happened."

"You're making me feel much better…"

"No, dammit, Kaylee," Kaylee barked at herself, "you're not very good at this."

Kaylee turned back to her daughter, "We love you, your father and I. There was not a minute of your life where we weren't head over heels in love with you… except labour, but you'll understand."

The forty three year old woman took her daughter's hand gently, offering her a gentle smile.

"All I'm saying is; do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?"

Hayden shook her head. Her mother was crazy. It was something she both loved and loathed.

"I don't know, mom."

"What doesn't your heart say?"

Hayden tapped her hand against her chest, imitating the sound of her heartbeat. Kaylee rolled her eyes and began poking her daughter's stomach. Hayden tried swatting her mother's hand away, but Kaylee kept coming back.

"Stop," Hayden frowned, slapping at her mother's hand. Kaylee persisted. "Mom! Stop it, before you make her throw up again!"

"Her?" Kaylee squealed. If mother's intuition was right, her first real grandchild was going to be a little girl.

"Him!" Hayden cried. "No… her… him? Her? Her… her. her."

Kaylee chuckled, pressing her finger to her daughter's lips, "Stop. Mother's intuition has spoken."

"But it's not always right," Hayden frowned, "You wanted a boy."

"I wanted a boy. I knew it was girl," Kaylee winked. "Now, any names?"

"Kaylee Ann Ducky Junior," Hayden teased. Kaylee knew it was only a joke, but she pumped her fists in the air.

"Whoohoo!"

-----Afterlife-----

Everything had gone downhill since Dawn's arrival at the McAllistair/McKnight household. At first, Dawn had been shocked when she saw her boyfriend kissing another woman. Summer tried to comfort her, but the longer they stayed on that topic, the more upset Dawn became. It wasn't long before Dawn started to get angry.

When Summer suggested Dawn call Dean to clear things up, she had no idea it would backfire on her. Dawn tried calling her boyfriend six times. She called Emily six times, as well as the house number six times.

No one answered.

This only made Dawn paranoid. What if he was still with the bimbo? How long had he been seeing her? Why would he sleep with her if he already had another girlfriend?

Dawn let out a loud cry, throwing a pillow at Summer as the yellow Ranger walked into the room with a game she hoped would distract Dawn. The pillow hit the game board and Summer dropped it. The box opened up, and the piece were scattered across the room.

Summer sighed loudly as she began to pick up the pieces.

"You know, Engel never made this big of a mess," she groaned a loud to Dawn.

"He's a lying son of a bitch!" Dawn shouted, throwing another pillow. Summer caught this one before it could to any damage to the plants sitting behind her.

"I still think it's a misunderstanding," Summer said. "I mean, just because he was kissing her, doesn't mean he's sleeping with her too."

"Yes it does."

"Dillon slept with you," Summer reminded her friend. It was something neither of them liked to discuss seriously. They made jokes about it to other people, but they avoided the topic whenever possible. Summer didn't like it for the obvious reasons, and Dawn didn't like it because she had betrayed the woman who would later save her life and give her freedom.

Dawn looked up at Summer hatefully.

"So now my boyfriend's brainwashed by the blonde bitch?" she asked.

Summer frowned, placing her hands on her hips, "Okay, was this woman really blonde. I'm starting to get a little offended."

"That doesn't matter!" Dawn said. "He's a cheating bastard and he knows it!"

Dawn suddenly paused. Her finger went to her chin and her eyes rolled up slightly. Summer could tell she was thinking.

"But… he doesn't know that I know…"

"No," Summer said, shaking her head, "We're not playing that game. And even if you do make me, you're not allowed to use Dillon."

Dawn pouted, crossing her arms. Summer relaxed, shaking her head from side to side slowly. At least she had averted that danger.

Suddenly, she was hit by another pillow to the face. Summer caught it as it fell into her arms and looked over at the couch, expecting to find Dawn glaring hatefully at her.

However, this time it was different. This time, the tears were back in Dawn's eyes. Her body was shaking desperately as she stood, looking so small and innocent on the couch.

"We made love…" she whispered, playing with her hands nervously. "We made love… and he kisses her only a week later."

Summer picked up the last few pieces of the board game before taking a spot next to Dawn.

"Then he's not worth it," she whispered, holding her best friend close. "You've done everything for him and his daughter. If he can't treat you properly, he doesn't deserve you."

"But I love him," Dawn said.

Summer rubbed her back, "I know."


	80. Speed of Light

Hayden's shift was coming to an end. She looked up at the clock and saw it was almost six o'clock.

Kaylee was looking forward to quitting time as well. It had been an unusual day for her, and she was more than excited to let the colonel take over for the night. Not only did she have to play commander to the entire city, but due to Hayden's morning sickness occurring all through the work day, she had to play mom as well.

She couldn't wait to go home to her two favourite men and relax.

As the seconds slowly passed, Hayden's finger moved closer and closer to the off button on her monitor. When it was only a few centimetres away, a loud buzzing erupted.

"Dammit!" Hayden shouted, pulling out her handheld computer as the monitor went crazy. She ran a scan of the wastelands while Kaylee called all men on deck.

"What's going on?" Kaylee asked her daughter. It looked like she wasn't going to be home on time tonight.

"I don't know," Hayden frowned. "The wastelands are fine. Five energy readings, but we know that's the mutants."

Kaylee bit her lower lip as Vasquez rushed into her office, stumbling past the doorway.

"Commander Brooks, we have an emergency," she said.

Kaylee nodded, pointing to her daughter's bussing computer, "Yeah, we do."

"The weather system is fried," Vasquez blurted out, getting straight to the point. "It's been running slow all day. Now we're lost total control on it."

"What does that mean?" Hayden asked. Vasquez shrugged before the windows were pelted by rain. Hayden hopped out of her chair and took a few steps back, afraid the precipitation would shatter the glass.

"Commander!" Lieutenant Vachon cried, running into Kaylee's office, "You're not going to believe this."

Vachon ran over to the window and waved his commander over. Kaylee looked nervously at her daughter and Vasquez before stepping over to the window. She looked up at the artificial sky and saw it was pitch black. The only light in the dome was the emergency lights that had turned on automatically when the whole dome went dark.

There was one thick, black cloud covering the entire sky of the dome. Because the base was hanging from the top, the cloud covered it completely, swallowing it up. Kaylee couldn't see the ground below her and couldn't tell what the weather was like for people on the ground.

"Oh fuck…" she muttered. Vachon nodded.

"Everyone's gone into a panic downstairs," he said. "We don't know what to do. According to the weather guy…"

"I don't trust the weather guy," Hayden frowned.

"Our weather guy," Vachon added. Hayden nodded, understanding. There was a huge difference between the weatherman from TV, and the weatherman of the military. On TV, the weatherman was like any other meteorologist. He could be right, he could be wrong.

In the military, the weatherman was the one who programmed the weather. He was always right, and he always knew what was going to happen, when it was going to happen and how it was going to happen.

"According to the weather man," Vachon continued, "It's a full scale storm. Tornado warnings, flood warning, lightning warnings. Anyone caught outside is dead."

Hayden turned to her mother, her eyes wide. If Flynn got off work on time, he would be on the road at this very moment.

Kaylee sensed her daughter's panic, "I'm sure he's fine, sweetheart…"

Hayden didn't take comfort in her mother's words. Not this time. She grabbed her phone and dialled her husband's number.

"Mrs. McAllistair…" Vachon started, but Hayden cursed loudly, throwing her phone on the ground. Vachon scratched the back of his neck, "There's, uh, there's no communication. The cloud has cut it all off."

Kaylee looked to Vasquez, "You say the weather machine's been slow all day?"

Vasquez nodded, "All day. We've had our best mechanics trying to fix it, but they must have done something wrong."

"You think?" Hayden frowned. She looked out the window again. She was shaking nervously, wondering what was going on down on the ground; if her husband was safe; if her family was safe.

-----Afterlife-----

"Holy smokes!" Dillon cried, slamming the door shut as he walked inside the house. He was soaked from head to toe.

"I see you got caught in the rain," Flynn chuckled, carrying a towel to the door for Dillon. "I got home just as it started raining."

"You're lucky," Summer said. She stood by the window in the living room, pulling the curtains back to get a look. She had sent Dawn home not too long ago because she had to get dinner ready for herself and the rest of the household. She was hoping Dawn made it back to her own place safely. "The weather's just getting worse."

"For once, I think I'm happy work at the garage slowed down," Flynn said. "I would have never made it home in time."

Dillon dried his hair with the towel Flynn had given him and walked over to his wife, kissing her. Summer kissed back, but it wasn't what he expected. It had been rather weak, like Summer was distracted. He frowned as he pulled away.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I don't know if Dawn's made it home," Summer said.

"How would you know about Dawn?" Flynn asked. "Wouldn't she still be at work?"

Summer shook her head, "She was over here today. Things are a little rocky between her and Dean."

Summer pointed to the kitchen, where dinner was already served and waiting for the men, "You're both probably very hungry."

Successfully distracting them with food, Summer watched as her husband and Flynn ran to the table to eat before once again looking out the window. She jumped back, letting out a small yelp as lightning struck down from the sky.

-----Afterlife-----

"That does not look good," Greg commented after a blinding bolt of lightning cut off the power. Dani turned on an emergency flashlight and approached him. He was sitting in his chair with a tray of food placed on his lap.

He'd been feeling much better since he was discharged from the hospital. Dani had been taking good care of him, and he was almost at a hundred percent. He was still sore everywhere and his head started spinning whenever he got up, but a few more days and a little to eat, he would be back on his feet in no time.

Dani handed him the flashlight and took the tray from his lap. Her hair was soaked from getting caught in the rain so she left it tied back. She sat on Greg's lap, hugging him close. With the power gone, there was nothing to do but watch the storm outside.

"I've never seen it get this bad," she whispered in his ear. Greg wrapped his arms around her. It hurt a little, to have all her weight on his sore body, but asking her to move off was the last thing on his mind.

"Hopefully the people at the command center know what they're doing," Greg told her.

Dani looked up at him, "Will we be fine inside the house?" she asked. Greg nodded his head.

"Perfectly fine," he told her. He pointed to the blanket in the corner. "Why don't we wait for this to pass?"

Dani got up and grabbed the blanket. She wrapped it around her husband, before curling in his arms. He wrapped the blanket around her as well and held her close as the thunder roared. Dani jumped slightly, knocking the flashlight out of Greg's hand. It hit the ground, causing it to shut off.

"Whoops, I'll…"

Dani stopped when Greg squeezed her. He pulled her back in and kissed her as the lightning lit up the room. The thunder followed, almost immediately, and Greg pulled her into a kiss.

"We don't need the light."

-----Afterlife-----

"DADDY!" Engel screamed, running from her bedroom as the lights went out. She hit the wall, unfamiliar with the layout of the house to find her way in the dark. Her screaming grew louder as she began to panic.

Suddenly, two arms scooped her up gently, kissing her forehead as Vanessa brought her into the living room. Mike was lighting a few candles on the coffee table.

Engel squirmed out of Vanessa's arms, dropping into her father's as the thunder roared loudly. She buried her head in her father's chest. Mike wrapped his arms around her protectively as he sat on the couch. Vanessa finished lighting the candles and sat beside the two of them.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Mike hushed to his daughter as he tried to calm her. As every two year old was, Engel was terrified of thunderstorms. She hated them with a passion. The good thing about living in a dome city, was that he could normally predict when they were going to happen, and could prepare himself, and Engel for the inevitable. This time, however, the storm had come from nowhere.

"Daddy's here," Mike whispered. "No loud thunder can hurt you, baby girl."

Engel screamed as the lightning lit up the room. She covered her ears with her hands and sealed her eyes shut, trying to escape the fearful world.

Vanessa looked at her soon-to-be step-daughter and breathed deeply before getting up. She walked upstairs to Engel's bedroom with a flashlight and found her toy box. She opened it up and looked through it for a white bear with angel wings and a halo. When she found it, she went back downstairs.

"Look who's going to protect us," she smiled, holding up the bear for Engel to see. The little girl looked up at her step-mother and quickly reached for the bear. Vanessa gave it to her and reclaimed her spot on the couch.

Engel clutched the bear in her arms as she snuggled up with her step-mother and hid in her father's strong, safe arms.

Lightning flashed again, and Mike kissed the top of her head to keep her calm. When the thunder roared, Vanessa kissed her cheek. Engel giggled at this, but pulled herself into her parents for more safety and comfort.

-----Afterlife-----

The command center shook as the thunder roared loudly. Suddenly, the systems lost power. The doors were sealed shut, and Kaylee, Hayden, Vasquez and Vachon were trapped in the room.

Kaylee ran to the metallic doors, pounding on them in hopes they would open up.

"With no power, the system shut down," Vachon told her, though Kaylee already knew. Hayden looked out the window and sighed. Either the dark cloud had gotten thicker, or the emergency lights had lost power. Either way, it wasn't looking good.

She turned to Vasquez, "How safe is it to be up here in a storm?"

"Normally, very," Vasquez said, "But that's because it's us controlling the storm."

"What about when we're not?" Kaylee asked.

Vasquez shook her head, "We've never thought about it."

Hayden looked to her mother, "We're trapped in here, aren't we?"

"Looks like it, baby girl," Kaylee nodded.

Hayden checked her cell phone to see if she could get any service. She was still worried about Flynn. If he had made it home and if he was safe. It terrified her to think of what could happen to him, trapped in this dangerous weather.

The base shook again, knocking the four off their feet as the lights cut out.

"Hayden?" Kaylee cried, getting to her feet and running across the room. She found her daughter in the dark and held her close.

"I'm fine, mom," Hayden said. "Spontaneous…"

"I still worry," Kaylee interrupted her, kissing the top of her head.

"Commander, I don't mean to sound rude, but can't you just teleport us out?" Vasquez asked.

Vachon nodded, though no one could see in the dark.

"Yeah, yeah, aren't you like… a mutant or something?"

Kaylee looked out the window. She could see anything unless the lightning struck the command center; and even then, it was too bright, and too sudden, for her eyes to adjust to the light.

"I could try," she said. "But not with you guys."

"What?" Hayden frowned. "Why not?"

"Because," Kaylee started, "I've never zwopped while in the middle of a cloud of lightning. Hell, I haven't even zwopped in ages."

"The command center is lightning proof," Vachon told her. "That's why we haven't been fried yet."

"But we don't know how much it can take," Vasquez added as the room lit up for a moment. "Like I said before, we're normally in control. We didn't have to design this base to protect us against lightning."

Kaylee nodded, "I'll try teleporting. If it works, I'll come back for you three and I'll take you home."

"If it doesn't?" Hayden asked. Kaylee smirked.

"You're not the only one who can heal."

"But I'm the only one who can do it spontaneously," Hayden frowned. Kaylee kissed her. She was aiming for Hayden's forehead, but caught her nose.

"I'll be fine," she whispered.

_ZWOP!_

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn hugged herself as the rain soaked through her clothes. She pulled her cell phone out again to see if she could call one of her friends, but the rain had gotten to it. It was wet, inside and out.

Dawn looked around. The city was empty. The streets were starting to fill with water and she couldn't see much. The lightning was flashing often enough to guide her.

When she realised she was in the park, she knew she had to take cover. She didn't want the lightning to hit her. She spotted a little hill on the other side of the park, where volunteers had dug out a little cave for kids to play inside, like a fort. It was sturdy, and would hold against the elements. She was about to run for cover when lightning struck down, a few feet before her. She shielded her eyes, falling backwards.

_ZWOP!_

Dawn heard the noise. The same zwop noise her Aunt made when she teleported. She looked up in horror as a green cloud of smoke appeared and her Aunt materialized.

Kaylee stood for a brief moment, before collapsing to the ground. Dawn saw it all as another flash of lightning hit the ground, just for her.

"Kaylee!" she screamed, running towards her Aunt. She picked up Kaylee's limp body, wishing for once that her implants had not been removed from her body. She got inside the fort, dropping her Aunt's body to the ground and dragging her in as far as she could.

"What the hell?" Dawn cried, hitting her Aunt in the chest in sheer frustration. She was cold, she was wet, she was far from home and she was heartbroken. Now she just witnessed Kaylee get hit by lightning.

"Ow…" Kaylee muttered, through it was almost impossible to hear over the thunder.

Dawn leaned over her, "Kaylee?"

"That's Aunt Kaylee…"

_ZWOP!_

"Kaylee!" Dawn screamed, thinking her Aunt had disappeared.

"Here…"

Dawn turned around. Kaylee was lying directly behind her. She frowned. Kaylee tried to sit up, but Dawn placed her hand on her chest.

"What happened?" she asked. Kaylee shook her head.

"I think the lightning messed up my…"

_ZWOP!_

Dawn turned around as Kaylee sighed.

"But you were hit," Dawn told her. "I saw it… You…"

"Appeared right after the lightning," Kaylee said. She winced painfully as her body started to react. She started to shake uncontrollably. Dawn scooted away, letting Kaylee flail around.

When she stopped, her body fell limp again. Dawn immediately rushed back to her side and checked her body for any signs, mostly burns from where the lightning entered and exited her body.

With only the lightning to guide her, she wasn't quite sure, but it seemed Kaylee hadn't been hit. She shook her head. Her Aunt was lucky. Lucky enough to appear in the exact same location as lightning as it struck down, but lucky enough to have appeared the second after it hit, most likely saving her life.

However, with the way Kaylee was teleporting around, Dawn was sure her Aunt was right. The lightning must have affected her powers in some way. After all, Dawn's day wasn't bad enough. What she really needed most on top of being cold, wet, away from home and heartbroken was an Aunt to take care of while they were both trapped inside a cave while a storm hovered over them, the city began to flood, and it looked like there was no hope of rescue.


	81. Storm

Hayden bit her lower lip to the point where it started to bleed. She wiped the blood with her sleeve as she turned to Vasquez and Vachon.

"She should be back," she whispered. "My mother should be back by now."

Vasquez found her way to Hayden and touched her shoulder, "I'm sure she's fine. We didn't make her commander for no reason."

Hayden went to sit down in her chair, but forgot for a moment she had been moving around. In the dark, she couldn't see the emptiness behind her, and she fell on her butt.

"Mrs McAllistair!" Vachon cried, running to Hayden and helping her up. Hayden swatted him away slightly.

"I'm okay," she said. "It was just a stumble."

"But Mrs…"

"Please call me Hayden," she groaned. Vachon stopped, freezing up for a second. He had always been taught to respect those with more authority and power than him. Not only was Hayden the commander's daughter and the princess of Corinth city, but she had been a Power Ranger and saved the city, and the world, from utter destruction.

"Miss Hayden…"

Hayden rolled her eyes, "Yes?"

"You're pregnant."

Hayden clutched her stomach, looking down with her eyes wide as she gasped.

"I am?!"

She looked at Vachon and even though it was dark, he could tell she was giving him an odd look.

"I'm sorry."

"We're all panicking," Vasquez said, placing a hand on both Vachon and Hayden's shoulders. "But we'll be f…"

Vasquez didn't even finish her sentence as lightning hit the command center dead on and the thunder roared loudly, shaking the entire building. She held her grip on Vachon and Hayden's shoulders, trying to steady herself.

The shaking lasted longer than most before, and suddenly, just when the trio thought it was over, they were thrown against the back wall.

Vachon groaned loudly, rubbing the back of his neck as the room stopped moving. He got to his feet and was about to help the two women up, when he felt something was off about the way he was standing. It was hard for him to hold himself up right. He felt tilted.

Suddenly, the command center shook again. This time, instead of thunder and lightning being the cause, Vachon could hear it was the base itself that was shaking. He could hear the creaking from the beams above him, holding the base to the top of the dome.

He looked down at the two girls, "That doesn't sound good."

-----Afterlife-----

Dillon finished his dinner and leaned back in his seat in a room lit up by candles. The meal had been cooked to perfection, it was warm, delicious and he and Flynn had talked all through dinner about the sport's game the night before.

There wasn't even an interruption from Hayden, or a single bread bun tossed at his face for accidentally cursing in front of Engel. Hayden wasn't home, that was the beauty of it.

He leaned back in his seat, sticking his stomach out as far as it could and rubbing it happily. Summer shook her head in disgust, pushing her near-empty plate away, while Flynn nodded.

"That was delicious," he commented, smiling at Summer.

Summer smiled back, "Thank you."

Dillon nodded, reaching over to Hayden's plate. It was still warm, and full of food.

"You don't think she'll mind if I take seconds, do you?"

Flynn glared at his friend, while Summer slapped his hand away. She shook her head at her husband.

"She's pregnant. If she can't eat dinner, she'll eat you."

"Well, she better get home soon if she wants to eat," Dillon frowned. He turned to Flynn, "Where is your annoying wife anyway?"

Flynn shrugged, "She's probably staying overtime to help deal with the weather," he said. "You know, make sure everything's running safely."

"I hope so," Summer said as she grabbed Hayden's plate, taking it to the fridge before her husband got his hands on it. She covered it up before putting it away. "I would highly doubt anyone outside would survive a walk, or drive home."

"Do you think Dawn made it home?" Flynn asked. He remembered Summer told him she had been over during the day, and Summer had been worried that she was caught in the storm.

Summer shrugged, "I have no idea."

"Well, if she could survive as Venjix' bitch, I'm sure she'll be fine," Dillon said. He pushed his chair away from the table. "Now, excuse me while I go nap in my room."

"Man, that's my living room!" Flynn called out.

"Dillon!" Summer groaned, shaking her head, "This isn't our house, remember?"

Flynn turned to the blonde sitting across from him and sighed, "Do you seriously put up with him?"

"He has his perks."

"He slept with your best friend, blew up your house and Rex, tries eating a pregnant woman's dinner and calls your best friend a bitch."

"Okay…"

"If I had done anything on that list, Hayden would have left me and you, the two Sammies, and Mike would have kicked my arse."

Summer shrugged, "I see your point."

"I'm not saying you should divorce," Flynn said as he picked up his plate, "I'm just saying, he's got it good with you."

Summer shook her head, "Focus on your own wife and the fact that she's pregnant with your child, and still not home from work."

Flynn's shoulders dropped as he glared at the yellow Ranger, "I'm trying not to."

-----Afterlife-----

Vasquez pressed her face against the glass window, trying to see if she could spot what was going on just above her. She had a sneaking suspicion that one of the beams holding up the entire command center had finally been destroyed by the weather and was hoping that maybe, if she pressed her face to the glass hard enough, she could see if she was right.

She finally shook her head, pulling her face away before it froze on the glass, "I can't tell."

Hayden shook her head, she began to pace the room, this time making a mental note that a chair would not be behind her to sit.

"This isn't good."

"We'll be fine," Vachon tried to reassure the women. Hayden shook her head.

"We won't be fine," she said. "I might not even be fine, and I'm indestructible! It's not a little drop down to the ground. It's a good hundred foot fall and we're trapped in a giant metal tin! We'll be lucky if the metal doesn't rip our body to shreds on impact! Hell, we'll probably be lucky if we all die of a heart failure on the way down!"

Hayden began to shake in utter terror. She had only been in this position once. She had only had to fear for her life once, and that was when Mike stabbed her heart with her mother's dagger. She hadn't liked it then, but her fear and pain hadn't been prolonged like it was now. The point of the dagger was to keep her from suffering. At the moment, it seemed like whatever god was up there wanted her to suffer before killing her painfully.

To make matters worse, her mom still hadn't come back. Kaylee had promised to return right away if zwopping worked. If she didn't, that meant something was wrong or something happened.

Vasquez patted Hayden's back gently, unsure of what to do, "There, there…?"

"Miss Hayden, you need to calm down," Vachon told her. He could hear the panic in her voice. "This isn't good for the baby."

"We're not going to live long enough for the baby to be born!" Hayden screamed. She grabbed her head in her hands and crouched down to sob, "I don't know if anyone's okay."

"Who?" Vasquez asked. "I'm sure your mother is fine."

"But Flynn!" Hayden said. "Did he make it home? Is he okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Miss Hayden."

"STOP CALLING ME MISS!" Hayden screamed. She dropped to her butt then fell back. Her hands were pressed to her face as she sobbed loudly.

Vasquez and Vachon didn't know what to do. Neither were close enough to Hayden to offer any comfort, and even if they were, it wasn't like they would be able to comfort her. Neither was certain they would make it out alive. They seemed to be in the same mindset as Hayden.

The only difference was, they were used to the prospect of danger. They worked in the military, and though they spent a lot of time behind desks, when the city needed them, they would go out to fight. Vachon had been a soldier in the evacuations. He held off many grinders while civilians fled to the safety of Corinth city.

He had almost been locked outside, had he arrived back at his post a few seconds later. It terrified him every night to think of what could have been. He pictured himself dying so many times, that he grew numb to the thought. Though it still freaked him out, he was no able to keep his head rather clear in crisis situations.

Vasquez was already half dead. Unlike Dillon and Dawn, she still had the Venjix implants inside her. She was still technically a hybrid, but the implants were no longer functional. It did provide a few handicaps on some occasions. Her left arm was entirely robotic and sometimes shut down completely when she was in the middle of a task. Though she knew how to start it up again without any help from the computer team, it was a pain in the ass.

However, Vasquez had lived though her death. In order to make hybrids, Venjix needed to kill the humans. Vasquez could remember lying on a cold, hard surface as death slowly crept up on her and her life was reconstructed. It was a dark thought, but it numbed Vasquez of the thought of death.

The feeling was new to Hayden, and as all new things would, it scared her.

-----Afterlife-----

Dawn shrieked as the wind started to pick up. She didn't want to look to the entrance of the fort, but she needed to if she wanted to confirm her suspicions. With the weather acting up like it had, Dawn was sure a few tornados had touched down.

She looked for a moment and realised she was right. The park was currently being ripped to shreds by a tornado as it passed through. She buried her head in her Aunt's stomach, hiding away from the world as she prayed for the storm to pass.

She wished she was anywhere but inside the cave. At home, safe in her bed, or back with Summer. Surely Hayden was home by now and she could talk about her relationship with Dean.

Or even with Dean. Though she hated him at the moment, she couldn't help but beg the gods to take her to his place. She always felt comfortable cuddling with him on his couch. The lights would always be dimmed slightly, enough to make it romantic, but there would be enough light for her to see, something she couldn't do right now. It was too dark for her eyes to catch any kind of light and bless her with sight.

She thought back to Dean. How safe she always felt when his arms were wrapped around her, holding her close and shielding her from the world for just a moment.

_ZWOP!_

Dawn gasped. She had heard it again. Her Aunt teleported. She pulled off from her Aunt's stomach to…

Dawn frowned. She looked down and she could still see her Aunt's stomach. That couldn't be possible. She heard the Zwop. Kaylee teleported…

She could see! Dawn realised she could see her Aunt's stomach. She could see her Aunt. Only a few seconds ago she couldn't see the tip of her nose.

"Dawn?"

Dawn looked up, realising she and Kaylee had been sitting on Dean. She rolled her Aunt off and got off herself.

A mixture of emotions ran though her: confusion, happiness, comfort, relief, fear, panic, hatred, betrayal. Her body began to shake as it tried to deal with everything.

"Emily, get Dawn a blanket!" Dean called out to his daughter. Emily shook her head, grabbing a blanket for her father's girlfriend. She handed it to Dean, and he placed it around Dawn, holding her safely in his arms to warm her up. Emily got another towel for the woman who arrived in her living room suddenly with Dawn and placed it over her body.

Dean tried to dry Dawn with the towel as he looked down at her, "What happened to you? You're soaking wet."

Dawn stammered. She didn't know what to say. She was mad at him for what he had done, but she was son in love and so relieved to see him. She wanted to break down and cry in his arms and have him comfort her.

Dean lifted her up, carrying her over to the couch. He sat her down on his lap and held her close.

"It doesn't matter," he whispered in her ear, "You're okay."

Now Dawn was really confused. There was no way this could be the same man she caught cheating on her. He was so gentle, so loving. He couldn't be that way if there was another woman in his life…

Unless she was the other woman. Was it possible his wife wasn't dead? Was it possible their relationship had just been so bad that Dean tried running away to her. Maybe it was his wife she saw him kissing.

If that was the case, it made Dawn furious. Their whole relationship was a lie.

Dean felt Dawn tense up in his arms. He looked down at her.

"Dawn, are you okay?" he asked.

"You cheating, lying son of a bitch!" Dawn screamed. Emily gasped, covering her ears with both her hands.

Dawn jumped up, off of Dean's lap and glared angrily at him, "I saw you! I fucking saw you!"

Dean got to his feet, "Dawn, calm down. Remember, Emily's still in the room."

Dawn turned to Emily, her eyes softening as she looked at the child.

"Go to your room," she whispered gently. "I need to talk with your dad."

Emily pointed to the candles, her hand shaking, "The lights are out."

"Nothing's going to hurt you, sweetheart," Dawn smiled softly. "I'll make sure of it."

"Why are you mad at daddy?"

"It's grown up stuff."

"Are you mad at me?" Emily asked.

Dawn shook her head, "No… I could never be mad at you. Please, kiddo. Go to your room for a minute."

Emily nodded, rushing upstairs to her bedroom so Dawn and her father could talk. As soon as Emily was out of earshot Dawn snapped her gaze back onto Dean.

He looked back at her, worry etched all over his face, "Dawn, what's wrong?"

"I saw you kissing that girl," Dawn growled.

Dean frowned, shaking his head.

"What girl?"


	82. It All Falls Down

Dean shook his head, looking down at his young girlfriend who had broken into tears moments ago as he tried to assure her she was his only one.

"Dawn," he said, grabbing her upper arms gently, "I promise you, there was no other girl. I was on a field trip today with Emily's school."

Dawn scoffed, turning her head away seeing as Dean had a hold on her arms, "So I guess it was the teacher you were swapping spit with. We're trapped inside a freaking dome, Dean. Where are you going to take a bunch of ten year olds? The backyard?"

Dean ran to his kitchen. On top of his microwave was a stack of loose papers. He skimmed through them before finding the form. He hoped that if he could prove to Dawn that Emily's school did have a field trip, she would believe he wasn't making out with another girl.

"Here," he said, placing the form in her hands. A look at the date proved to Dawn he was telling the truth about that at least. Dean ran his hand through his hair, "Look, I know this looks bad, but whoever you saw, it wasn't me."

"Then who was it?" Dawn asked him. "Who can look exactly like you, move exactly like you… who on this earth could be exactly you, without it being you?"

"I don't know," Dean sighed. He shook his head again, "I just need you to believe me."

"But I can't do that!" Dawn shouted. "I saw you with my own two eyes! I'm not blind! I'm not crazy!"

"Maybe you were hallucinating… with this weather…"

"It's not the weather!" Dawn shouted. "I was walking home from visiting Summer when I got caught in the storm!"

"Okay, okay," Dean said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I believe you."

"I was with Summer because I saw you!"

"Okay," Dean hushed her again. He tried to pull her into his arms, but Dawn shoved him away. She threw the paper back at him.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted.

"Dawn, I have people who saw me on the field trip."

"Yeah, the teacher you were swapping spit with."

"Mr. Burns?"

"Mr. Burns! ...," Dawn paused. The name rung a bell. Whenever she would have talks with Emily about her day at school, or how she felt when the kids teased her, she would always talk about her teacher, Mr. Burns. She was positive the woman kissing the man who looked like Dean was a woman; very beautiful blonde woman.

"You think I was cheating on you with another man?" Dean asked, a light chuckle in his voice. He sat Dawn on the couch and took the spot next to her. He wrapped his arms around her. Dawn didn't protest this time. She was too busy trying to figure out what was going on now that Dean had alibis and the teacher wasn't a woman.

He kissed her temple, "Dawn, I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you."

Dawn suddenly snapped back to reality. She looked up at Dean.

"You love me?"

-----Afterlife-----

Samantha looked out her window. The hospitals offered great protection in this weather and she and Scott had nothing to fear, however, she was worried for the rest of her family. She hadn't been able to see the control tower for hours now and she knew her sister was still inside.

Because she was still an Angel, she could still hear her sister's prayers. For a few hours now Hayden had been praying to her to help. It was something the former pink Ranger had done since she learned she had an older sister. When she thought Samantha was dead, the only way to communicate to her was through prayer. Samantha heard them all, and still could when she returned to earth. At the moment, Hayden was praying for her life.

When Scott walked back into the room with water for her, he noticed her biting her lower lip. He sat in the chair next to her bed and took her hand.

"C'mon, it's just a little storm," he told her. "I'm sure your family of Power Rangers will be fine."

"You can't promise that," Samantha sighed. She turned to Scott, "The control tower…"

"It's a strong building."

"It's inside the lightning cloud," Samantha told him, pointing to the window, "They're inside that big black cloud of doom!"

Scott smiled softly, squeezing his wife's hand. Samantha never turned her gaze away from the window.

"I'm sure they're…"

He stopped as Samantha let out a loud cry. Her hands flew to her mouth as Scott looked out the window. He saw the command center drop out of the cloud. Within seconds, the large building hit the ground and shattered.

"Hayden!" Samantha cried. Her wings flexed, getting ready for use after lying for weeks without movement. Scott touched them gently, hoping it would be enough to remind Samantha she was still hurt.

However, the wings snapped up, knocking Scott over as Samantha flew out of bed. She landed in front of the window, pressing her hands against the glass.

Scott got to his feet and ran over to his wife.

"Samantha, you can't…"

"I have to," Samantha said. She opened the window and crawled out. Scott grabbed her by the waist, holding her inside.

"You're hurt."

"So is my sister."

"You can't help her."

"I have to try!" Samantha screamed. She looked at Scott through the glass, "Please Scott. You would do it for Marcus."

"No…" Scott shook his head, "That's out of line."

"If you had the chance, you would save him…"

"Where is this coming from?" Scott asked. "Marcus has been dead for years!"

"Let me go!" Samantha screamed. She wormed her way out of Scott's grip and soared out the window, flapping her wings desperately to keep herself in the air.

-----Afterlife-----

"Do you have any twos?"

"Go fish. Do you have an ace?"

"Go fish. Do you have a five."

Summer rolled her eyes, "You guys are terrible at this game."

"Shh," the boys frowned, glaring at the blonde. Summer shut her mouth, throwing her hands up defensively, letting them get back to their game.

The ground shook slightly beneath the three former Rangers, but they ignored it. With the tornados and the thunder, they assumed it to be nothing much.

"Where was I?" Dillon asked. "Oh, do you have a five?"

"Go fish… do you have a three?"

"Go fish. Do you have a two?"

"You asked that already," Summer told her husband. Again, he shot her a look. She shook her head. "This has been going back and forth for ten minutes now," she said. "I swear, you both have the entire deck in your hands."

"OH!" Flynn shouted, spotting a pair in his hands. "Aces!"

Dillon frowned. He checked his hand.

"A two!"

Flynn smiled as Dillon put his cards down.

"Dill, do you have a six?"

Summer leaned over, checking Flynn's hand. She shook her head.

"You have all four sixs," she sighed. "That's two pairs right there."

Flynn chuckled nervously, putting the sixs down. Summer rolled her eyes again, catching view of the window for a brief second as a pink light flew across the sky. It was hard to miss, due to the lack of light.

A bad feeling arose in the pit of her stomach as Summer rushed to the window. She gasped loudly when she saw, in the middle of the dome, the command center had fallen down and was currently crumbling inwards.

"Oh no…"

"Do you have a two?"

"Learn the damn game!" Summer screamed as she ran to the front entrance, grabbing her jacket from the closet. Dillon and Flynn heard the closet door squeak slightly and looked up from their game to see her putting her shoes on.

"Um, Sunshine, where are you going?" Dillon asked.

"The command center fell over," Summer said.

"The comm…." Flynn trailed off. He rushed to the window to get a look for himself. He almost fainted when he saw Summer was right. It wasn't that he didn't believe her; it was more that he didn't believe this would happen. Not to him, at least.

Flynn followed Summer, however, he didn't take the time to grab his jacket. He slipped on a pair of shoes and opened the door.

Dillon jumped up from his chair, "Where are you going? It's fucking storming outside!"

Summer looked over her shoulder, watching as Flynn made a run for the center of the city. In the distance, the command center was almost flat on the ground now. Only a few pieces of debris were falling over. From what Summer could tell, it was done it's descent.

She looked up at the sky. The machine that controlled the weather was in the command center. It would surely be broken by now.

The artificial sky started to glitch. The clouds began to clear and the sky disappeared. The roof of the dome was exposed to the public.

"Not anymore," Summer whispered to Dillon. He stepped outside with her and looked up.

"Well, that's one way to stop the storm," Dillon commented.

Summer nodded, "The shield systems were in the command center as well," she said. "I guess they won't be up anymore."

"It's fine," Dillon said. "We don't really need them for protection anymore."

Summer nodded. Now that Venjix and T15 were no longer a threat, the shields were only up to keep pollution out. However, the wasteland air was starting to clear up. It was safe to travel in many places of the wasteland without a mask.

The sole purpose of the dome at this time was to create a sky worth looking up at. However, after the weather the city had just gone through, a smog filled sky was better than a stormy one.

Summer grabbed Dillon's hand, "We need to go."

"Go where?" he asked.

"Hayden and my Aunt are still in the command center!" Summer cried.

"Oh, right…" Dillon groaned. He rolled his eyes as Summer dragged him along.

-----Afterlife-----

"You… you love me?" Dawn stammered, looking up at Dean in utter shock. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, it's that or gas," he said. Dawn wrinkled her nose in disgust, pulling away from Dean slightly. He shook his head, moving in closer to her. He took her arms in his hands, holding her close. "Look, Dawn…"

"You love me?"

"Yes," he answered. "I love you. I'm in love with you. You drive me crazy in love."

"That's cheesy."

"But it's true," Dean smiled. "I've never felt this way for anyone before. I mean, there was my wife… and I love her more than I'll ever love anyone. But you… you make me feel things that… they make me nervous. When I'm with you I get all happy and carefree. My heart skips a beat, my stomach gets butterflies… and Emily adores you. Why would I jeopardize that by cheating on you? I'm a guy, we do stupid things, but we don't do things that stupid."

Dawn lowered her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face. She honestly didn't know what to say.

"I promise you, Dawn, whoever you saw… it wasn't me. Maybe… maybe you just saw Carl and thought he was me..."

Dean leaned in, kissing Dawn deeply. When he pulled away, he smiled.

"I love you."

Dawn finally looked up at him. His beautiful eyes were shining down on her, and she could see into them. He was being honest. Honest about not cheating on her, and about his feelings towards her.

"I love you too," she answered. She went in for another kiss, but stopped halfway. She pulled back.

"Who is Carl."

"My twin brother," Dean said. "I haven't seen him in years though…"

"You said he was dead."

"Yeah, dead to me," Dean nodded. "As in I don't care for him anymore. He's a son of a bitch."

"No, you said he was dead. You said you had a twin, but he was dead," Dawn said, shaking her head. "We were at dinner, you were talking, saying exactly that when the waiter came up…"

"He cut me off!" Dean gasped, realising where the miscommunication was coming from. "I remember that night."

Dawn scoffed, "I hope so. It was our first date!"

"No… no, I mean, I remember. I was saying that my twin was dead to me, but the waiter cut me off at dead. Then we ordered, realised we liked the same thing and our conversation moved on."

Dean leaned back against the couch, "Wow, Dawn… I'm so sorry about that," he said. "You must have been…"

He turned to her, seeing her eyes well up with tears once more. He took her in his arms, pulling her on his lap.

"I'm so sorry."

-----Afterlife-----

Flynn jumped over the debris, letting the sharp metal cut at his clothes and skin as he searched the destroyed command center for his pregnant wife.

"Hayden!" he screamed. He heard an echo of his wife's name. The sound was a little higher pitch and a lot more feminine. He looked around, spotting someone descending from the sky.

Only now did he realise the dome was no longer drowned in darkness. The sky opened up, letting some light in. Thanks to that, he could make out the figure who was also calling for his wife.

"Samantha!" he called to her, running to the spot where she was landing. He caught her as she stumbled over, exhausted from her flight. "Sam, what are you doing here?"

"Hayden," Samantha breathed. She looked at Flynn, seeing the blood seeping through his clothes, "Are you okay?"

"I just want to find my wife," Flynn sighed. He looked up at Samantha, "Do you think she survived this?"

Samantha shrugged, "I don't know. She can survive anything so long as she doesn't lose too much blood… but…"

Samantha looked around. There were dead bodies lying in various places. They were people who had been in the lower levels of the command center, trapped just like Hayden, Vasquez and Vachon had been. They had no chance to make it out, and fell with the base. Their bodies were impaled and torn apart by the metal debris that had cut into them in the crash and their blood was spilled everywhere. If Hayden's condition was anything like theirs, it was likely she lost too much blood.

Flynn walked over to one of the bodies. He reached inside the jacket and pulled out the dog-tags.

"Lieutenant Vachon," Flynn breathed. He put the dog-tags back under the man's jacket and shook his head.

"Vachon?" Samantha gasped. She ran over, checking the tag for herself. "Hayden prayed about a Vachon… it… it couldn't be…"

"She… you mean, she was with this guy?" Flynn asked. Samantha turned to him. Her eyes were red and puffy. She was trying to hold back her tears for Flynn's sake.

"I'm sorry…"

As the two moved in to comfort each other, they heard some debris moving not too far away. They turned and their eyes widened. Hayden and Vasquez landed safely on the ground as a large parachute sailed down beside each of them.


	83. Zwop

Kira hung up the phone, letting her jaw hit the floor of NewTech Command Center as she ran her hand through her hair.

"What is it, Commander McKnight?" one of the soldiers asked his boss. She shook her head, turning to face him.

"Corinth City's Commander Center just fell to the ground," she said. She looked at her computer, where she had been keeping track of the weather in Corinth. She knew it had been bad, but she never imagined the Command Center would collapse."

The soldier frowned, "That's not good."

"They're going to need me over there," Kira said. She turned, looking down the hall for someone to come along with her. She knew Corinth City would be in a terrible state and it could use all the help it could get.

She spotted Ben, former SPD Black working on a computer, giving it the necessary upgrades to keep it working properly. She smiled, grabbing his arm.

"You're coming with me," she said.

"Aw, what did I do?" he whined. Kira sighed loudly.

"We're going to Corinth."

Ben frowned. He pulled away from Kira, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not going to that place! They actually enforce their laws!"

"The command center fell from the sky and the entire city is recovering from massive Thunderstorms and tornados. I need to head over there, and I'm going to need help."

"Why do I have to do it?" Ben whined.

Kira sighed. She picked up a clipboard that was resting on her desk and jotted down a few notes. When she finished, she shoved the clipboard in Ben's hands.

"You'll be paid overtime for this," she told him, pointing to the agreement on the paper. "Signed and dated. You can use the extra money to buy that crib for your future son."

Ben smiled softly. He put the clipboard down and followed his commander to the door.

-----Afterlife-----

Dean held Dawn in his arms, rocking her gently. She hadn't been crying, but he knew she was upset and confused. He had completely spaced on his story about his brother. Instead of telling Dawn that he had a twin brother who was dead to him, he accidentally told her he was dead. She had all the reasons in the world to believe that the man she saw kissing another woman was Dean. Thankfully, in reality, it happened to be his brother, and Dean was off the hook.

Dawn jumped slightly when a _ZWOP!_ sound broke the silence in the room. Her eyes widened as her Aunt disappeared.

"Daddy!" Emily called, racing down the stairs, "The lady is in my room!"

Emily ran over to Dean and Dawn, jumping up on her father's lap, beside Dawn. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hid.

"She's in my bed," she told her father.

Dawn got up, "I'm sorry… it's my Aunt."

She headed for the stairs to get Kaylee from Emily's bedroom when she heard footsteps following her. Suddenly, a small hand found its way around hers, wrapping itself gently between her fingers. Dawn looked down and saw Emily was holding her hand up the stairs.

"Why is your Aunt here?" she asked as Dean followed. Dawn smiled, ruffling Emily's hair.

"She was trapped with me in the storm."

"Is she okay?" Dean asked. He had noticed her when Dawn suddenly appeared on his lap, but the moment he saw Dawn drenched and upset, she became his main priority. Emily had gotten her a blanket, but that was as far as they had gone to take care of her.

"I hope so," Dawn nodded. "I tried to make sure she wasn't struck by lightning, but I couldn't see anything. So far, only her powers have been affected. She's teleporting everywhere."

Emily rushed ahead, pushing her bedroom door open. Of course, the moment the three arrived to find Kaylee, she teleported again, leaving only a cloud of green smoke on Emily's bed.

Dawn rolled her eyes as she searched the room.

"She couldn't have gone far," she muttered.

-----Afterlife-----

"Hayden!" Flynn and Samantha both cried as they ran over to the younger girl. She dropped the parachute bag and immersed herself in the arms of her husband and sister, happy they were both okay.

Vasquez took off her bag and stepped aside, giving the small family their moment of relief. She searched through the debris, finding the dead bodies of her colleagues splattered everywhere.

She knelt down before Vachon's body and pulled out his tags to confirm it was him. She let a tear fall from her eyes as she read the dog-tag and tucked it back into his shirt.

Hayden looked away from her family for a moment and saw Vasquez was kneeling beside Vachon. She pulled away from Flynn and Samantha and went beside Vasquez.

_-----Afterlife-----_

_The building shook. Vachon looked up, seeing nothing but the ceiling above him. However, he knew the tower must have been on its last beam. Any moment now, the entire command center was going to start its plunge to the ground, and everyone inside the building would fall to their deaths._

_He glanced over at the emergency box attached to one of the walls. He remembered what was inside. Two parachutes (preferably one for the commander and one for whoever else was in the room with her)._

_Without hesitating, he ran to the box and ripped it open. He grabbed the two backpacks and tossed the first to Hayden._

_Put it on," he told her. "Don't open it until you're below the cloud."_

_Hayden caught the bag and looked at him in disbelief. He shook his head._

"_There's no debating this one," he said. "You're the commander's daughter; you're the Princess of Corinth city. You're a hero and you're pregnant. If anyone needs to make it out of here, it's you."_

"_But…"_

"_There's still one parachute left," Vachon told her, smiling._

_Vasquez nodded, "Take it, Hayden. We'll figure this out on our own."_

"_I… I…" Hayden stammered. Her brain was yelling at her to shut up and take the offer to live, but her heart was screaming otherwise. All her life she had put the lives of others first. She could live through anything, and only felt pain half the time. It was normally her who would take the risk of life and death. Her instincts were telling her to give the bag back to Vachon and take her chances, though she knew she wouldn't live._

_Vasquez strapped the backpack onto her shoulders, making the decision for her. She nodded slightly._

"_There's no debating this," she told Hayden. "You're jumping."_

_Vasquez turned to Vachon, hoping to get started on the fight for the last parachute, but he held it out for her._

"_Take it," he told her. Vasquez shook her head._

"_I can't."_

"_Women and children first," Vachon smirked._

"_That's in evacuations."_

"_And we're evacuating this level of the command center."_

_Vasquez frowned, "You take it…"_

"_I can't," Vachon stated. "Please, take the parachute."_

"_But, the weather system was my responsibility. It's my fault…"_

"_It's a computer. Every once in a while they bug out. Just, forget about it and save yourself."_

_The building shook again, and Vachon shoved the parachute into Vasquez's hands. When she didn't move, he placed it on her shoulders and led both Vasquez and Hayden to the emergency door. He opened it and smiled at the two women._

"_Have a nice life," he whispered, pushing them out the door. He shut it quickly, before accidentally falling with the girls, and ran to the middle of the room as the command center gave away and he plunged to his death._

_-----Afterlife-----_

Hayden grabbed the dog-tags and removed them from Vachon's neck. She placed them in Vasquez' hand.

"Find his family," she ordered the older woman. "Tell them he was a hero. He saved three lives."

Vasquez didn't move. She clutched the tags in her hands. Hayden got to her feet and looked down at the woman.

"Vasquez, that's an order," she said. Vasquez looked up at Hayden, tears in her eyes, as she got to her feet.

"Don't you need me to help clean up?"

"I need you to honour a hero," Hayden told her. "Find his family, deliver the news. That's all I'm asking you to do."

Vasquez nodded, running off as Flynn and Samantha approached the former Pink Ranger. Samantha placed her hand on Hayden's shoulder.

"Hay… where's mom?" she asked. She knew Kaylee wasn't in the tower when it fell. Hayden hadn't prayed for her mother.

Hayden shook her head. She turned to Flynn, burying herself in his arms. As relieved as she was to be okay, she was more relieved to see Flynn, alive and well. She had been afraid her whole time up in the base that Flynn didn't make it out of the storm on time, and that he had gotten hurt, or trapped.

"She said she would be right back," Hayden whispered.

"Back from where?" Flynn asked his wife.

"She tested her zwopping, to see if it could work. She told us she would be right back if it did."

"She didn't come back?"

Again, Hayden shook her head, "We haven't seen her since."

"Hayden!" a voice called. Hayden pulled away from Flynn slightly as she began to look around.

"Mom…?"

"Not quite," Kira answered, stepping over debris, followed closely by Ben. "What are you three doing here?" she asked the trio.

Looking around, Kira noticed the bodies. It didn't surprise her that the fall of the command center took some lives. What did surprise her were the two parachutes, blowing in the calm wind. She pointed.

"Where you guys…?"

"Only Hayden," Samantha answered, before her Aunt freaked out. Kira turned to the Angel and noticed her wings were resting by her sides instead of pulled into her back where they normally rested when they weren't in use. She frowned and pointed.

"Sammy…"

"Hayden was in trouble," Samantha said. "I wasn't going to sit there and let her die."

Kira shook her head, "Whatever."

"Did you die?" Ben asked, looking at Hayden. Hayden smirked.

"Yes… but it's okay, I lived!" she said, throwing her hands up before her face went serious. As she lowered her hands, she smacked her cousin in-law over the head, "What do you think, stupid? I'm right in front of you."

"She parachuted out," Flynn said. Kira and Ben could hear the relief in his voice as he grabbed Hayden in his arms, holding her close. One hand strayed down to her stomach, petting it gently.

"Lieutenant Vachon sacrificed himself so Vasquez and I could make it out safely," Hayden explained.

"Where's your mother?" Kira asked. Hayden looked up, shaking her head.

"I don't know…"

"I already asked her," Samantha told her Aunt. "Apparently Kaylee tried teleporting out of the building. I guess it didn't work."

"She promised she would come back," Hayden whispered. Her body began to shake in Flynn's arms. He held her closer, squeezing her comfortingly. "She said she would be fine."

"I'm sure she is," Kira said gently. "She's a fighter. I'm sure she just…"

"She wouldn't leave me."

"We'll find her," Kira smiled, touching her niece's cheek.

-----Afterlife-----

When Kaylee finally came to her vision was blurred. She could barely make out the three faces looking down at her.

Suddenly, she felt something poking her cheek.

"Is she dead?"

"RYAN!"

"What, I want to know if she's dead."

"You are incorrigible."

"Kids, cut it out. Help me move her to the couch."

"She's like, twelve pounds. Move her yourself."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean… yes sir, Mr. McKnight, sir. Anything you want. Thank you for letting me marry your daughter, sir."

"That's better."

"Wow, and I thought I had you whipped."

Kaylee felt herself being picked up by four arms and placed down gently on the couch.

"Samantha, go get your Aunt… something."

"Real professional, dad."

"Your mom handled all the first aid stuff. I was usually the one who caused the injuries."

"I remember."

"Maybe she has a headache."

"I think it's her powers that are messed up, Ryan."

"Really, dad? What was your first clue? Aunt Kaylee suddenly teleporting into our house? Or the twelve times she teleported around the living room?"

"Samantha, ice!"

"I'm going, I'm going."

Kaylee opened her eyes again, finding her vision was better than before. She made out Conner and Ryan looking down at her and Samantha when she returned to the living room with a bag of ice. The young woman gently placed the bag down on Kaylee's forehead.

Kaylee jumped up when the cold ice touched her skin. Ryan let out a loud yelp as he fell off the couch.

"Dude, don't do that!" he cried, looking up at Kaylee from the ground. "I nearly shit myself!"

"W-where am-m I?" Kaylee stammered, trying to find the right words. Her head felt like it had gone through a blender.

Conner sat down beside Kaylee, "You're at my house."

"W-wh-why?"

"You tell me," Conner frowned. "One minute, we're playing Jenga, and then next you ruin our game."

Conner shoved her gently, trying to make light of the situation.

"Why to go, Kayl."

Kaylee held her head as her body was jerked suddenly to one side. Conner barely touched her, but it felt like she had been run over by a Mack truck.

Conner saw this reaction and frowned. He touched her arm gently to steady her, but she suddenly teleported away.

She reappeared in mid-air, hanging for a few seconds before gravity took effect. Conner quickly dove to catch her before she hit the ground. If anything happened to her, he would have six angry sisters to deal with, and a very pissed off Dustin.

He carried her back to the couch, "Whoa… okay, something happened to you."

"No shit," Ryan scoffed. Samantha elbowed him, making him grunt, "I mean, you're right, sir."

When Conner put Kaylee down on the couch, he thought back to the last time her powers stopped working properly. It had been back in the Dino days, when Kaylee started to zwip instead of zwop. She had been hit by a beam from the latest meso-monster, and it caused her powers to go out of control. He was positive something like that must have happened again.

He knelt down before her, gently placing his hands on her thighs as he looked up.

"Kayl, what do you remember?"

"I re… I remem… remember… boom."

Samantha looked at her father, "Corinth city's been having some bad weather. Thunder and lightning mostly. But I heard a few tornados touched down."

Conner was happy his daughter had been keeping up with Corinth news. Aside from what Kira told him at dinner time, he had no clue what was happening in the other city. For all he knew, they could have discovered life in the Wastelands.

Kaylee continued trying to explain her story to Conner.

"Com-command… com… base… stuck."

Samantha knelt down beside her father, locking her gaze on her Aunt.

"Were you locked in the command center?"

"What are you?" Ryan asked his wife, "The Aunt Kaylee whisperer?"

"Shh!" Samantha hushed him.

"Tel- teleport, lightning. Everywhere."

Samantha turned to her father, "The lightning messed up her powers."

Conner frowned at her, "How did you do that?"

Samantha shrugged, "It's the combination of being a girl, and growing up with you as a father. I'm fluent in broken speech."

"My speech is not…"

Conner was interrupted by a zwop. Kaylee disappeared again.

"Fuck…" Conner muttered, looking around the room. "Where did she…?"

"Conner…" Kaylee's weak voice called. He checked between the sofa cushions before following the sound of her voice to the front hallway. He opened the closet door and found her stashed in with the jackets and shoes. His face softened as he helped her untangle herself and led her back to the couch.

"We'll figure this out, Kayl," he promised her. "Just, don't think of anywhere that isn't inside this house, okay?"


	84. The New Leader

Kira took Samantha, Hayden, Flynn and Ben to Dustin and Kaylee's house. She imagined if Kaylee would teleport anywhere in the city, it would most likely be home.

When they reached the front door, Hayden clumsily pulled a spare key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Tears were still visible on her cheek from her scare back at the site of the command center crash. She had been terrified for her life while parachuting down to safety as well as her mother's life and for Flynn. It was going to take her a while before she could lose the taste of fear for her life and in the meantime, she had a feeling it was going to haunt her.

She pushed the door open, stepping in first, followed by Samantha. Flynn let Kira walk in first before he entered the house, closing the door behind him.

"Mayden!" Christian called out, rushing down the stairs and jumping into Hayden's arms. Hayden smiled at him while giving him a big hug. She was more than happy to be able to see him again.

Dustin walked into the front hallway when he heard the door opening. The sight of both his daughters being home made him smile.

"Well, look who's…"

He trailed off when he saw the look on Hayden's face, as well as Kira's presence. He turned his gaze to Samantha, who shook her head gently, and Flynn, who moved in closer to his wife, wrapping his arms around her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Kira sighed, "You still don't pay attention to the news, do you Dustin?"

Dustin shrugged, "It's not really my kinda thing," he told her. "Especially with Christian hogging the TV."

Christian frowned as he dropped out of his sister's arms, "News is boring."

"I totally second that," Dustin said.

Kira shook her head, "Were you at least aware of the giant storm destroying your city?"

"He's got a four year old," Flynn pointed out, "Of course he would be aware of the big scary thun…"

"Hold up," Dustin frowned, putting his hand up and interrupting Flynn. "I knew of the storm, but destroying the city?"

Samantha rolled her eyes at her father. She turned to door handle and swung the front door open. For the first time in the past few hours, Dustin got a look at what was right outside his home.

"Holy…"

"Dad, the command center fell down," Hayden whispered. Dustin's eyes widened. Now he realised why his family was here. Kaylee was still at work. Her work was in the command center. If it fell over…

Dustin wobbled slightly as the room began to spin. He placed his hand on the wall beside him, grabbing the frame of the entrance to the kitchen so he could steady himself. He looked at Hayden and Samantha.

"Your mother…"

"We don't know where she is," Samantha breathed.

"Mom teleported out of the command center and promised she would come back," Hayden added.

"She didn't," Flynn finished.

"And obviously she's not here," Kira sighed. It was obvious from Dustin's expression. If Kaylee was home, he wouldn't have panicked at all. He would have given them his rare _I know more than you do_ look and pointed to the living room or their bedroom.

"Where is mommy?" Christian asked his older sisters. They both shrugged.

Dustin ran his hand through his hair as he tried to think. Kaylee's powers of teleportation needed her to think of a place and picture it in her mind so she could teleport there. If she was trapped in the command center, before it fell over, and she tried teleporting out, she would most likely try to teleport somewhere safe. If that wasn't here at home, then she would be with...

"Tori!" Dustin called out. He ran for the phone and Kira ran after him.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she called out, grabbing Dustin's hand in a death grip as he held the phone.

"Ah, ow!" he cried out, dropping the phone. He rubbed his hand after Kira let go, "Conner was right, your grip is more painful that bringing twins into the world."

Kira glared at him before gently slapping him on the cheek, "Shut up."

"Are you calling Aunt Tori?" Samantha asked as herself and the other three kids followed the older Rangers into the kitchen.

"If your mother would go anywhere to be safe, it would be to Tori's place."

"But she hates Uncle Blake," Hayden pointed out.

"But she loves her sister," Dustin smiled.

Kira slapped his cheek again as Dustin reached for the phone. He pressed his free hand against his cheek and glared at Kira.

"What was that for?"

"Don't you dare call her," Kira said. "You're going to call her and you're going to get her worried that something's happened to Kaylee."

"Something did happen," Hayden pointed out. "I think Aunt Tori would worry for a good reason."

Kira shushed her niece as she looked her gaze on Dustin, "You didn't see her back in '07 when we Retros were driving to San Angeles. The Sentinel Knight told us the newest team of Rangers needed help and Tori's eyes like…"

Kira's hands moved around desperately as she tried to find the right word to describe how worried the older Hanson sister was.

"Like…" Dustin pressed. Kira slapped his cheek again.

"You know!" she moved her hands around again. Dustin rubbed his cheek.

"No, I don't know… and ow!"

"Aunt Kira, stop slapping my dad!" Samantha frowned.

"He's being stupid!"

"I'm always being stupid!" Dustin said. Kira rolled her eyes and turned to Samantha. The Angel shook her head. Kira's shoulders slumped forward sadly.

Behind his back, Dustin passed the phone down to his son. Christian gladly took it and started pressing the numbered buttons in the only order he knew. He put the phone to his ear, waiting for a voice on the other end.

"_Hello?"_

"Aunt Tori? Mommy's dead!"

Dustin groaned loudly when he heard this. Kira, the girls, Ben and Flynn shook their heads. Of course, when a four year old delivered the news of his missing mother to his Aunt, he would kill her off to make it all seem cooler.

Dustin quickly yanked the phone from Christian's hands.

"She's not dead," he said quickly. He cupped the lower half of the phone as he looked at Kira. "Kaylee's not there."

"How do you know?" Kira whispered. Dustin held out the phone. Everyone could hear the mumbling of Tori's rant as she scolded Dustin for giving her a heart attack and almost killing her with the fake news.

She panicked. And just like with Dustin, if she panicked, it was because she didn't know where Kaylee was.

Dustin sheepishly hung up the phone, "Well, now she's worried."

"She's gotta be somewhere," Flynn spoke up. He looked around at Dustin, Christian and the other women in the room, "I mean; she wouldn't just disappear."

"We should search the city," Samantha pointed out. A smirk appeared on Dustin's face.

"I totally know how to do this," he said before running upstairs. Samantha watched her father leave before she heard a beeping. She turned to Hayden as her little sister pulled out a small handheld device.

"That's Vasquez," Hayden whispered. "She informed the Vachon family and needs me back at the site."

"Are you going?" Flynn asked his wife. It was a valid question. He could tell Hayden was still terrified, and could only imagine how scary it would be for her to return to the exact spot where she almost died.

But Hayden nodded her head and prepared to leave. "I have to take care of this."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Flynn asked. Hayden nodded then shook her head. She looked up at Flynn with begging eyes.

"Please find my mother," she whispered to him. He kissed her forehead.

"I will, I promise."

Hayden left just as Dustin came downstairs. He was strapping something to his wrist. When he reached the bottom step, he hopped off and smiled at the people still in the house.

"Voilà," he grinned, showing off his Ninja Storm morpher. Kira face-palmed.

"Wow, Dustin, a morpher that doesn't even work anymore."

"It works!" Dustin argued, holding it protectively, as if Kira's words had just hurt the morpher's feelings. He looked down at his son, "Christian and I figured this out, didn't we little buddy?"

Christian nodded his head, "Yeppers."

"The morphing grid may be offline, but this Ranger suit uses more of my powers than it does Ranger powers. If I focus hard enough…"

Dustin suddenly transformed into the Yellow Wind Ranger. He smiled under his helmet as he high-fived his son. He turned back to the others to explain.

"The Ranger suit is made mostly by my earth powers. It's basically a ninja upgrade. So, with enough power, I can transfer my energy into the morpher, and I can morph again."

"How is this going to help?" Ben asked. Dustin smirked before suddenly dividing into two Rangers.

"The more the merrier, right?" he grinned.

-----Afterlife-----

Conner had called Hayley as soon as he realised something was wrong with Kaylee's powers. He figured if anyone would be able to figure this out, it would be the woman who knew the most about the rock that gave Kaylee her powers and who was the woman behind all the technology and information during their Ranger years.

Hayley arrived as soon as she could and Conner briefed her on what he knew. Kaylee was hit by the lightning and it caused her powers to screw up.

The red head knelt down in front of Kaylee, examining her to see if she could find the problem. She shook her head as she pulled back.

"I can't do this without the Dino gem," she said.

"Well, where is it?" Samantha asked. She looked at Kaylee.

"Hayden…"

"Hayden has it," Conner frowned. He groaned loudly, "Great…"

"Try calling mom," Samantha suggested. "She can get in and out of Corinth city no problem."

Conner nodded, jumping for the phone. He dialled the number to Kira's office and waited for her to pick up. He waited a few seconds before the answering machine came on. Instead of leaving a message, he hung up.

"She's not answering."

"Of course," Ryan scoffed. "The one time we need her."

_ZWOP!_

"I think we have bigger problems," Hayley sighed as Kaylee disappeared. Conner walked over to the closet in the front hall. He opened it, but Kaylee wasn't inside. He shook his head.

"Kaylee, where are you?"

"I d-don't k-know…"

"Did you Zwop yourself between two walls?" Ryan called to her.

"Found her," Samantha chuckled, pulling her Aunt out from under the coffee table, where all the blankets were stashed away.

Conner sighed in relief. He knew with Kaylee's claustrophobia, her sudden disappearances were very dangerous for her. If she wound up somewhere where she felt trapped, or where she couldn't get out, she would have a panic attack.

Hayley shook her head as she tried to think of a temporary solution. It was obvious that Kaylee couldn't be teleporting everywhere, but there was nothing anyone could do about it. Until they got the Dino Gem from Hayden, Kaylee's teleporting wouldn't stop.

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden made it to the site of the crash, stepping over debris and dead bodies as she placed her hand on her stomach. She was still mortified by the horror and near death experience. Every time she thought about what happened, her mind always strayed to the thought of what could have happened.

It was as if fate wanted to play a cruel joke on her. The next body Hayden stepped over was a blonde woman's with her same body type. She was lying on her stomach, so Hayden couldn't see her face.

The pink Ranger gasped and her imagination went wild. She saw herself lying in this woman's spot, dead.

Her heart began to race, her breaths were short and fast and Hayden's vision started to blur. She was about to stumble over when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Hayden, there you are."

Hayden turned around, finding Vasquez looking down at her. She took a few deep breathes to calm herself.

"I talked to the Vachon family," Vasquez said.

"How are they?" Hayden asked. Vasquez shrugged.

"They've taken it rather well," she answered. "I mean, as well as a family will take the death of a loved one."

"Did you tell he died a hero?"

"I did," Vasquez nodded. "I think it softened the blow a little bit. He's gone, but they know he's going to live on."

Vasquez shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable as she looked at Hayden.

"I've, uh, called all the soldiers who weren't in the crash," she said. "Is that okay?"

Hayden nodded, "Yeah, it's perfect. Are they on their way?"

"As we speak."

"Good. We'll have them organise a cleanup crew for the bodies and debris and get everything in this city back in order," Hayden said. She glanced over Vasquez' shoulder in the direction of her parents' house. "I'll need some men and women working cleanup, some going door to door to make sure the civilians are okay, and some on the lookout for my mother."

"You still haven't found her?" Vasquez asked. Hayden shook her head.

"My Aunt Kira came by as soon as she heard what happened," she said. "She's at my parent' place and trying to find my mom."

"Well, until we do find the commander, you'll do a good job at leading the city," Vasquez smiled. Hayden looked up at her with a confused stare.

"What do you mean…?" she asked.

Vasquez shrugged, "Well, you're taking care of the city now, and you're doing a good job organizing it after all this… aren't you taking over your mother's post until we find her?"

Hayden shook her head, "I don't want to… am I really leading this city?"

"According to the hundred men we still have left, you're in charge," Vasquez shrugged. "Colonel Truman may have something to say about it, but when I called him up and told him to come by the site and wait for your orders; he didn't refuse or do anything about it."

"I'm in charge?"

Vasquez could hear a slight tone of fear in Hayden's voice as she said this. Given everything the young girl had been through in the past few hours, it didn't surprise Vasquez that she would be feeling a little overwhelmed. However, Kaylee had done a great job in leading Corinth city for the past six years and Hayden was taking after her mother in every sense of the word. She was strong, brave and stubborn. As much as Vasquez could trust the city in Colonel Truman's hands during Kaylee's sudden absence, she felt a lot more comfortable with Hayden in command.

"You'll do fine, Hayden," Vasquez smiled. "And… If you need it… I… I… I might be able to, uh, to help you."

Hayden looked up nervously. Vasquez was really putting herself out there right now. For as long as Hayden had known Vasquez, she had never been one to step up to the plate. She always doubted herself and needed to be encouraged all the time for her to feel even a little bit of confidence in herself.

"We'll do this together?" Hayden asked. "Only until we find my mom?"

"Sounds good."

"I'll have you know, I don't exactly know what I'm doing."

"Neither do I," Vasquez nodded.


	85. By The Phone

David was just released from his shift at the hospital and was walking home. It wasn't a far walk, and after the day he had had, with the thunderstorms, the tornados and the terrible weather, he needed a little time to clear his head.

On his walk, he passed by Dustin. He raised his hand in a small wave and smiled in his direction. Dustin waved back, rather excitedly.

As he continued to walk down the sidewalk, David found himself waving to Dustin again. He smiled, nodding his head, though he was almost certain Dustin had been walking in the opposite direction.

The third time he crossed Dustin, he grabbed his arm, stopping him in his path.

"Are you following me?" he asked. Dustin shook his head.

"Nope, looking for Kaylee. Have you seen her?"

David frowned, "I've been locked up in the hospital all day. You better be happy I haven't seen her."

"While, if you do, tell her we're looking for her."

David nodded and was about to get on his way, when he saw another Dustin walking across the street. He sighed deeply.

"Dustin…"

Dustin chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, and by we, I mean, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me and… uh, me and me."

David frowned, "Why do you need ten of you to search for Kaylee?"

"Well, she's kinda teleported," Dustin explained, his eyes shifting from side to side as he spot, just in case Kaylee happened to pop up. "We don't know where she teleported to, so we're searching the entire city."

"Something's wrong with her powers?" David asked. Dustin nodded furiously before it finally clicked who he was talking to. David was the leading doctor in Corinth city and spoke with Leanne on almost a daily. Together, those two were the only doctors in the world who had enough knowledge on genetic mutation involving superhuman powers to be able to figure out what was wrong when powers started acting up.

"As far as we know, yeah," Dustin replied. His eyes continued to shift as he searched for his wife. David rolled his own and grabbed his phone.

"Leah, are you busy right now?"

-----Afterlife-----

Hayden slowly made her way through the wreckage of the command center as a dozen soldiers worked on picking up the fallen pieces and putting them in a dump truck. It was going to take a while to rebuild the command center back to the way it was, and the first step was the recycle the pieces of the old center.

In Corinth city, nothing could go to waste. Everything that lay before Hayden seemed completely destroyed and unusable to the untrained eye. But Hayden spend six of her nineteen years watching as recycling centers turned even the smallest broken paperclip into the metals that were used to create the RPM Ranger technology.

Vasquez stepped behind Hayden, saluting her awkwardly.

"Uh, Hayden…"

Hayden turned around and smiled slightly, "Yeah?"

"I've given out your orders to the soldiers," Vasquez announced. "As you can see, the pick-up crew is in the job. We've also got thirty men and women going around the city, assuring civilians their safety is top priority."

"And what about the other fifty-eight men?" Hayden asked. After calling in all military soldiers, Hayden and Vasquez realised they only had about a hundred capable of helping out. The rest perished when the command center fell, or worked for a different branch in the military (like Hicks who took care of the prisons).

"They're looking for your mother," Vasquez said. Hayden nodded.

"Have you found her?"

"No, but we do have reports of your father walking around town," Vasquez said, letting out a small smile as she pulled out papers from behind her back and handed them to Hayden. "Apparently his plan was to multiply and search the entire city on his own."

Hayden shook her head and sighed, "Of course. Only my dad would think of doing that."

"I think it's a good idea," Vasquez said. "I don't know where your mother is, or what state she's in, but it couldn't hurt for a familiar face to find her first."

"I guess," Hayden smiled. "Good job, Vasquez. Would you mind helping the pick-up team for now?"

"Can do," Vasquez saluted her boss before turning away to help the crew. Hayden's small smile quickly fell as she looked around, hoping maybe her mother would run up to take over. She let out a sigh when she saw no trace of Kaylee.

Grabbing her handheld computer, Hayden ran a search of the city. She hoped it could pick up her mother's bio-signature, at least confirming she was alive and inside the city.

"_Location Unknown."_

Hayden groaned loudly, squeezing the small device in her hand.

-----Afterlife-----

"Dad, how long do you think it's going to take mom to get over this?" Maddie asked her father as they sat down together to eat dinner. Sensei Watanabe looked over his shoulder from the stove, where he was fixing up his son's family grilled cheese.

Cam shrugged as he glanced over at his daughter.

"I don't know, Madeline," he said. "It's not something you just get over."

"I've never seen her like this, though," Maddie commented.

Sensei rolled his eyes. He placed the warm sandwich on a plate and set them down before his granddaughter.

"This isn't an area your mother is very experienced in, Madeline," he said. "Give her time to adjust to the idea."

Maddie shrugged as she reached for her food.

"I don't know. She used to lose at Go Fish to me all the time when I was little."

"She let you win back then," Cam chuckled.

Leanne walked into the kitchen, putting her cell phone in its holder on her hip.

"I still say you cheated," she smirked, tapping her daughter's cheek gently.

The Watanabe's were slowly getting back to their normal routine after the death of Leanne's father. Though they were all still very hurt by the loss, they found it best to move on. The time to mourn had long since passed.

They were spending a lot of time together now, finding the best comfort in the time was with their family. During the day, they would go to work or school. In the evening, they would eat dinner together, and at night, they would play a game, just the four of them.

It was common knowledge that Leanne had _"a Ph.D in everything"_. It seemed like there was nothing she couldn't do. She was smart, resourceful, strong and athletic. She was one of the best Thunder Senseis the Academy had seen in years and literally had a Ph. D in psychology and medicine.

She rarely ever lost when she played games. The only time she ever did was when she let someone else win the game, or when she wasn't completely focused on winning. Something as simple as Go Fish, where counting cards and memorizing who asked for what and when shouldn't have been a challenge for Leanne.

However, she lost terribly against her daughter.

"I did not cheat!" Maddie said. "I just had more pairs than you."

"Face it, Leah," Cam chuckled. "Children are always better than their parents."

Leanne smirked, "I wouldn't say that with your father in the room."

Sensei nodded as he walked up behind Leanne's chair. He leaned against it as he glared across the table at his son.

"You believe you're better than your old man?"

"Well…"

"I'm only teasing, Cameron," Sensei smiled.

Madeline chuckled at her father's full name. Cam turned to his daughter and frowned.

"Don't start that again," he said. "Or I'll bring up your Japanese name."

Madeline's mouth clamped shut as she grabbed her plate and ran into the living room. Cam smiled as he turned to his wife and father.

"That got her."

Leanne stood up from her seat, grabbing a slice of toast from a plate on the table and sticking it in her mouth.

"I would stay here today, but Corinth needs me," she said. She kissed Sensei on the cheek. "Dinner smells wonderful."

"You finally have an appetite for my cooking, and you take off?" he laughed. Leanne nodded. She kissed her husband as he gave her a strange look.

"Is it for the people injured in the weather storm?" he asked. The news of the storm had traveled to NewTech and by now everyone knew what had happened.

Leanne shook her head, "Sadly, everyone was either uninjured or died. I would say hospitals are happy they don't have extra work to do, but I'm not sure that's a good thing."

"So why are you going?"

"Apparently Kaylee's missing," Leanne explained. "David seems to believe she's got power issues and we're the only ones who can fix it."

"Power issues?" Cam frowned. "Which power?"

"Zwop," Leanne answered. She kissed her husband again before rushing out, "I'll be home as soon as possible!"

"Love you too!" Cam chuckled, watching her leave.

-----Afterlife-----

Conner tried phoning into the command center once again. He needed to get in contact with his wife if he was going to get Kaylee back to normal soon. As he listened to the phone ringing in his ear, he glanced into the living room and saw Kaylee sitting on the couch, curled up. Beside her, Hayley sat, holding the younger girl's hand.

It was for comfort and prevention. Hayley knew for a fact that if Kaylee was in direct contact with someone when she teleported, that person would teleport with her. That made it a safe bet that if Hayley continued to hold Kaylee's hand, she would teleport with Kaylee and she would be able to help Kaylee out of whatever situation she got herself zwopped in.

"_NewTech Command Center, Commander McKnight's office. Please leave a message."_

Conner groaned loudly as he slammed the phone down on the counter and made his way into the living room.

"Kaylee, can I ask you a question?"

Kaylee looked up at him and nodded slowly. Her mind was still fuzzy, but she was willing to provide Conner with answers if it would help him with her problem.

"Where did you come from?"

Kaylee shrugged, "Las-t-t-t, last thing I re-remember is tele… tele-le-le…"

"Teleporting," Hayley said, helping her friend out as Kaylee struggled with her words.

"Yeah," Kaylee nodded. "That, doing that, in the… the command center…"

"I've been trying to reach Kira," Conner told her. "But she's not answering. I don't think she's at the office."

"Would mom be in Corinth?" Samantha asked, arriving back inside the house after picking up dinner for everyone. Ryan walked in behind her, carrying all the take-out bags.

Conner shrugged, "When do I ever know where your mother really is?"

"Have you tried phoning Corinth city?" Hayley asked.

"That's a great idea!" Conner exclaimed sarcastically. He went to the kitchen to pick up the phone and came back into the living room to make the call. He put the phone on speaker and listened to the beeping. "Oh, wait, the entire city is in crisis!"

Hayley rolled her eyes, "I meant, have you tried phoning someone from Corinth? Dustin? Hayden? Tori? Don't you think they'll be looking for her as well?"

"I could try that," Conner said. He dialled Dustin's number.

-----Afterlife-----

Christian jumped down the stairs, making explosion noises with his mouth as he did. When his feet hit the floor, he rushed into the living room to watch TV.

He saw his father sitting on the couch with a bowl of chips on his stomach. He shook his head.

"Daddy?"

Dustin turned to face his son, "Yes?"

"Aren't you supposed to be looking for mommy?"

Dustin pointed to the windows, where one of his clones walked by.

"I am."

Christian shook his head, "No, you're watching TV. Where is mommy?"

"I'm looking for her."

Christian crossed his arms over his chest, "Daddy, my mommy is missing, and you're sitting on your bum-bum not doing anything."

"I'm waiting by the phone," Dustin said. "What if your mother calls?"

As if on cue, the phone rang. Dustin jumped for it, picking up.

"Hello?"

"_What the hell is going on, you son of a bitch," _Tori shouted on the other end.

"Tori… hi."

"_Why did Christian call me to tell me Kaylee's dead?"_

"She's not dead," Dustin assured his sister in-law. "As far as I know."

"_As far as… Dustin! I've been worried sick for the past few hours wondering if that was just a prank call or…. Where is she?"_

Dustin shrugged, though he knew Tori couldn't see it, "I have no idea, but I have all my best men working on it?"

"_Best men? You mean Shane?"_

"No, not best man! Best men! All my clones are in the city looking for her, and I'm staying by the phone."

"He's lying!" Christian shouted, hoping his aunt would hear, "He's watching TV!"

Dustin covered the mouth piece, "I'm sitting by the phone, and the TV is conveniently right there."

"_Dustin, you better find my sister or I'm going…"_

"I'm worried too, Tori," Dustin sighed. "You can join us in searching for her if you're really worried. She's teleported somewhere and we have no idea where."

Dustin heard a loud gasp coming from Tori on the other end.

"_You airhead!" _she shouted. _"What if she's trapped somewhere? What if she's stuck somewhere small and dark? You know she's waiting for you to rescue her!"_

Dustin groaned, realising Tori was right. However, he had all his clones looking on finding her, and he knew he had to stay near the phone. He was positive, that the moment he got up and walked away, even to go to the bathroom, the phone would ring, and it would be about Kaylee.

Tori didn't seem to agree.

"_Get your real ass out into the city and go look for you wife, or I swear to GOD I will hunt you down and murder you slowly."_

Dustin couldn't argue with that. He hung up the phone and jumped out of his seat. He grabbed Christian's arm gently.

"C'mon, little buddy. We're going to find your mother."

"YAY!" Christian cheered, running to the door. "Rescue mission!"

Dustin followed his son out the door. Just as he closed it, the phone rang.

"_Uh, hi Dustin. I guess you must be out looking for Kaylee. I'm just calling to let you know she's here with us. As soon as you get this, please come here and bring her Dino Gem with you. This is Conner, by the way."_


	86. Lost and Found

"Mrs. McAllistair!" a soldier called, saluting as he approached the commander's daughter. Hayden turned to face him, looking up from a clipboard in her hands. She had retrieved it from the wreckage of the military base falling. Surprisingly enough, it hadn't been destroyed in the crash. She filled up the clipboard with any files she could find, wanting to salvage any and all information.

The soldier stopped before Hayden, taking a deep breath, "Mrs. McAllistair, we've saved everything we could from the old command center."

"Okay," Hayden nodded. She wasn't quite sure why they were telling her this now.

"We need you to sign the form so the trucks can clear the area of unwanted debris."

The soldier held out a form for Hayden and pointed to the line where her signature was required. She read over the form and just as she reached the bottom, she noticed a flaw.

"I can't sign this," she said.

"You have to," the soldier told her. "If you don't, we can't clear this zone, and we won't be able to get the tools in to start rebuilding the command center."

Hayden pointed to the bottom of the page, "You need a commander's signature. I'm not a commander. I'm a pregnant ex-Power Ranger who is in way over her head."

"The commander is unavailable…"

"One of them," Hayden corrected him. "Commander McKnight is in this city looking for my mother."

"Can she sign it?" the soldier asked. Hayden read the form once more and nodded.

"It only requires the signature of a commander. Commander McKnight is a commander, and until we find my mother, she's the leader of the world."

The soldier pulled the forms away and saluted to Hayden. "I'll go ask her."

"Please do," she nodded.

The soldier ran off before another approached Hayden. Hayden groaned loudly before spotting three people behind the soldier.

"Dawn?" she asked, relieved to see a familiar face. Dawn smiled, running to her cousin and catching her in a hug.

"Are you okay?" she asked her cousin, looking at the younger girl an examining her for injuries.

"I'm fine," Hayden nodded. "How about you? Are you okay?"

Dawn looked at the soldier and nodded, dismissing him from his service for her and allowing him to get back to work.

"I got caught outside in the storm," Dawn said. Hayden gasped.

"What… you… are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dawn assured her gently. "I managed to find some shelter and hid there until…"

Dawn trailed off, making Hayden lean forward as she waited impatiently for her cousin to finish the story.

"Until…? Until when? What happened?"

"I was with your mom," Dawn said. "I was in the park, in the storm when she appeared from nowhere. She actually appeared in the same spot as a bolt of lightning, but only a few seconds later. She thinks something in the lightning caused her powers to go crazy, because when we got inside the cave, she was teleporting randomly, and only going a few feet."

"She's in a cave?" Hayden asked. Her eyes were wide in panic and her body began to shake as she heard the news.

"Not anymore," Dean spoke up, hoping to put Hayden's mind slightly at ease. "Somehow she and Dawn teleported to my place."

"We were there for about an hour before your mom disappeared," Dawn added.

"Disappeared… where?" Hayden asked. Dawn shrugged.

"We don't know," she answered. "We've been looking for her. That's how we ran into you."

"Is my mom okay?" Hayden asked. "I mean, aside from the power malfunctions…"

Dawn shrugged, "I don't know. She was out cold last we know… and before that it was hard to keep her awake. She had a seizure… I think…"

Hayden grabbed her cousin's arms roughly in desperation, "Where is my mother?"

"I don't know," Dawn frowned, shaking her head. "She disappeared, gone from the house. We thought she…"

"You lost her?" Hayden growled, but under her voice Dawn could hear the desperate cries of her younger cousin. "She's hurt and you lost her."

"Not on purpose…"

"She's not in the city!" Hayden cried, pulling out her little computer. "I ran a scan for her… I got nothing… she's… she's…"

"Okay, okay," Dawn said, taking the computer from Hayden's hands and holding her gently before the pink ranger started to freak out and hurt herself or her baby. "Your mother's strong. I'm sure she's fine."

Hayden broke down in Dawn's arms just as Vasquez approached her. The older woman stopped in her tracks as she heard her boss sobbing loudly. Glancing down at her papers, she took a deep breath, mustering up a little courage.

"Hayden…" she called weakly. "I've uh, got some news."

Hayden pulled away from Dawn's arms, wiping away her tears with the back of her wrists.

"Not right now, Vasquez…"

"The search party has checked every corner of this city for the commander. We haven't found her."

"I know," Hayden growled under her breath as she turned away from her temporary assistant. She didn't want to be rude or mean, especially to Vasquez, but she was finding it very difficult to run the city with no experience and no one to rely on for help. To make matters even worse, not only was her mother simply missing, but she was missing and injured badly by her attempts at teleporting during a severe weather malfunction.

"I just wanted to let you know we'll be opening up the doors to NewTech for the search party. They'll search there for your mother."

"Okay…"

"And Eagle Squad is going to perform a search of the wastelands," Vasquez said. "Gem and Gemma said they were more than ready to help out."

"That's great…"

"We'll find her," Vasquez assured her boss. "I promise, Hayden."

"I know we'll find her," Hayden sighed, finally looking up at Vasquez, Dawn and Dean. Emily watched the whole exchanged while holding onto her father's hand.

Hayden's head dropped after only a few seconds as she looked down at the ground.

"I just… I don't know if she'll be okay."

-----Afterlife-----

"Samantha Victoria Truman!" Scott shouted, finally finding his wife in the disaster of a city. He had been searching for her for hours since she fled to the command center and had been worried sick that something happened to her. She had literally flown out of the hospital while her wings were still recovering from the mutant attack.

Samantha heard her husband's voice and cringed, turning away from Flynn, Ben and Kira.

"Scott… I know this is bad…"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Scott screamed. "You could have really hurt yourself! You could have been killed!"

"My sister…"

"I don't care!" Scott interrupted. He had to hold himself back; afraid he would do something he would regret if he let his anger get the best of him. "You're in no condition to run off like that! And to bring up Marcus…"

"I had to get you to understand!"

"That was low."

"I'm sorry," Samantha whispered. "My sister was in trouble. I wasn't going to let a little wing injury keep me from doing my job."

"Your job is to yourself," Scott growled, "to your family!"

"Hayden is family!"

"I meant this family," Scott said, pointing to himself. "Me and Engel! If you died…"

Samantha shook her head, "I'm fine."

"I can see that! But if something happened to you…"

"Nothing did! The command center fell and the weather just stopped!"

"What if it didn't? What if you got hurt again? What if you died?"

"What if Hayden got hurt? What if Hayden died? What if my mother's dead?" Samantha screamed.

"I'm not… dead?" Scott paused suddenly as the words registered in his head. "Sam…"

"I'm sorry, Scott. Can we talk about this later?"

"What happened?" Scott asked.

"I don't know," Samantha shook her head sadly. "We're looking for her."

She took her husband's hands and kissed his gently.

"I'm really sorry I ran off. I'm sorry I scared you, but…"

"No… no, I get it," Scott nodded. "We'll look for your mother."

"Just a fair warning," Flynn said, patting the red ranger on the back, "There are about ten father in-laws walking around the city. I know you're married and all but keep your hands where they can all see them."

Scott turned to Flynn with a confused frown. Samantha hugged her husband, comforting both herself and Scott.

"He's looking for mom in his own way," she whispered.

-----Afterlife-----

After calling Leanne, David waited for her to arrive. It didn't take long for the Sensei to make it into the city and find him. When they met up, they agreed to go back to Kaylee and Dustin's house, thinking at least one Dustin may have been home.

They knocked on the door but found no answer. David shook his head and groaned while Leanne pulled out a key.

"You have a key?" he frowned.

"She's my little sister," Leanne shrugged, "Of course I have a key. The question is: does she know I have a key?"

"Okay. Does she know you have a key?"

"Nope," Leanne smirked. "Of course not. I'm her older sister."

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. David followed, closing the door behind her.

"Dustin!" he called. "Are you home?"

"Hey, look here," Leanne called to David from the living room. David jumped slightly, turning to her in shock.

"What are you doing? It's bad enough we're inside their house without them knowing."

"You really have to learn the benefits of being an older sister," Leanne chuckled. "I reserve the right to drop by and check her messages when I feel it necessary."

"Do you really?"

"I also reserve the right to reserve stupid rights because I'm older and she can't do anything about it."

And with that, Leanne pressed the button on Kaylee and Dustin's phone.

"_Uh, hi Dustin..."_

"The message is for Dustin, not…" David started, but Leanne shushed him.

"… _I guess you must be out looking for Kaylee. I'm just calling to let you know she's here with us. As soon as you get this, please come here and bring her Dino Gem with you. This is Conner, by the way."_

Leanne smirked.

"Sister's intuition is always right!" she cried out happily as she headed for the door. David shook his head and took a deep breath.

"You know, you're not actually related to her, right?"

"I've known her for twenty-six years," Leanne called. She was already outside, standing by the car waiting for David to come. He already knew she wanted to head over to NewTech to find Kaylee and bring her back home so they could help her with her powers. "That's longer than I've know my mom!"

"Good point," David chuckled. He closed the door behind him and ran to the car.

-----Afterlife-----

Conner ran his hands through his hair as he waited for the phone to ring. Hayley and Kaylee walked down from upstairs, still holding hands after teleporting once again to another room in the house.

"Why not call again?" Ryan suggested to his father in-law. "Maybe he just missed the phone."

"Very likely," Conner nodded, "But I left a message. He would have phoned back by now!"

"Maybe he's on his way," Samantha said.

"I hope so," Conner nodded.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Before anyone could make a move to answer it, they heard a key turning in the lock and the door opened.

"Really, Kira's house too?"

"Remind me to explain the concept of age to you."

Samantha furrowed her brow, recognising her Aunt's voice.

"Aunt Leah?"

Conner let out a deep breath, falling back into the couch, "Thank goodness."

Finally, someone was here to help him out with Kaylee. The two best doctors on left on the planet. The only two doctors who could deal with genetic mutation and could possibly figure out how to cure Kaylee of her teleportation problems.

"Did you bring the Dino Gem?" Hayley asked the doctors. David shook his head.

"We just got the message and came right here," he said. "We didn't even think about getting the Dino gem."

"It doesn't make a difference," Conner stated. He grabbed Kaylee by the upper arms and pushed her gently towards the doctors. "Take her home. She's been teleporting everywhere and I've been up to my neck with that stupid fear of enclosed spaces!"

"She teleported into the dryer," Ryan chuckled. "Three times."

"That last time wasn't very fun," Hayley nodded, wincing slightly.

Leanne looked at Hayley and Kaylee with a strange look, while David simply shook his head.

"So, do you think we can fix this with the Dino gem?" he asked Hayley, getting to important matters. The Dino tech expert nodded.

"It's our best option so far."

"We'll take care of her from here, Conner," David smiled, gently grabbing Kaylee's arm. Hayley took this chance to let go of Kaylee and keep herself from accidentally teleporting into the dryer once again with the claustrophobic green ranger.

"You did a good job," Leanne said.

Just as the two doctors, Hayley and Kaylee were about to leave, Conner turned back to them, catching Leanne's hand. She lived in NewTech, so if anyone would know the answer to his question, it would be her.

"Do you know where my wife is?"

Leanne shrugged, "No idea... but you're reminding me a lot of Cam. He never really knows where I am."

"And half the time you disappear, you're dying," David chuckled.

"Am not!"

"The time you got shot, the time you got stabbed, the time Kaylee threatened to rip your head off…"

"Shut up…"


	87. Last Night

Hayden, Dawn, Vasquez, Dean and Emily sat down, surrounded by the debris that had yet to be fully cleared by the little cleanup crew composed of the soldiers who were fortunate enough not to be in the command center when it went down. At the moment, it was all the unwanted debris that was being cleared out. That meant all the bodies of the soldiers who died in the fall were being moved to the hospital.

Hayden and Vasquez looked over as two soldiers grabbed Vachon's body. The soldiers tossed him into a truck that was carrying all the bodies. Hayden jumped up when she saw this and stormed over to the soldiers.

"Be careful with him!" she screamed. "Be careful with all of them!"

"Sorry, Mrs. McAllistair," the soldiers said. Hayden looked at Vachon's body and sighed.

"Bring another truck around," she ordered. "Take him to the Angel Memorial."

The soldiers exchanged looks before turning back to Hayden.

"Mrs. McAllistair, only heroes are taken there," he told her.

"I know," Hayden nodded. She motioned to Vachon, "Take him there."

Dawn was watching this, not quite sure what to make of it when she heard something vibrating near her. She looked around and saw Hayden's phone had fallen out of her pocket when she had jumped up. She looked over at Hayden, who was busy with the soldiers.

Thinking Hayden was too occupied to answer, Dawn decided she could take a message. She picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

Dean, Vasquez and Emily turned to Dawn when they heard her voice. Suddenly, they saw Dawn's face light up.

"Are you serious? I'll tell her!"

Dawn hung up the phone and jumped up, running to Hayden.

"Hayden!" she called. Hayden turned away from the soldiers and looked at her cousin. Dawn handed the phone back to Hayden, almost shoving it into her hands as she did. "Your Aunt and Uncle just called."

"Which ones?" Hayden asked.

"Leah and David! They have your mother!"

Hayden's eyes widened and she nearly dropped her phone as she looked at Dawn. Relief washed over her with the news of her mother's location.

"Thank god," she smiled. "Where are they?"

"They took her to Corinth hospital," Dawn told her. "They're going to look over her in a few hours."

"In a few…?"

"After we all get some sleep," Dawn chuckled. She took the phone from Hayden and showed her the time flashing on the screen. "I don't know if you're aware of exactly how late it is."

Hayden grabbed the phone and sighed deeply. "It's 5:00 am?"

"Yeah," Dawn nodded. She looked up at the sky, which was made up of the shields and the dark wasteland sky, "Not that you can really tell right now?"

Emily yawned loudly and curled up in her father's arms. He squeezed her tight as she gave into sleep.

"The adrenaline rush is finally calming," he whispered, getting up. "I'm going to take her back home. Maybe now that the storm is done we can all get some sleep."

As he walked by Dawn, he kissed her on the cheek. Dawn smiled at him.

"Stay safe," she told him. "Who knows what's going on now that the military is down."

Hayden ran her hand through her hair, "How is it already morning?"

"You've been so busy with the storm and trying to take care of the city and finding your mother that you couldn't bother yourself with the time," Dawn chuckled, hugging her cousin. "I think we've all kinda lost track of time."

"Can we go to the hospital?" Hayden asked her cousin as she pulled away. "I kinda want my mommy."

-----Afterlife-----

"… we just have one problem," David said, walking with Dustin and Leanne back into the hospital waiting room. Dustin turned to the doctor and frowned.

"What's that?"

"We don't know how to keep Kaylee from teleporting until we get her powers back in check," David explained. "And we need her to stay in one place for us to examine her."

Kira was the first to notice the three coming back from Kaylee's room. She gently pushed Flynn's sleeping head off her shoulder and got up.

"How is she?" she asked. She always hated that question.

"Physically fine," Leanne told her as David and Dustin continued to talk about Kaylee's teleporting issues and how it would interfere with testing.

"Only physically?"

"Well," Leanne frowned, "we know for sure that Kaylee wasn't hit directly by the lightning; so there's nothing to worry about there."

"But she was hit?"

"To put it simply, her Zwop cloud was hit by lightning leftovers. That's what's causing her powers to malfunction."

"At least she's not zwipping," Kira sighed. "Can you fix it?"

"If she'll sit still," Leanne nodded. "Hayley's with her right now, teleporting with her."

"She's still teleporting?"

"Yeah."

Kira's head dropped back. She knew how Kaylee's powers worked, and it wasn't a huge surprise that she was still moving around unwillingly. If Kaylee wanted to Zwop, her body would Zwop. For her to get to her destination, she needed to picture it clearly in her mind. If she could do that, there would be no problems.

But now it seemed like Kaylee's body and mind had no say on her teleportation. Leanne had completed a full report on what had been going on, and she knew that the teleportation was happening spontaneously. Every few minutes, Kaylee's body would automatically call for a Zwop. To make matters worse, Kaylee wasn't choosing a location. She never knew when the teleportation would happen and was never ready for it to take place. With her mind almost blank due to her current state, there was no telling where she would end up.

"If we get the Dino Gem," Leanne started, "we could hopefully take away her powers."

"Take them away?" Kira frowned. "You can't have Kaylee without Zwop? It's like…"

"I know, but unless you want her stuck between sofa cushions again, this is the only way."

Kira grumbled, "Fine…"

Hayden and Dawn rushed into the hospital after just hearing about Kaylee back at the command center. Before Hayden could get a word in to ask about her mother, Leanne and David were by her side.

"Do you have the Dino Gem?" they both asked her at once. Hayden jumped back slightly.

"I… do I…?"

"The Dino Gem," Leanne nodded.

"Do you have it?" David finished. Hayden turned to Dawn.

"They're doing it!" she said. "The freaky twin thing! Dawn, they're doing it!"

Dawn rolled her eyes as Dustin ran over to the two girls.

"Hayden, do you have your mother's Dino Gem on you?" he asked. Hayden nodded, reaching into her pocket.

"You know I always keep it on me," she said. She gave it to her father, who handed it right over to the two doctors. As soon as the gem was in their hands, Leanne and David took off. Hayden frowned.

"What's going on?"

"They have to remove the Zwop from your mother," Dustin explained.

"Mom with no Zwop?" Hayden asked. "But… she loves her Zwop…"

"It's the only way to keep her from teleporting," Dustin assured his daughter. "I'm sure that once they figure out how to regain control, they'll give her back her Zwop."

"Until then?" Dawn asked.

"Until then there's really nothing we can do," Dustin said. He pointed to the chairs, where Flynn, Ben, Sam, Scott and Christian were sleeping. "Get some sleep, girls."

Dawn grabbed Hayden's arm, leading her over to the chairs before going their separate ways. Dawn found a row of seats that weren't taken and laid herself across. Hayden walked right over to Flynn and sat in the spot next to him.

Flynn stirred slightly when Hayden arrived. He opened his eyes and saw his wife. Without really thinking, he grabbed her gently and lifted her onto his lap, wrapping her in his arms so they could both be comfortable.

Hayden nestled into her husband, resting her head against his chest as fatigue took over her entire body and she fell asleep.

-----Afterlife-----

Summer and Dillon were at the park. They had started searching for Hayden and Kaylee when they got distracted.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. During their little search, they had been talking. Dillon was asking Summer about what she did when she was taking care of Engel while he and the McAllistairs were at work, using the conversation as a distraction so she wouldn't freak out when she couldn't find Hayden and Kaylee, and everything just happened from there.

Summer rubbed her eyes as she woke up, finding herself lying in the grass, in Dillon's arms and naked. Suddenly, everything from the night before hit her. She groaned loudly, slapping Dillon in the chest. He woke with a start, sitting up quickly.

"What the hell?" he asked her. Summer narrowed her eyes as she grabbed her shirt and pants.

"What the hell?" she snapped. "What the hell?"

"Why do I get the feeling that wasn't satisfying?" Dillon groaned. Summer smacked him again.

"What were you thinking?"

"What was I thinking?" Dillon asked. "You're the one who wanted this! You were all, 'I want to have a baby, Dillon'!"

"Not now!" Summer screamed. "Why would you do this?"

"What?" Dillon frowned, "You were the…"

"We should have been looking for my Aunt and cousin!"

"No, no, no, no!" Dillon shouted. He grabbed his pants, sliding them on as he glared up at his wife. "_You_ said that all this talk about taking care of Engel made you miss having a child. _You_ said you had a taste of parenthood, and now you feel empty without it. _You_ said it would be a great idea to have a family!"

"And you agreed with me?"

"Well, I kinda want to have a baby too!" Dillon nodded. "Ever since our pregnancy scare I've kinda been thinking…"

"And you chose now to have one?"

"What did I do?" Dillon asked. He remembered the night before very clearly. Neither he, nor Summer had been drunk. He hadn't forced her, and she hadn't forced him. They had been talking about this for months already. Unless he was missing some psychotic girl rule, he had been a gentleman.

Okay, maybe having sex in the park wasn't very gentleman-like, but aside from that, he couldn't see where he went wrong.

"Summer, I don't get it," he said. "I thought you wanted…"

"NO!" Summer shouted. "I want to find my family. I want to know they're alive and safe! I don't want to be knocked up!"

"But you said…"

"Shut up with what I said!" Summer screamed. "I wasn't thinking clearly! You, of all people, should know that!"

Summer threw her shirt on and grabbed her jacket before storming off. Dillon groaned, dropping back into the grass as he buried his head in his hands. He had no idea what just happened.

He grabbed his shirt and pulled himself back up. He looked at Summer retreating figure as she scanned the park, wrapping her arms around herself. It was obvious from here, that Summer was hoping no one had seen them. He wanted to follow her, but decided against it. She was already mad at him, and he hoped that maybe she needed a little time to cool down.

Unfortunately, he had nowhere to go. All of his friends, everyone in his family, were friends with him because of Summer.

Except one.

-----Afterlife-----

Dillon waited for the door to open after knocking. This was the only place he could think of going for now.

"Dillon?" he heard Ziggy asking as the former L-Green Ranger opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I think Summer's mad at me," Dillon said.

Ziggy opened the door wider, inviting his friend in, "Well, then. You can stay here with me and Rebecca."

"Ziggy! I'm busy working!" Rebecca yelled from her office. Ziggy rolled his eyes and leaned in closer to Dillon.

"When the command center fell, Colonel Truman got right to work on calling a bunch of people to rebuild the systems. Obviously Becca was one of them."

Ziggy led his best friend into the kitchen and offered him a cup of coffee. Dillon politely refused, dropping his head on the table.

Ziggy poured himself a cup and took the seat beside his friend.

"So, what happened in paradise?"

"We had sex," Dillon groaned. Ziggy frowned.

"Um… okay… I don't see how that's a bad thing. I mean, did she want it?"

"Yes… at the time… She woke up this morning and turned into a psychotic version of herself. She was all mad because she said she didn't want this, when I know she wanted this last night."

"You know?"

"Oh, I know," Dillon smirked. Ziggy shook his head, trying to remove the image before it was burned there permanently. He tapped his friend on the back.

"Well, until you figure this out, you can stay here with me," he smiled.

"Ziggy!" Rebecca shouted. Ziggy got up from the table.

"I'll just ask my wife… but I'm sure you're good."


	88. Conner's Zwop

After they got the Dino Gem from Hayden, David and Leanne went to Kaylee's room and set it down somewhere safe. Now that they knew they had everything they needed, they could finally get some rest.

They had been sleeping soundly for a few hours in Kaylee's room when Dustin walked in. He saw the two doctors napping on chairs in the corner of Kaylee's room. Holding a tray of coffees for them, he approached them. Gently, he grabbed David's arm, shaking him awake while kicking the sole of Leanne's shoe.

"Wakey, wakey," he whispered, so as not to wake Kaylee and Hayley.

"Dustin…" David groaned, rubbing his eyes before the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. He grabbed a cup and looked out the window. "What time is it?"

"Nine," Dustin told them. "How's Kaylee?"

"She's still here," Leanne chuckled. The answer to Dustin's question was rather obvious. Kaylee was still sleeping soundly in her bed. She had not teleported since the two doctors forced her to sleep. Either something about the medicated sleep was keeping her powers from working, or she was imagining the spot she was lying in, and it cancelled out her insta-zwop.

"So, are you going to take her powers away now?" Dustin asked them nervously. He turned to his wife, watching her sleeping soundly, finally at peace. He could only imagine how terrifying it must have been for her being indirectly hit by lightning, teleport everywhere, and not know what was going on. Even though she had always been with people she knew and trusted, it was still a situation Dustin couldn't imagine finding himself in.

"Now that we're up," Leanne nodded, pushing herself out of the chair. She walked over to the table beside Kaylee's bed, gently waking Hayley up as she did. The former Dino Tech's head rose up from the bed slowly as she took in her surroundings.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We're doing it," David said. He took Kaylee's hand in his so Hayley could finally let go. Hayley stretched out her hand as she sat up in her chair.

"I thought you were going to talk to her about it," she said.

David and Leanne exchanged nervous looks as they realised where Hayley was going with this. They couldn't exactly remove Kaylee's powers without her consent.

"It's fine," Dustin told them. "You can do it. I'll explain what happened when she wakes up."

Leanne turned to David, "Can he do that?"

"He is her husband," David chuckled, "I think he's got the rights."

"And Kaylee is technically unable to make her own decisions at this point," Leanne nodded.

"Well, only because we put her into a drug-induced sleep."

"Yeah, but it was for her health, and she agreed to that."

"Very true, and she knew she would be out for a while."

"And technically," David added, "This isn't a medical procedure. We're not doing anything that will help or hurt her health."

"It's a Ranger issue. And there are no laws against that…"

Hayley moved in closer to Dustin as she watched the two doctors wriggle their way around their oath and Kaylee's rights.

"Are you finding this a little odd, or is it just me?" she asked the yellow Ranger. Dustin shrugged.

"I'm finding this odd," Dustin nodded, "But if it's going to help my wife get better, I'm all for it."

"Hayley!" Leanne and David called, quickly turning their attention to the red head. Hayley jumped slightly at the sound of her name and placed her hand over her heart.

"What?"

"How do you remove powers using the gem?"

Hayley smirked, "If you find me a computer, I _may_ be able to transfer the energy from Kaylee's body and back into the Dino Gem."

"That sounds complicated," Dustin frowned.

"It might be," Hayley nodded. "I'm not sure how to transfer the powers, and I don't know if I can give superhuman powers to a rock."

"Could you transfer the powers to another human?" David suggested. "Someone who already has Dino powers?"

Hayley nodded, "I might be able to do that."

"Kira's in the waiting room," Dustin said, pointing over his shoulder. "Maybe she can take the powers."

"I don't know," Leanne frowned. "She's going to have her hands full with Kaylee out of commission. I'm pretty sure the last thing she needs is to learn how to control a whole new power."

"And I don't trust teleportation and screaming in one body," David said, rubbing his ear, "That just means she can pop up from anywhere and start screaming at you."

"She wouldn't do that," Leanne chuckled, but it turned into a nervous chuckle when she saw the looks the boys were giving her.

Dustin placed his arm around her shoulders, "I don't blame you for not knowing, dear Leanne."

David nodded, "It's not your fault you were born one of them."

"Um, huh?" Leanne asked, looking from Dustin to David, "What are you talking about? One of them?"

"Long hair, boobs, you're a girl."

"In a family of girls," Dustin nodded. "There's a reason it's called the Seven Sisters."

"You seven stick together like… like…"

"Honey on Pooh," Dustin smiled. Leanne, David and Hayley furrowed their brows as they turned to the Yellow Ranger.

"Honey on poo?" David frowned. "Dustin, what the hell?"

Dustin shrugged, "You know, Pooh Bear," he pretended to stick his hand in an invisible jar of honey, "He loves his honey and when he gets it it's always stuck all over his fur."

"What does that have to do with us?" Leanne asked.

"Well, you seven love each other, and when you're together it's like… it's like…"

"It takes a lot of effort to tear you apart," David finished for his friend. However, he was still giving Dustin strange looks for the comparison.

"So, what does being a girl have to do with me not knowing?" Leanne frowned.

"Kira will scream in your ear just for fun, if you're a dude," Dustin explained. "I don't know why, she just loves making us scream and scaring us shitless."

"And you wouldn't know, because the Seven Sister's first rule of sisterhood is to always stick together."

Leanne turned to Hayley as the boys finished, hoping the older woman would have an explanation. Hayley simply shrugged, throwing her hands up to show she didn't want to get involved in his nonsense. Leanne did the same.

"Whatever, can we just fix her before she decides to disappear on us again?" she asked, pointing to Kaylee.

"I'll go find a computer," Hayley nodded.

"I'll go find a Dino Ranger," Dustin said.

-Afterlife-

"So, when I get these powers, do I have to yell out Zwop, or is that optional?"

Leanne shook her head as she hooked up Conner to the computer. Dustin patted his best friend on the back.

"It's optional, dude."

"Just checking," Conner smirked. He turned his attention to the hospital bed, where Kaylee was still sleeping soundly, unaware she was about to lose her powers.

As Hayley worked on setting up the computer for the transfer, Leanne looked to Conner, then Dustin.

"Seriously?" she asked the yellow Ranger. "Of all the Dino Thunder Rangers, you had to pick him?"

"Who else would I trust to take care of my wife when I can't do it?" Dustin shrugged. "He's my best friend, and I trust him a hundred percent."

"And…" David added, trying to hold back a chuckle. Dustin grinned.

"And Conner's the only Dino Ranger who will annoy you girls so much with the power that it will begin to count as payback for the hell you put us through over the years," Dustin finished explaining.

Leanne was not amused. She rolled her eyes and motioned for Hayley to start the machine.

"Whatever. Are you ready Conner?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Conner nodded. In one hand, he held Kaylee's Dino Gem and in the other, he held Kaylee's hand. Dustin wasn't exactly happy with this arrangement, and opted for another way, but David and Leanne assured him it was the only way they believed the transfer would work.

"Good," Leanne said. She attached a wire to Conner's wrist (the one holding the gem) and hooked it up to the computer. Hayley waited for the nod, before she turned it on.

As the computer started lighting up, and the gem began to glow, David ran Conner through on the last minute information he was going to need.

"Just remember, Conner, in order to teleport, you have to think of the place you want to be in in your mind," he said. "And never, ever, attempt to teleport yourself anywhere dangerous because the answer is yes, you will teleport there, and yes, you will die."

"Got it," Conner nodded.

There was a knock on the door as the transfer came to an end. Kira stepped in, wanting to know how things were going with her best friend and husband.

David was taking the gem back from Conner, as well as unhooking him from the computer when Conner spotted his wife. He had seen her in the waiting room on his way in, but Dustin was in so much of a rush to do the transfer, that he hadn't gotten he chance to talk to her yet.

He walked over to Kira, crossing his arms over his chest, "Where have you been?"

"What do you mean?" Kira asked. "I've been at work. And hello to you too."

"Conner, we need you to try and teleport to see if it worked," Leanne called, holding up a clipboard. Conner shushed her, never taking his eyes off Kira.

"I phoned work, you didn't pick up."

"I was out working," Kira told him.

"I had no idea where you were," Conner frowned. "Kaylee was back at my place and I tried calling you to let you know so everyone could chill out, and I had no idea where you were."

"Okay…"

"You can't just disappear like that," Conner said. "One minute, you're at work, and I know exactly where you are. The next, I'm in an emergency situation and need to contact you, but I don't know how. What if someone was dying."

Kira shrugged and Leanne bit her lip, turning away.

"What does it matter?" Kira frowned. "I'm a grown woman? I'm co-leader of the world. You don't have to know where I am at all times."

"But it's annoying as fuck!" Conner shouted. "I'm sure Cam and Dustin will agree with me on this."

"Okay, okay," Kira frowned. She wasn't sure what was up with her husband, but it seemed something crawled up his ass.

"No, no," Conner shook his head, "Now you're going to know what it feels like to not know where the person you love has disappeared too."

"Conner, what are you -?"

_**ZWOP!**_

Kira coughed as a cloud of red smoke appeared and Conner disappeared, with the familiar Zwop sound echoing inside the room. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she and Leanne exchanged looks.

Dustin was grinning like a mad man as he watched this unfold, wishing he had a bowl of popcorn with him.

"I knew this was going to be amazing," he said. David nodded, patting his friend on the pack.

"Revenge is sweet."

Hayley rolled her eyes, "Well, on the bright side, the transfer was a success."

-Afterlife-

Conner hadn't really been listening when Leanne and David were giving him the safety instructions. He didn't really know what he was doing when he wanted to teleport away and give Kira a taste of her own medicine.

He did however, know that while he was disappearing, he was thinking of going to his best friend's house, like Kira always did when she disappeared randomly, and somehow that led him to Dustin and Kaylee's living room.

He was just about to kick back on the couch, thinking the house was empty, when he heard a creak from upstairs. Hoping it wasn't some punk trying to take advantage of Kaylee being sick to steal the Commander of Corinth's stuff, Conner slowly made his way upstairs. He figured, worse come to worse, if the man was armed or too dangerous for him to handle alone, he could just ZWOP away.

Just when he reached the last stair, he noticed noise coming from Hayden's bedroom. He muttered a curse under his breath as he inched closer to the door, ready for a fight. He took a deep breath before grabbing the doorknob and throwing the door open.

"Get the fuck out of the house you little… Summer?"

Conner immediately dropped his attack stance when he saw his youngest daughter sitting on Hayden's bed, crying. Instead, he adopted a fatherly stance. He approached Summer carefully, not too sure what to do in the presence of a crying daughter. He sat down on the bed beside her.

He tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but pulled away halfway. He patted her back gently.

"Um, what's wrong?" he asked nervously.

Summer wiped her eyes, trying to hide the tears, even though her father had already seen them.

"It's nothing," she told him. "Go away."

Conner looked at his baby girl. Her eyes and cheeks were red, her face was wet with tears and she was sobbing. He may have been a dumb-jock, but he knew she was crying, and though it didn't seem like it, he knew women always had a reason for crying (sometimes they were just very stupid reasons).

"Sweetie, I want to know what happened."

Summer looked up at her father for a moment before pushing herself into him, curling up in his arms and using her father's body to hide away from the world. Conner wrapped his arms around her, letting her know she was safe with him. He kissed her on the top of the head.

"I promise, no matter what it is, you can talk to me about it."

Summer hesitated slightly, but she was desperate to get this off her chest.

"I made a mistake," she whispered. Conner looked down at her, curious. A few years ago, if she had told him that, he would have assumed the worse and would track down whatever boy made his daughter cry and murdered him. But, as far as he knew, his daughter was happily married. Making a mistake didn't mean sex, did it?

"Summer…"

"We were supposed to be looking for Hayden and Aunt Kaylee," Summer told her father. "And we were, I promise, but Dillon got me talking about Engel, and I started thinking about parenthood and… next thing I knew, I was naked in the park."

Conner's eyes widened, "Excuse me?"

He jumped up from the bed, shoving Summer away in the process, and began to pace the room, trying to come up with a way to handle this situation.

He was sure Kira had had this talk with the girls. Respect your body. He remembered badgering her about it for weeks when the girls were thirteen. He couldn't do it. It was too awkward, but he wanted the message to be sent and delivered before it was too late.

"Summer, I can't…"

"We got carried away, dad," Summer told her father, hoping to calm him down. "We were supposed to be looking for Aunt Kaylee and Hayden… but Dillon just kept going on, and on…"

"He pressured you?" Conner asked. Summer could see it. His face was red, his eyes were nearly popping out of his face and his fists were clenched so tight, she was sure he would pop a vein.

"Not exactly… but I wasn't thinking straight… right? I mean, my Aunt and cousin were missing."

"You were vulnerable," Conner agreed, though it wasn't going to take much to convince him of that. Summer was his baby girl. He remembered holding her right after she was born. He had been the first to get the opportunity because Kira was already holding Samantha. She had been so small and innocent and vulnerable to everything. And, no matter how big, or how old she got, every time he looked at her, he still saw the same baby he held in his arms. The little child who made him feel like a father for the very first time.

He punched the wall of Hayden's bedroom, "That son of a bitch!"

He turned back to Summer. She was sitting on the bed, curled up; afraid, humiliated and alone. He quickly took his spot beside her and took her back in his arms, holding her close.

Summer began to cry again in her father's arms. She knew she should have been looking for her family. It was priority number one. But she had let her emotions and desires get the better of her, and she let Dillon talk her into something she never wanted to do. She couldn't understand why he would agree to having sex with her when she was sure he knew she wasn't in the right state of mind to be thinking clearly.

Conner rocked his daughter back and forth, kissing her head and muttering under his breath.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."


	89. Middle Child Syndrome

Rebecca was not pleased when she completed her work. She finished setting up new programs for the Command Center systems around dinner time, meaning Ziggy was left in charge to cook.

This didn't both her. It happened regularly that she would work in her office late and Ziggy would cook meals. However, when she stepped into her kitchen, and saw Dillon sitting with his feet up on the table and eating a bag of Mr. Marshmallows, she was furious. She snatched the bag from Dillon's hands, returning it to her candy cupboard before knocking Dillon's feet off the table.

"I know we're allowing you to stay in our home because you're going through a tough time with your wife, and I do remember Ziggy telling you to _'make yourself at home'_, however, there are still houseguest rules you are required to follow."

Dillon looked at the doctor, "I don't do rules."

"I am well aware of that, Dillon," Rebecca nodded.

"Be nice, Bec," Ziggy told his wife as he handed her a plate. "Dillon's going through a family crisis."

"If I overheard you correctly, your family crisis is the result of the lack of family," Rebecca smirked, which caused Dillon to frown. If he put his feet up on the table, she would get him back by informing him that she knew more about his personal life than he was comfortable with.

Dillon leaned forward, "I know you're socially awkward, Doc," he said, "but you don't eavesdrop on guy talk."

"It's my house," Rebecca grinned, popping a marshmallow in her mouth, "My rules."

Ziggy shook his head at his wife before turning to Dillon, "So, what are you going to do about this, Dillon?"

"Well, figure out why Summer got all mad, first of all."

"Maybe it's her time of month," Ziggy shrugged. Dillon shook his head.

"It can't be."

"Are you sure?"

"After living with her and her period, I've learned to monitor the bathroom garbage, and circle the appropriate dates on my secret calendar. She's not due for another three weeks."

"Maybe it came early?" Ziggy shrugged.

"Menstrual cycle would suggest that if she's fairly regular, and if she's got three weeks until her next period, she's only recently ended her last period," Rebecca told her husband. "It would be one very early surprise… but would explain Summer's sudden change in behaviour."

Ziggy bit his cheek and turned away from his wife and best friend, "Okay, now I'm uncomfortable."

Dillon dropped his hands on the table before pushing away in his chair; he got up and left the kitchen in the direction of the front door.

"I'm going to see if I can go find her," he told Ziggy and Rebecca. "If I'm not back in an hour, it's because Ziggy was right and she murdered me."

-Afterlife-

Only when he was sure his daughter would be fine on her own, Conner left the Brooks household in search of his soon-to-be-late son in-law. As he wandered the streets, trying to think of any place Dillon could be, he muttered under his breath.

"Bad timing for the men to choose to leave and not tell their wives where they disappeared to."

He had already checked the park, and the old Ranger garage, but found no signs of Dillon. He couldn't imagine any other place the boy could be hiding. He only had friends because they had been friends with Summer. It wasn't likely that Dillon would run to any of them if he had hurt Summer the way he did. A man knew better than to run to his wife's family when he made her cry.

It finally hit him as he avoided two boys running after each other in the streets. There was only one friend Dillon had, who wasn't his friend because he knew Summer, and that was Ziggy.

He turned toe, ready to head in the direction of Ziggy's house, when he noticed a group of kids sitting on the sidewalk, resting against a store and huddled up around a cell phone. He heard them giggling and looked over at them for a moment. When the kids looked up, they saw Conner and suddenly started shuffling around, trying to hide the phone. Conner had a bad feeling about this, and walked up to them.

"What are you looking at?" he asked them. The kid holding the cell phone tried hiding it behind his back.

"Nothing, sir," he said, but one of the other boys started to chuckle.

"Do you think I'm funny?" Conner asked, glaring at the kids. Normally he wasn't so aggressive, but he wasn't in the mood for anything right now, aside from killing his son in-law.

"No, sir."

"Then what are you laughing at?" he asked again, extending his hand. "C'mon, I'm in a bad mood and I need something to laugh at."

Nervously, the kid handed the cell phone to Conner. Conner pressed the center button on the phone and watched as a video played. He furrowed his brow in disgust as he watched his daughter and Dillon having sex in the park.

He clenched the phone in his hand and turned the screen to the kids.

"You think this is funny?" he asked, raising his voice, causing a few heads on the streets to turn. The kids shook their heads.

"No, sir."

"Do you know who this is?" he yelled at them. "Where did you get this?"

"It's all over the internet," the only girl in the group spoke up. "Someone uploaded it this morning."

"Someone uploaded it this morning," Conner mimicked before throwing the phone against the wall, causing it to smash. "Do you have any idea who this is?"

"It's the black and yellow Rangers," the first boy said.

"That is my daughter," Conner growled. "My baby girl."

He kicked the wall beside the kids, letting out a cry before turning back to them.

"Get out of here," he told them. "Go home before I call your parents and tell them what you're watching."

"Dude, you don't know our…"

"Get lost!" Conner screamed. The kids didn't waste a second, running off down the street, away from Conner. In the distance, he could hear the first boy muttering to his friends about how he needed to buy a new phone.

His blood was boiling as he set himself back on the path to Dillon, hoping he would find him soon.

-Afterlife-

Jason was stuck on babysitting duty as his mother visited his Aunt Kaylee in her hospital room, and his father went out to grab a dinner for the family when they got home.

He rolled his eyes as Elena got out of her seat and started feeling her way around the room.

"Tell me if I'm about to hit something, okay, Jase," Elena asked him. She always asked him that same question when she was walking around a room she wasn't familiar with. As her older brother, it was his duty to keep her from getting hurt.

But Jason was getting tired of it. Elena had been blind for years now. She should have figured out how to move around without running into things when she was in unfamiliar territory, as well as how to explain to people on her own about her condition, and take responsibility for her own actions, even when they weren't intended.

Jason was always the one rescuing her when she got lost, or stuck. He was always explaining to people that his sister didn't mean to run into them, she was blind. At school, he was constantly being made fun of by his friends, because instead of hanging out with them, or walking home with them, he would have to find his sister in her classroom and walk with her.

The teachers were always commenting about how cute it was that he would help her. But Jason didn't want to be cute. He was fourteen years old. He wasn't cute. He was a man.

At home it wasn't much better. His mom was always yelling at him to pick his stuff off the floor and to keep everything clean, even his bedroom. His sister might trip over something and hurt herself. He could understand, to an extent, why the rest of the house needed to be clean (especially the bathroom he shared with his sister), but he didn't know why his mother got so mad at him when there was something on his bedroom floor. Elena wasn't supposed to go in his room.

He didn't really have any issues with his father, but that was because his father was out working a lot. It wasn't excessive; to the point where Blake was never home to see his kids, but his job as coach for the new Factory Blue did keep him out of the house quite often. And anytime his father was home, he would want to be with Jason's mother, or resting in front of the TV. There was family time, and enough of it, but Jason still felt like he was missing something.

To make matters worse, Jason found he was the average child, trapped between the hero and the cute little blind girl. His older brother was responsible for saving the world. He was a hero and very well known in both Corinth City and NewTech. There wasn't a single person who didn't know what the D-Green Ranger had done, as well as the rest of the Power Rangers. Many even knew the faces behind the helmet, and never hesitated to praise the heroes. There was no way Jason could live up to that. Unless something else happened that put the world in danger again, and Jason got a chance to wear the _not_ spandex.

And his little sister was Elena. Not only was she the D-Green Ranger's poor little blind sister, but she was _The_ Kaylee Brooks' blind niece. As soon as people made either connection, Elena would get all the attention and love she needed. Sure, there were the occasional bullies, but most people would be very kind to Elena.

When people asked Jason who he was, they never knew. Unless he told them his older brother was a Power Ranger, they would never make the connection. And it wasn't something he liked telling people. It wasn't that he didn't like his brother. He loved Mike, and looked up to him in so many ways. It was just that, whenever he talked to people, they would always say the same thing.

"Oh, I didn't know the D-Green Ranger had a brother. I thought he just had a sister. She's blind, isn't she? That's so sad. Life must be so difficult for her. But you, you must be so proud of your big brother. You know, if it weren't for him and his team, the human race would be completely wiped out."

Every time, he heard the same thing. And if it wasn't that, it would be worse.

"Oh, Bradley… your mother is Tori Bradley, right? Isn't she the commander's sister? Wow, can you believe it? Your Aunt is the leader of the world. You must be so proud of her."

Jason couldn't stand it. No, to be honest, he wasn't proud of his Aunt. He was still very young when his Aunt had to lead the entire world and keep them safe. To him, it was completely normal. His Aunt was in charge, big deal.

And yes, the D-Green Ranger has a little brother.

And no, Elena's life wasn't difficult. Especially with people babying her all the time. Even her teachers would do it. If Elena couldn't get her homework in on time, they would extend the deadline for her. She never had a good reason for handing assignments in late. Jason, on the other hand, would spend many nights helping his sister out. Reading her textbooks to her because they weren't printed in Braille, and writing her homework down for her when it had to be done on paper, because she couldn't see. It took up a lot of time and sometimes got in the way of his schoolwork. But he couldn't tell the teachers that. No, they would tell him to organize his time better.

"Ouch!" Elena cried, running into a chair. "Jason! Why didn't you warn me?"

Jason scoffed, "Sorry…"

It was always his fault if Elena got hurt. He was her big brother. He was supposed to protect her and look out for her. He knew that was his job, and he accepted that. But it made his job a lot harder to do when no one realised all the effort he put into it, all the sacrifices he took. Never once had people told him he was doing a good job, or being a good boy for helping his sister. His mom never told him how much she appreciated his effort around the house when his father wasn't home.

At that moment, Tori walked back into the waiting room. Elena heard her footsteps and turned to the door. She could hear her mother's voice as Tori said goodbye to Leanne and David, and made her way over.

"Mommy, I hurt my foot," she told Tori, taking her mother's arm.

"How did you do that?" Tori asked.

"Jason didn't warn me I was about to run into a chair."

Tori shook her head and turned to her son, "Jason…"

"I know, I know," Jason frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I got distracted. I told her I was sorry."

"We've talked about this," Tori told him. She wasn't trying to be harsh, but she was getting frustrated. Her sister was in the hospital after having gone missing.

"I know. Unfamiliar territory, Elena's helpless. She's my little sister… blah, blah, blah."

Tori frowned, "Excuse me?"

"It's always the same thing," Jason said. "I said I was sorry. She didn't get hurt."

"My toe is throbbing," Elena snapped.

"I wouldn't complain about a toe when your best friend was missing an arm," Jason spat back.

"Jason!" Tori shouted.

"What?"

Tori rubbed her temples. "I don't know what to do with you right now."

"Doesn't matter," Jason grumbled. "Is Aunt Kaylee okay?"

"Yeah," Tori nodded, "But don't change the…"

"Good," Jason jumped out of his seat and headed for the hospital cafeteria. "I'm going to get a snack."

"Your father's got dinner…"

"But I'm hungry. I've been watching the fourth blind mouse for an hour now."

Tori shook her head, "Don't get anything too filling; your father's getting pizza."

Elena grinned, clapping her hands together.

"Yay my favourite!"

Jason rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Of course."


	90. A MidSummer Nightmare

"Are you sure the lad needs his toys?" Flynn asked his wife as the McAllistair couple walked up to the front door of Hayden's parent's house. With Kaylee in the hospital, Dustin wanted to stay by her side. However, he didn't want Christian to spend the night, or maybe several nights, in a hospital, so Hayden and Flynn offered to take the boy for a few days.

While Samantha was taking Christian out to get ice-cream, Hayden and Flynn were in charge of going back to the Brooks household to gather what he would need for the extended sleepover.

Hayden stuck the keys in the lock, turning it to open the door.

"Yes. Christian doesn't sleep unless he's got his Power Ranger toys with him."

"He'll be living with two Power Rangers," Flynn frowned. "No, he _lives_ with two Power Rangers."

Hayden shrugged, "I don't know. It's a little boy thing. Don't you remember what it's like?"

"Aye, but…"

"We'll get his toys, and then we can go home," Hayden sighed. "I don't know about you, but I can't wait to just forget about the city for a few hours and shut my eyes."

"How did you get the time off anyways?" Flynn asked his wife. With Kaylee out of commission, the city had unofficially elected Hayden as leader. Ever since the tower had fallen, she had been running around trying to keep everything in order as well as plan a proper funeral for the soldiers who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident and lead the search party to find her mother. In only a day, she had stretched herself so thin, everyone thought it best if she took the night off, especially in her condition.

"Turns out, the pregnant puppy face works twice as well on Aunt Kira than my normal puppy face," Hayden chuckled.

The Pink and Blue Rangers gathered a few toys from the living room before making their way upstairs to Christian's bedroom. He would need his pillow, his Yellow Power Ranger toy, his blanket and pyjamas.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Flynn went for Christian's room while Hayden stopped in her tracks. She heard sounds coming from her old bedroom and decided to check it out.

Flynn noticed her turning in the opposite direction and frowned, but didn't make much of it. She was back at her parent's place, and he assumed she only wanted to take a quick look at her bedroom. He continued into Christian's room and grabbed the boy's things.

Hayden tip-toed into her old bedroom, pushing the door open slowly so it wouldn't creak as she stepped inside. She glanced around the room, making sure there would be nothing jumping out at her as she moved in slowly.

The one thing she noticed was a lump in her bed. Keeping quiet, she made her way over to her bed and grabbed the covers. She took a deep breath before ripping the blankets off the bed, hoping no one would be underneath.

To her surprise, she found a body lying in her bed, sleeping soundly. Well, soundly until Hayden let out a murderous scream. The body jumped up in bed, wide awake.

"Summer?" Hayden gasped, finding her breath as one hand flew to her heart, and the other to her stomach. "What the hell are you trying to do? Make me give birth seven months early?"

Flynn heard the scream from Christian's room and ran across the hall as fast as he could to protect his wife. He charged into her bedroom, holding up Christian's plastic light sabre toy. He didn't have time to look at the person in the bed before swinging the light sabre down.

Luckily for Summer, she jumped back just in time to avoid the plastic sabre to the head.

"Flynn!" she shouted.

Flynn calmed down. He turned to Hayden. Aside from rapid breathing she seemed perfectly fine. He turned back to the bed and noticed Summer.

"Oh…" he frowned.

Hayden shook her head, "Almost two years as a Power Ranger, and you defend your family from Summer, with a plastic light sabre."

"Oi," Flynn pouted, "You try finding a deadly weapon in a four year old's bedroom. It was either this, or I pound the lass to death with a small army man."

Summer raised her hand, "If I get a vote, I choose army man."

Hayden rubbed her temples as she turned to her cousin, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, I was napping," Summer said, "Until you decided to scream bloody murder."

"The door was locked! How did you get in?"

Summer reached into her pockets, pulling out a spare key.

"I used to live here too, remember."

"I think the real question is: why are you here?" Flynn asked the yellow Ranger. Summer looked to him nervously, biting her lip before lowering her gaze to her hands.

"I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Well, you may have just made our kid retarded," Hayden frowned. "You at least owe us an explanation in case the thing turns out like my mother and wants a reason."

"Dillon and I wanted a baby."

"What's the problem there?" Flynn asked.

"The wanted part," Summer sighed. "When the command center fell…"

Summer paused suddenly and looked up at Hayden. She pinched herself for a moment, shook her head and then turned back to Hayden before throwing herself at her little cousin.

"You're okay!" she cried, squeezing Hayden.

"Yeah, right," Hayden nodded, patting Summer on the back.

"We were out looking for you when the command center fell," Summer explained. "Dillon and I started searching the area around the crash site. We were at the park and we were talking about Engel to keep me distracted because I wasn't in my right mind when we got naked and…"

"Whoa," Flynn frowned, covering his ears. Summer didn't stop there. She was so relieved to see her cousin was safe and sound, she couldn't focus on anything. Her mouth and brain just kept spitting out words.

"… we had sex. I wanted a baby, I was ready for one. Taking care of Engel made me realise that there's a part of me that feels empty and lost without a kid. But we had sex in the park, where people could see, and I wasn't in the right state of mind to make a big decision like that. But Dillon doesn't really like you or your mom. He was perfectly fine. He just went along with everything and…"

Summer finally stopped when Hayden's hand covered her mouth and the pink Ranger sighed deeply.

"You've spent too much time around Bridge," she breathed. "Now repeat that in five words or less."

"Dillon took advantage of me."

Flynn's hands dropped from the side of his head as he and Hayden turned slowly, exchanging terrified looks.

"He did what?" Flynn asked, his voice almost turning into a growl. He loved Dillon as a brother, but he had known Summer a lot longer. She was his friend before Dillon stepped into Corinth city, and she was also his wife's older sister in more ways than one. If anyone did anything to hurt Summer, they would have to deal with him.

"Well…" Summer stated nervously, "he didn't take advantage of me in every sense of the word…"

"No," Hayden shook her head. "If you were looking for me and my mom, it's because you thought we were hurt. You must have been running around frantic, scared, stressed an in such a panic mode that you weren't thinking clearly. If Dillon decided to sleep with you… that could be taking advantage of the situation."

"And that would be taking advantage," Flynn nodded. "That lousy son of a bitch!"

Hayden looked at her cousin, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Summer nodded. "I mean, he is my husband. He wouldn't hurt me, right?"

"I don't know," Flynn growled. "The man was never really a good guy. Never trust the brooding bad boys in leather jackets."

"No…" Summer shook his head. Now that other people were agreeing with what she had been thinking before, she was starting to see things otherwise. It was one thing for her to think poorly of her husband in this situation, but she never really thought about how her friends and family would take the information. She already knew her father was out for blood, but it seemed even Flynn was dying to get his hands on the love of her life.

"I should have known," Flynn grumbled. "Nine o'clock kisses, constantly kicking me out of my own living room so you could have some privacy. The man's a pervert!"

"Okay," Hayden said, grabbing Flynn's arm gently to calm him down, "Last time you and Scott jumped to perverted conclusions you almost destroyed a relationship."

Flynn turned to his wife and pointed to Summer, "The lad slept with your cousin when she wasn't emotionally there! Yes, they are married, but there are still boundaries! I would never, ever do that to you, Hayden! What gives that man the right…"

"I'm not siding with Dillon," Hayden frowned. "I hate his guts just as much as you do."

"Then why aren't you angry?"

Hayden smirked, "Because. Hanson girls don't get angry. We get even."

-Afterlife-

Jason hadn't technically lied when he told his mother he was going to the cafeteria for the snack. He just failed to inform her that he wasn't going to stay at the cafeteria to eat his snack, nor was he going to return to the waiting room. He was going to take his food and leave.

It was obvious no one really cared for him. As long as Elena didn't run into things his family would be fine. His father would continue to coach motocross, and come home and lounge on the couch. His mother would probably be happy there was no longer anyone leaving things scattered around the house where Elena could trip on them.

Maybe the only person who would really notice if he left was Elena. But it was about damn time she learned a little independence. So what if she ran into something. People with 20/20 vision still ran into things all the time. It was normal.

He devoured his last cookie as he turned onto the main street in Corinth. If he wandered down this street for a while, he would run into at least one abandoned place where he could spend the night.

He didn't expect to cross paths with Dillon. He had seen the Black Ranger from a few feet away and couldn't find a way to go past him unnoticed. Quickly, before Dillon had the time to stop him, he came up with a story.

"Hey, Jason," Dillon called, catching the boy's arm. "Have you seen Summer around?"

"No," Jason said, shaking his head.

Dillon sighed, dropping his head back, "Okay, if you do, tell her I really need to talk to her."

"Okay," Jason nodded. He could promise that. He knew, where he was going, it was unlikely he would run into Summer.

"Aren't you going to ask why?" Dillon asked the boy curiously. If Jason was anything like Mike, he would at least want to know why Dillon needed to talk with Summer.

"Not really," Jason frowned.

"Got something on your mind, kid?"

"No," Jason answered. He pointed to the pharmacy a few blocks down, "I just need to pick up some things for my sister."

"Okay," Dillon nodded. "Have fun."

"Good luck finding Summer," Jason said before finally getting past Dillon. The Black Ranger watched him run off before shaking his head. Boys will be boys.

Jason ran until he knew he would be far enough from Dillon. When he was sure he was out of sight and out of earshot, he slowed down slightly.

He finally noticed a construction site not too far away and figured it would be the perfect place for him to hide away for the night or at least until he could think of somewhere better in the city to escape his family.

He crawled under the fence flawlessly thanks to his ninja training and ran over the dirt hills until he reached the structure. He climbed up, like he would a tree, until he reached the third floor. It was high enough so people wouldn't notice a boy sleeping alone outside, but still low enough so he wasn't putting his life at risk.

The floor he was standing on was just a large plank of wood, left there so the workers could move around as they worked on the frame of the building. There was no protection from the elements. But with the command center down, the weather wasn't functioning and there would be no rain, no wind and no unexpected changes that could put him in danger or make him sick.

He curled up towards the center of the third floor and rested peacefully on the cold, hard surface.

This was better than going back home with his family. He wouldn't have to clean up the dishes after dinner while Elena went to go play in the living room. He wouldn't have to listen to his mother telling him to pick up the very dangerous sock from the floor. He wouldn't have to sit through three hours of boring television, hoping his father would let go of the remote.

Where he was right now was perfect. No one was yelling at him, or dependant on him. He didn't get in trouble if his sister accidentally got hurt and he didn't have to worry about anyone but himself.

-Afterlife-

After talking with Summer and grabbing all of Christian's things, Hayden and Flynn went back home. They invited Summer to come with them, seeing as she was living with them until her house was rebuild (again, something that had been Dillon's doing and had caused Summer a lot of misery).

Samantha had dropped Christian off towards the end of the night, and Hayden and Flynn put him to bed right away. He was exhausted and didn't notice he was going to sleep earlier than normal.

Flynn and Hayden thought they could put their problems off until morning. Hayden would have to go back to work, and she could help Summer with her issue as time went on. Flynn could go back to work and plot the many ways he could kill Dillon and make it look like an accident, while Summer took the day to take care of Christian and recover from her less than exciting day.

However, Flynn and Hayden soon realised they were going to be in for a long night. While they had been upstairs with Christian, Summer had pulled out the sofa-bed and lied down in it. She had turned on the TV and left it on the channel it had been tuned into.

Fate had never been kind. The channel on the TV had been the news, and the reporter was covering the story of the Yellow and Black Ranger's adventure in the park and the internet footage that already getting many views.

Summer's eyes were wide with horror when her cousin and Flynn came downstairs. Hayden crawled up on the bed beside Summer, offering her comfort, while Flynn turned off the TV and turned to the girls. He sat on the end of the bed, staying up all night to help Hayden comfort Summer as she cried.


	91. Jail Time

Kaylee and Dustin were in Kaylee's room, lying on her bed and watching TV. This was the first time alone they had in hours and were taking advantage of it. Kira had left a while ago to take care of the city, allowing Hayden to take some well deserved time off.

Suddenly, Tori barged into the room, looking completely panic stricken. Tori dropped all her stuff on the ground as she turned to Kaylee and Dustin.

"Is Jason here with you?" Tori asked.

Kaylee and Dustin exchanged looks before both shaking their heads. Tori groaned loudly, dropping her head back. She ran her hands through her hair, pulling tightly to hold in her frustration.

"Why?" Kaylee asked. "I thought he was with Elena in the waiting room."

"He was," Tori nodded. "But he went to the cafeteria to get a snack. When Elena and I went after him a little while later to take him home, he wasn't there. We thought, maybe, he took off and went home without us, but Blake hasn't seen him."

"Have you called Mike?" Dustin asked. Tori nodded.

"He hasn't seen Jason either."

"Well, he's not in here," Kaylee stated. "I haven't seen him around in ages."

"Do you want me to help you look?" Dustin asked, moving off the bed slightly. Tori shook her head, holding her hand up.

"No, no, don't worry about it…"

"Tor, it's fine," Kaylee told her. "We'll help you find Jason. He couldn't have gone far."

Kaylee reached to the end table beside her bed, pulling out a pen and a blank piece of paper. She jotted something down before folding the paper up and handing it to Tori.

"Here," she said. "It's a letter telling Kira to let you into NewTech. Search everywhere in Corinth before you use this."

Tori took the paper and stuffed it in her pockets.

Dustin looked at his sister in-law gently, "Are you sure you don't want help?" he asked her. "Contrary to popular belief, Kaylee and I do see each other a lot… if that's what's holding you back."

"No," Tori said. "I'll call the others and ask if they've seen him. Blake's at home, Vanessa's at her place and Mike's already out on the streets looking for him."

"Let us know," Kaylee smiled softly. "When you find out anything."

"I will," Tori nodded before setting out to search for her missing son.

-Afterlife-

About a few blocks before reaching Ziggy's house, Conner finally ran into Dillon. The black Ranger didn't have any time to process the presence of his father in-law before Conner grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against a wall.

"You little piece of shit!" he screamed. Dillon grabbed Conner's wrist, trying to relieve the pressure on his neck. He could only assume Conner had somehow found out about his and Summer's night in the park and he was playing the protective father role.

"Conner, this isn't what it…"

"Shut up!" Conner shouted, squeezing Dillon's neck. "Shut the fuck up before I really kill you."

Right now, Dillon really wished he was still a hybrid. He would have had no problems getting free from Conner's grasp and fighting back until everything had been explained. But as it stood now, Dillon was a human. He was tough, but so was Conner, who had years of experience over Dillon as well as the father instinct that would allow him to murder, in the middle of the city to protect his daughter.

Dillon squirmed slightly, which only seemed to agitate Conner further as the angry father threw a punch, hitting Dillon in the jaw. Conner let go, allowing Dillon to collapse slightly and nurse his wound for only a moment before throwing another punch at Dillon, this time hitting him in the stomach.

Not wanting to get his ass kicked, Dillon decided to fight back. He straightened himself out before launching himself at Conner. They exchanged a few punches before someone ripped them both apart.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" a Corinth soldier asked, holding the two men at a distance so they wouldn't jump each other. He placed himself between them.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Conner shouted, rubbing the blood from his lip as he pointed to Dillon.

The soldier shook his head, "Both of you, come with me," he called, letting his arms drop to the sides for a moment. This gave Conner and Dillon all the permission they needed to throw themselves at the other.

The soldier jumped out of the way, pulling out his gun and shooting into the air. The sound frightened the two men as they paused for a moment.

"Come with me, peacefully, or I will call for backup and I will throw you both in jail for assault."

Conner glared at Dillon as the soldier grabbed his arm, "If I didn't have a daughter to comfort right now, I would kill you and take the punishment."

Dillon scoffed, "I'm only holding myself back so I can talk with my wife."

"You bastard!" Conner shouted, throwing himself onto Dillon.

The soldier rolled his eyes, calling for back-up, just like he promised.

-Afterlife-

Hayden was tired as hell when she got to work the following morning. She had stayed up all night with Summer and her husband and hadn't slept a wink since before the Command center fell. She joined her Aunt Kira and Vasquez in the middle of the city.

Vasquez was the first to notice Hayden's tired look and frowned, but Hayden shook her head, not wanting to explain with Kira right beside her.

Kira had been talking with Hicks before she hung up her phone and looked at Hayden and Vasquez.

"Your little city never ceases to amaze me," she sighed loudly.

"What was that?" Vasquez asked the commander of NewTech.

"That was the prison," Kira explained, "They called to let me know about a recent arrest. With the command center down, and your real commander out of commission, they believe this is the safest thing to do."

"Who was arrested?" Hayden asked, curious to know who else would do something so stupid while the city was in crisis. She already knew the few people who had been arrested the day before and overnight for trying to steal from shops or homes.

"Well," Kira hissed, "Why don't you come with me and find out?"

"Shouldn't someone stay here?" Vasquez suggested, "That was everyone knows where at least one of is at all times?"

"Is that you volunteering?" Hayden smirked. Vasquez shrugged.

"Only if you think it's a good idea. If you need me to come with you… or if you…"

"Vasquez, it's a good idea," Hayden smiled while shaking her head side to side. Vasquez still doubted herself, even when she was one of the top three people in charge. Though she didn't have as much power as Kira, or even Hayden, her opinion, and her decisions were still as important as any. "Can you take care of things for a few hours while we go to the prison and take care of a few criminals?"

"I guess," Vasquez nodded. "Do you want me to call you if…"

"No," Hayden said. "Just do what feels right."

"Colonel Truman is on the other side of the city overseeing the system restoration with Greg and Rebecca," Kira informed Vasquez. "Only call him if the sky is falling… again. Hayden and I are going to be too busy face-palming and calling people retards to deal with any issues."

Hayden turned to her Aunt, "Who the hell ended up in jail?"

Kira shook her head, "You're really going to laugh… and I'm going to have a lot of yelling to do."

-Afterlife-

Christian knocked on the bathroom door as he held his hand against his lower region and danced around.

"Summer, I really, really need to use the bathroom," he cried to his sister. "Get out, please!"

"Just a minute!" Summer shouted as she sat on the toilet, looking down at a small stick in her hands.

"Are you pooping?" Christian asked through the door as he knocked again.

"Christian, go finish your breakfast!"

"I can't! I really need to pee!"

"There's a bathroom upstairs."

"I won't make it!"

Summer grumbled under her breath as she got off the toilet and opened the door.

"You won't make it upstairs, but you have all the time in the world to wait in front of this door to pee."

Christian ran in before the door was open wide enough and bolted towards the toilet, lifting the seat so he could pee the way his daddy taught him. Summer looked away, giving him his privacy while she glanced down at the little stick in her hand again.

"What are you looking at?" Christian asked her as he relieved himself. He obviously wasn't very shy.

"Watch your aim!" Summer told him, turning him back to the toilet. "Dear god, buddy. The walls aren't super-absorbent."

"Sorry," Christian laughed. He looked back at his sister. "What's in your hand?"

"Nothing, kiddo," Summer told him, hiding the instrument behind her back. Christian glared at her, shaking his head.

"I'm not Engel," he said. "I know you're hiding something."

"It's a pregnancy test," Summer told him, both in defeat and out of desperation. Hayden and Flynn were out of the house, so there was no one to talk to. She needed a friend, and Christian was all she had.

"Pregnancy? Like Hayden?"

"Yeah," Summer nodded. "Girls take this test to see if there is a baby inside them."

"How does it work?" Christian asked. Summer frowned, trying to come up with a kid friendly answer. She didn't want to tell him she had to pee on the stick because that could lead to two different scenarios. Either he would want to try it, which she wasn't going to let happen, or he would ask why she needed to pee on a stick if the baby was in her stomach.

"You stick it in your mouth," she told him. "Like a thermometer, and it can tell if you have a baby inside you or not."

"How?" Christian asked.

"The same way a thermometer knows if you're sick or not."

"Oh," Christian said. "Can I see it?"

"No," Summer told him, holding the pregnancy test out of his reach. "Only girls are allowed to see it."

"Why?"

"Because if boys see it, they get cooties."

"Ew, girl germs," Christian said in disgust, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah, ew."

He looked up at his sister, "So?"

"So… So what?"

"Is there a baby?"

Summer believed it was still way too early to tell if she was pregnant or not, at least on her own it was. She was really only taking the test to satisfy her curiosity, at least for now. If she could convince her mind there was no baby, it might take some of the stress off.

"Not yet," she sighed. Christian frowned.

"Aw… I want to be an uncle again."

Summer shook her head, "Be happy you're already an uncle. Most four year olds are asking their parents from a baby brother or sister."

Christian pulled up his pants and turned to his sister.

"I'm done."

"No you're not," Summer said, scooting away from the sink, "Wash those nasty hands."

-Afterlife-

"Going to prison wasn't enough for you the first time, was it?" Hayden chuckled, stepping into the visiting cell with her Aunt Kira. Dillon and Conner sat at two different tables, glaring hatefully at each other are the guards around them watched their every move. Kira looked at them before waving them off.

"We can handle it from here," she told them.

The guards walked off, leaving the four alone. Kira turned to Conner and shook his head.

"What the fuck did you do?" she asked him. Conner pointed to Dillon.

"Tried my hand at murder."

"How did it work for you?" Dillon smirked.

"Well, you're rotting in jail."

"So are you," Hayden pointed out.

"What are you doing here?" Dillon asked the pink Ranger as she sat down at his table. "Don't you have a command center to fall out of."

Hayden glared at him, "If I were you, I would shut up," she growled. "I know what you did."

"Good," Dillon sighed, "Can you explain it to me? I've been lost in my own relationship."

Kira looked from the black and pink Rangers to her husband.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here?"

Conner pointed to Dillon, "Kira, do you see that man right there?"

Kira squinted her eyes, "Oh, oh… I think I see…"

"He took advantage of our baby girl."

Suddenly, the situation wasn't funny anymore. Kira's face fell completely as she looked at Dillon, giving him the evil eye. Hayden shuddered away. The only time she had ever seen her Aunt give a look like that was way back when her ex-boyfriend, Nathan, betrayed her.

"What?" Dillon asked, jumping up in his seat and slamming his hands down on his table. "I did no such thing!"

Conner jumped out of his seat as well, "You shut up! You know exactly what you did! It's already on the internet!"

"And the news," Hayden frowned.

"What?" Kira gasped. She was pretty sure she was about to pass out.

Hayden turned to her Aunt, "Summer and Dillon had sex in the park. Someone saw it, filmed it, and took it to the news. Everyone knows about it now."

She turned to Dillon, "Summer's in tears."

"I swear, I would never do anything to hurt her!" Dillon screamed. "Yes, Summer and I had sex in the park, but I thought we were both ready for it!"

"Hello, she wasn't emotionally stable at that point!" Hayden shouted. "She thought my mom and I were dead!"

"She seemed perfectly fine to me!"

Hayden dropped her head on the table, only to snap it up seconds later to glare at Dillon.

"You're so stupid!"

Dillon cocked his head to the side.

"If I really was stupid, you wouldn't be blaming me for this, would you?"

"Shut up."

Dillon turned to Kira, "Look, can you please let me out? Obviously I really need to talk with your daughter."

Kira nodded her head, waving for one of the guard to return back into the room and open the cage. Dillon got out of his seat and headed for the exit. Just before leaving, Kira grabbed his arm, holding it tight as she whispered fiercely.

"I'm only letting you out because I know you're not a threat to the city," she said, "But I swear, if you get into another fight, I don't care what the reason is; I'm looking you up and throwing away the key!"

Dillon nodded, "I'll make it up to you."

"Just don't hurt my daughter again."

When Dillon was gone, Kira turned to her husband, glaring wickedly at him. Hayden whistled, turning her gaze away in this awkward moment.

"You're in trou-ble, Uncle Conner," she said.

Conner turned to his wife, "Did you not hear what he did to our daughter?"

"Yes," Kira nodded. "And I hate him for it right now. But do you really think Summer would want you to murder her husband?"

"I don't care what Summer wants right now," Conner growled. "I trusted that son of a bitch with my daughter, and he… I can't even think about it!"

"Good," Hayden frowned. "The video is burned inside my mind!"

"Conner, take a deep breath," Kira told her husband as she sat down at his table. "I know you hate Dillon right now, but Summer's probably hurting. She doesn't need you to murder her husband and make things worse. She just needs someone to be with her right now and tell her everything will be okay."

Conner looked up at his wife and glared, "I hate when you're right."

"Look, when we get back home, we'll play darts with Dillon's picture, okay?"

Conner groaned, crossing his arms.

"Stop making sense," he told her.

"Conner, I just don't want to have to bail you out of jail again!"

Conner smirked, "No need."

_**ZWOP!**_

Hayden jumped as the familiar Zwop echoed in the room. Her eyes widened and her jaw hit the floor as she turned to her Aunt Kira.

"You gave _HIM_ my mother's powers?"

"It was your father's idea," Kira nodded, face-palming. "It's revenge for all the time the wives have disappeared without telling the guys where we disappeared too."

Hayden nodded slowly, "Effective… but when will my mom get her powers back?"

"That's up to Leanne and Doc," Kira shrugged. "But she will get them back. I never thought I would say this, but the power is better in Kaylee's hands."


	92. Summer's Realisation

"Okay, Tori, take a deep breath," Kelly said, trying to keep Tori calm over the phone as she walked home from Storm Chargers, "He's a tough little booger."

Kelly listened to Tori's desperate rant as she crossed the street, making sure to check both ways.

"Look," Kelly said when Tori's rant started to die down, "I'll just go home and RJ, Hannah and I will look around the area. We'll find him, I promise."

As Kelly went to hang up the phone, a car darted down the street at high speeds, honking its horn as soon as it saw Kelly. She jumped out of the way, happy her reflexes were well tuned. She held her hand over her heart as she watched the car speed past.

When the car turned another corner, Kelly saw something moving in the distance. She frowned and began to follow the figure. However, before she could even get close to it, or figure out who it was, it had crawled into a blocked off section of a construction site.

Kelly ran to the fence before hitting it in frustration. She got up on the tip of her toes and grabbed the top of the fence, pulling herself up so she could see over it.

"What are you doing, mom?" Hannah asked, surprising her mother. Kelly jumped off the fence and turned to the blonde behind her.

"I thought I saw something," she said, tapping the fence with her hand.

"Mom, no one goes in there," Hannah laughed.

"Someone went through that hole," Kelly pointed to the small hole at the base of the fence, where she thought she saw a figure crawl through. Hannah knelt down and examined the hole.

"Please, you would have to be very, very talented to fit through that little thing."

Kelly looked at the hole again, comparing to her daughter before realising Hannah was right. She sighed while tapping Hannah on the back.

"C'mon, let's go find your Aunt Tori."

Hannah frowned as she wondered why they needed to find Tori but followed her mother without another word.

Meanwhile, in the construction zone, Jason felt his stomach rumbling. He had had to leave the zone while the construction workers were present, but came back towards the end of the day, when he assumed they would be packing everything up to go home.

Because he hadn't eaten in almost a day, Jason was willing to eat anything he could find. Fortunately for him, it appeared one of the construction workers left their lunchbox behind. Jason made sure the way was clear before darting over and ripping the lunchbox open. He was lucky to find a half eaten sandwich and an apple left over.

As he started to eat the sandwich, one of the big workers walked out around the empty truck and spotted him.

"HEY!" he shouted, none too happy about the fourteen year old boy who thought it would be funny to eat the dinner his sick wife had made especially for him. Jason dropped the lunchbox, getting back to his feet as he stepped away from the angry man. The worker glared at him, picking up the sandwich from the ground. "What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?"

Jason stammered, "N-Nothing… sir… I thought…"

"You know, stealing is a crime," the worker growled. "I could have you arrested."

Dillon was on his way home from the prison when he decided to take a shortcut and run through the construction site. It would be faster than crossing the busy streets and waiting for the lights to change.

When he heard a construction crew yelling, he ignored it, knowing a lot of them thought they were tough guys and decided to act out on it whenever they could. But when he heard a familiar voice talking back to the construction worker, in a fearful tone, he stopped in his tracks and turned to the scene.

He saw Jason, slowly backing away from an angry worker. Groaning loudly, he decided to go help. After all, he couldn't just stand by and watch as his wife's cousin got the snot beat out of him. That would not help him patch things up.

"Excuse me," Dillon said, making his way to Jason, pulling the boy back as he glared up at the worker," is there a problem here?"

"You know this kid?" the worker asked. Dillon nodded.

"He's my cousin."

"Well, tell your little cousin to keep his paws off my dinner," the worker growled. He grabbed his things before taking off, muttering curses under his breath. Dillon turned to Jason, shaking his head in disappointment.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the boy, "I thought you were going to pick up some things for Elena."

Jason lowered his head, "None of your business."

"Well, I just saved you from getting your ass kicked by a man bigger than me," Dillon frowned, "So yes, it is my business."

"I'm a ninja, remember," Jason grumbled. "I could take him."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure he was shaking in his boots with all that stuttering you were doing," Dillon rolled his eyes before adopting a mock voice, "S-sir, I'm so-sorry. I-I was just-t try…"

"Okay, okay," Jason frowned, shoving Dillon slightly, "Thank you."

Dillon shook his head, "Whatever. Let's just get you home. I really need to be somewhere."

Jason pulled away from Dillon, "NO! I don't want to go home!"

Dillon reached for Jason, grabbing his arm, "I don't think you get a choice in the matter."

"Yes I do!" Jason screamed. "I should get a choice. It's my life, not yours, not Elena's! It's mine, okay!"

Dillon let go of Jason, a little surprised by the statement. Jason felt Dillon release his arm and took off before the black Ranger could follow him.

Dillon wasn't comfortable with this. He checked his watch. He knew he had to be home soon so he would have enough time to talk with Summer, but he couldn't let Jason run off. Already the little brat had gotten himself into trouble once. He groaned loudly, as he took off after Jason.

-Afterlife-

When Hayden got home, Flynn and Summer had already eaten dinner and were sitting on the couch, watching a DVD. Flynn assumed this would be the best way to occupy Summer without accidentally stumbling upon a news report about her adventure in the park.

Hayden walked into the living room, taking a seat beside Summer while at the same time noticing Dillon wasn't home yet. She paused the movie and turned herself so she was facing her cousin.

"I think we need to talk."

Summer pointed to Flynn, "He's over there."

"No, no, I need to talk with you," Hayden said. Summer looked at her cousin.

"What?"

"You'll never guess who got arrested last night," Hayden chuckled.

"Fresno Bob?"

"No."

"Someone else from the cartels?"

"No…"

"Did someone finally arrest those Winchesters for being stuck up snobs?"

"No, Summer…"

"Oh, the guys who thought it would be fun to record my night with Dillon?"

Hayden dropped her head in her hand, "You know, when someone tells you you'll never guess it's not a challenge."

"Fine, who?"

Hayden smiled, "The two men in your life?"

"Dad and Christian got arrested?" Summer cried out. Hayden dropped her head again.

"Boy, you're ignorant," she sighed. "At least you got one of them right. What about your husband?"

"What husband?"

Flynn leaned forward in his seat, "She's a little angry, Hayden. You should have seen her eating her meat at dinner."

Hayden shook her head, "No, thank you."

"Wait, Dad and Dillon got arrested?"

"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!" Hayden nodded, ringing a fake bell.

Flynn suddenly burst out laughing, holding his sides as he tried to keep himself on the couch. Summer turned to Hayden, eyes wide as she tried to process the information.

Hayden decided to explain, "They were caught fighting in the streets. When your mom and I went to visit them, they seemed really pissed off at each other."

Flynn grabbed the arm of the couch, holding himself up as he turned to his wife, "Wait, hold up. You and Kira went to see them in prison? Conner's wife, Dillon's mother in law and you went to talk to them?"

"Yeah," Hayden nodded.

Flynn's laughter only grew louder, causing Braveheart to start howling from the backroom, and Christian to run down from him bedroom to see what was going on.

"Why would they be fighting?" Summer asked her cousin, trying to ignore Flynn's laughter.

"Well, your dad was pretty pissed off at Dillon for what he did," she explained. "I mean, have you not met your father? There's a reason he got the red suit."

"Okay," Summer nodded.

Hayden grabbed her cousin's hands, "Look, I'm not telling you this because I think it's funny…"

"Even though it is," Flynn interrupted.

Hayden shot him a look, "When Aunt Kira and I were talking to Dillon he seemed to have no idea why you were so mad at him. And I don't mean in that typical guy-doesn't-know-why-his-wife-is-pissed kinda way. I mean the genuine clueless kinda way."

"He really doesn't know?" Summer frowned.

Hayden shook her head, "No. How about you run us through that night together? Maybe some signals got mixed up or something."

Flynn's laughter suddenly stopped when he heard this and got up. He wanted to help Summer, yes. But he didn't want to do it if he had to listen to the many different ways Dillon could make Summer scream and moan. He picked up Christian, taking him out of the room.

"We're getting out of here," he told the boy.

"But, want to listen."

"Nooo, you do not," Flynn said, caring the young boy under his arm. "Believe me."

Summer waited until the boys were gone before looking down at her hands.

"I've already told you everything," she said.

"Okay, but, say it again… You and Dillon were looking for me and mom?"

"Yeah…"

"And he decided to distract you a little by talking about…?"

"Engel," Summer said. "He kept asking me what I did with her during the day, you know, stuff like that."

"And you kept talking about it?" Hayden asked. Summer nodded.

"Yeah."

"So, wait… what exactly was the connection between talking about Engel, to having sex in the park?"

Summer shrugged, "I don't know, okay! All I know is we were looking for you and then bam! I'm naked, outside, in public and he seems happy about it."

Hayden cringed, finding it hard to stay impartial now. If she wanted to help figure everything out between Summer and Dillon, she knew she was going to have to stay neutral. It was easy to blame Dillon for this, but that was most likely the problem.

"Okay… um… well, why would you guys have sex?" Hayden asked. "Like, were you two madly in love at that moment… or… what?"

"I don't know. We were just talking about Engel."

"Please, come up with another answer," Hayden begged, "I know you don't mean it that way, but it makes it sound like Engel turns both of you on!"

"No!" Summer screamed, covering her ears, "No, no, not like that!"

"Well, what about Engel could…"

"I don't know!" Summer screamed. She dropped her head in the space between her legs and Hayden. Hayden bit her lip as she looked around the room. There were toys still scattered around on the floor from when Christian was downstairs playing with Summer.

Hayden smirked, lifting Summer's head from the couch.

"Do you like taking care of the kids?" she asked. Summer nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay… and you and Dillon have said before that you were ready for kids, right?"

"Yeah."

"So… maybe…"

Hayden was interrupted when the phone rang. She groaned loudly, picking it up.

As Hayden spoke on the phone, Summer thought about what Hayden was trying to say. She was trying to come up with a reason for Dillon, give him the benefit of the doubt to see if maybe, she had overreacted.

She decided to think about what exactly got her so upset about that night. She could remember enjoying it as it happened. She remembered the feeling of happiness as she and Dillon got some alone time together (which turned out not being so alone), and the feeling of love as she and Dillon discussed starting a family…

Summer's whole body, as well as her mind, froze up when she finally remembered the reason she and Dillon got so carried away.

Hayden suddenly grabbed her arm and began pulling her towards the door as she yelled for Flynn to watch Christian. Summer shook her head and turned to Hayden.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Hayden grabbed her shoes and tossed Summer her pair.

"That was Aunt Tori," she said. "Apparently Jason's gone missing."

"What…?"

"We're going to meet up with Aunt Tori, Aunt Kelly, Uncle RJ and Uncle Shane at their place."

"Aunt Tori's?"

"Yes! Get your shoes on!"

"Okay, okay," Summer nodded, quickly slipping her feet into her shoes. As she tied the laces, she glanced up at Hayden.

"What if Dillon comes…"

"You'll talk to him later, okay?" Hayden told her as she ran to the stairs. Flynn was coming out of Christian's room, wondering why his wife and Summer were leaving. Hayden explained to him that Jason was missing, and they were going to get together with the family before forming a working search party.

"You do know that if Dillon comes by here, I'll probably rip his head off, right?" Flynn asked.

"Touch him before I can talk to him and I'm going to murder you in your sleep," Summer threatened, "Got it, blue boy?"

Flynn saluted, slightly afraid, "Aye…"


	93. MakingUp

Blake offered his guests a glass of water as everyone sat in the living room, discussing all the places Jason could have run off too. It had already been firmly established that he wasn't with _any _of his aunts, uncles, cousins or friends (Blake had phoned everyone he knew, as well as a few random phone numbers out of sheer panic).

Shane finally decided to ask one of the most important questions of all, that for some reason everyone had ignored.

"Why would he run off?"

The room fell silent as Tori, Blake, Kelly, RJ, Hayden and Summer turned to the former Red Ranger.

"That's a good question," RJ nodded, pointing to his friend. He turned to the parents of the boy in question. "Why would Jason run off? He's a smart kid… a good kid! There would have to be a reason for him to want to leave."

Tori and Blake exchanged looks. They didn't want to consider the option that Jason wasn't happy. As far as they knew, they had done everything to insure he was happy and safe at home. They couldn't possibly think of a reason he would run away.

"OW!" Elena screamed, kicking one of Jason's textbooks out of her path as she walked into the living room. "MOM!"

Tori shook her head, pulling her daughter in so Elena could find her as the young Bradley girl started complaining about her brother.

"Jason's still leaving all his stuff on the floor! Even when he's not here!"

Blake picked up the textbook and placed it on the coffee table.

"Sorry about that," he told his daughter. "I forgot to pick that up when I went through his backpack."

Elena turned to her mother, looking up, "Can you please remind him not to leave his stuff on the ground when he comes home?"

Hayden leaned forward in her seat, grabbing her cousin's arm gently and pulling her in close. She wrapped her arms around her in a loose hug.

"Sweetie, don't do this right now," she whispered in Elena's ear. "Your brother missing is very serious."

"I don't care," Elena pouted, "I don't know when there's something on the floor! I could trip and hurt myself."

"But you didn't," Summer told her. "Just let it go, for now."

Elena huffed, crossing her arms, "Fine… but one day I'm going to hurt myself really badly, and all of you are going to wish you told Jason to clean up his stuff! It's getting very annoying!"

As Elena stormed off, RJ turned to her parents. His had a worried look on his face as he pointed to their daughter.

"Is she always like this?" he asked.

"She can't see, RJ," Tori groaned, trying to deal with the stress of her missing child, and her blind child. "We can't leave things on the floor."

"But, does she always get that mad when she trips over something?"

"Usually," Blake nodded.

RJ frowned as he glanced down at the book on the coffee table. He imagined this happened several times a day. He could remember being a young teenage boy, and cleanliness was on the bottom of his list of important things to do. If Jason was the same, there would be a few things lying around the house at all times. He could understand how it got annoying (Hannah was also one to leave her things anywhere and anywhere gravity would hold them down), but it was something that the family shouldn't be bothered by too much.

He could also understand how frustrating it must have been for Elena to suddenly step on a sharp object or stub her toe. In a house where one of the occupants was blind, cleanliness would be something very important. Jason should have also taken that into consideration.

However, when RJ looked around the house, he noticed it was very well organised and very tidy. This was helpful for Elena, making it easier for her to find things in her own home.

"Does Jason always leave his stuff everywhere?" he asked.

"Most of the time," Tori said. "Stuff falls out of his bag all the time, or he forgets to put stuff away properly and they wind up on the floor. It drives Elena crazy."

"And it drives you crazy," Blake smirked. Tori turned to him with a glare. Blake pulled away and shrugged, "What… you're always telling him to clean up his stuff."

"Isn't Jason usually Elena's eyes, though?" Shane asked. He remembered having the two Bradley children for a sleepover at his place a few months before. Jason had been by his sister's side, constantly helping her find her way through the house. He was basically at her beck-and-call, leaving himself very little time, because Elena couldn't manage. "As far as I know, he's spending all his time helping her out. She should at least be a little grateful for her older brother."

"We've told her that," Blake nodded. "But she just says it's his job. He's bigger and a boy."

"But it's not," Shane frowned. "He's a kid. He's fourteen! Yes, she's his little sister, and he should help her out… but the boy's got a life."

Suddenly the front door opened and the seven people in the room could hear two voices coming from the main hallway.

"But I don't want to come home!" Jason whined.

Tori threw herself forward as she ran to the hallway, but Kelly didn't think this was a good idea. She grabbed the blond, holding her back and motioning for her, as well as the rest of the group to stay quiet.

"You've probably scared your parents and sister shitless!"

Summer recognised that voice. It was Dillon's. Her eyes widened as she turned to Hayden. Hayden shook her head, telling her to wait for the right time.

"They don't care," Jason grumbled.

"I'm sure they do."

"If I'm not at home, mom won't yell at me, dad won't miss me, and Elena will just have to learn to be independent. It's better for everyone if I just leave!"

"Your parents love you! You're lucky to have them!" Dillon told the young boy.

"No they don't! Ever since Elena stopped being able to see, I've been the helper child! My only responsibility now is to help her live her life to her full potential, and make sure nothing keeps her from doing that! I have to walk her home from school every day because she can't get herself a seeing-eye dog or a white cane! I have to help her with her homework, and do mine because she can't write! I have to clean up after myself, even in my own bedroom, because she can't learn to look where she's going…"

"Well…"

"You know what I mean!" Jason screamed.

Kelly let go of Tori as the Bradley parents made their way into the hallway.

Jason finished his rant, unaware that his parents were now standing right behind him.

"I'm the helper child and that's all I'm ever going to be. I'm going to be old and look back on my life and see Elena's! Her first crush, her first date, her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first fail, her graduation, her first day of university, first job interview, first day at work, her engagement… everything!

Dillon nodded his head as Jason spoke, but began to point over his shoulder. When Jason was done, he turned around, finding his parents.

Sighing loudly, he dropped his head forward and began walking towards the stairs.

"I'll go to my room."

Blake grabbed his arm firmly, holding him back.

"Why do you think we would send you there?" he asked.

"Because I ran away and scared you guys and you never want me to do that again."

Blake pulled his son into a strong hug.

"That's exactly why we won't send you to your room," he said. "Unless you want to go?"

"Jason, we owe you a huge apology," Tori smiled, stealing her son from Blake and holding him in her arms. "We had no idea you felt that way."

"Well I did."

"Sweetie, can we talk for a few minutes?" Tori asked her son. Jason shrugged.

"I guess."

Tori took a seat on the stairs and invited Jason to sit next to her. Blake leaned against the railing, looking down at his son.

Tori wrapped her arm around him, "We need your help," she started by telling him. "Your sister is blind. She has a handicap. No matter how well adjusted she is in her life, she will always need someone who will help her out and who will protect her. This world was built for people who can see, hear, think, speak and move properly."

"I know," Jason nodded.

"No, you don't," Tori shook her head. She looked up at Blake, "Go get Elena. She should hear this too."

Blake nodded, sneaking by his wife and son as he ran up to his daughter's bedroom.

Tori turned back to Jason with a small smile.

"Elena is your little sister, and all your life you're going to be responsible for her," she explained. "There are some things she will need help on, things that… she can't do. It'll be your job to help her with that."

"But I do everything for her," Jason whined. "I don't have a life!"

"You're fourteen," Hayden grinned as she stepped into the hall, "You don't have a life yet."

"Shut up, preggers!"

"Hayden…" Tori shook her head, "Back in the living room."

"I have to pee!" Hayden said, pointing to the bathroom door. "Junior does not take mercy on my bladder."

"Make it quick," Tori chuckled.

Jason turned to his mother as his cousin disappeared into the bathroom.

"Mom, I get it. I need to help Elena. But I'm always doing it!"

"I know," Tori nodded as Blake returned with Elena. The two sat on the stairs, just a little above Jason and Tori. Tori shifted slightly so she was looking up at her daughter, "Elena, I want you to apologize to your brother."

"What?" Elena frowned, turning her head from her mother to her father. "What did I do? He's the one leaving all his toys around."

"They aren't toys!" Jason shouted, growing frustrated. He didn't play with toys. They were collectables.

"I'm not apologizing."

Tori turned away, "Okay," she said. She gave Jason a hug, "Look, squirt, your father and I are sorry. We now understand we've been giving you a lot of responsibilities and it's not fair."

Blake nodded, "Yeah. And, we'll be willing to give you the freedom you deserve if you agree to our… demands."

"You sound like the bad guys," Jason said. Blake and Tori both nodded.

"You won't have to walk your sister home from school every day," Tori said. "You can walk home on your own, or you can walk home with your friends; so long as you agree to walk her home on the days where your father and I can't pick her up from school."

"But…"

"No," Blake shook his head, "I think what your mother is saying is fair. The streets are very dangerous for children, especially girls who are alone and can't see where they're going and who they might run into."

"Fine…" Jason groaned.

"Second, your homework comes first," Blake said, "You don't have to help Elena write her homework up until you're done. If she needs help, she'll come to me or mom."

"Sweet!" Jason grinned. He wasn't happy that he still had to do his homework, but with the way things were going before, this new rule cut his workload in half.

"But…" Blake added, "By the end of the night Elena's homework has to be done. If your mother or I can't help her, for various different reasons, we'll need you to help her out."

"Aw, man…"

"Thirdly, you still do have to take care of your little sister when she's out of the house," Blake said. "This means sometimes you'll have to walk her to her friends' houses or to the store or to the park. Your mother and I will try to do this most of the time so you don't have to, but, when we ask you to do it, we expect you to do so."

"Fine…"

"Also," Tori said, "the house must stay clean. You take something off the shelf; you put it right back where you found it. Nothing can be left on the floor, in your sister's path. So far it's only been bumps and bruises, but your sister can really get hurt. She knows the layout of the house like the back of her hand, but she can't see when there's something on the floor."

"What about my room?" Jason asked. "She's not supposed to go in there anyways, but you always yell at me to clean things up!"

Blake smirked, glancing over at his wife. He couldn't care if his son's room looked like the Venjix Attacks Part II, but Tori had a real problem.

Tori took a deep breath, "You're right."

Even Jason was surprised to hear this.

"I am?"

"I want your room to stay clean," Tori told him, "But… I won't yell at you if I do see something on the floor. It's your bedroom, you can do what you want in there… just make sure nothing starts growing, okay?"

"Okay," Jason nodded.

"Finally," Tori smirked, turning back to her daughter, "I have a few rules for you too, missy."

"No…" Elena groaned.

"Rule number one," Tori told her, "Respect your brother. He's not your pack-mule, he's not your toy and he's not someone you can boss around. He is your big brother. Everything he's done for you has been exceptional. You should be proud to have an older brother who will go out of his way to take care of you."

"But he makes my life complicated!" Elena whined.

"That's a lie and you know it," Blake said. "Without Jason, we would all still be struggling."

"What's rule number two?" Jason asked excitedly.

"Rule number two," Tori said, "Elena, I want you to apologize to your brother and I want you to mean it."

"But I won't," Elena said.

"Elena…"

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Elena screamed as she ran up the stairs and into her room. Blake got up to follow her, hoping a talk in private would help her understand. Just as he reached the top of the stairs, he turned to Jason.

"I know it sucks, buddy," he told his son. "You've got a lot more on your plate than a boy your age should have. But I'm very proud of you for helping us out with your sister."

"_We_ are very proud," Tori smiled.

"You are what's been keeping us from falling apart," Blake said. "We're sorry we took advantage of you like that."

Jason leaned in closer to his mother, letting her hug him as he watched his father leave for Elena's room. Tori kissed him on the top of the head.

"How about we go upstairs and reorganized your room around?" she suggested. "You said a while ago you wanted to move your bed away from the window?"

In the living room, Summer was sitting on the couch, waiting for her Aunt and Uncle to finish talking with the family before she went out to find Dillon.

She waited nervously, wondering what she was going to say exactly. Suddenly, Dillon appeared before her.

"Summer… can we talk?" he asked, almost afraid. She nodded, sliding over to give him some room. Dillon sat down but didn't wrap his arm around her to cuddle like he always did. Instead, he cleared his throat. "Looks, I'm very sorry for…"

Summer shook her head, "No," she said, interrupting him, "I'm sorry. You did nothing wrong. I gave you signals and then got mad when you listened to them. I was just so humiliated and ashamed when I woke up and realised what we had done. I guess I let out my anger on you."

"Wait…" Dillon frowned, rubbing his ears, "I don't think I heard you right. You're apologizing… to me?"

Summer nodded, "Yeah."

"You, Summer McKnight, daughter of the ever-so-stubborn-couple Conner and Kira McKnight, are admitting that you were wrong?"

"Yeah…"

"The same Summer McKnight who is part of the second generation of Seven Sisters? The Seven Sisters who are never, ever wrong?"

"Dillon…"

"I can't believe it," Dillon smirked, pinching his arm, "It's a dream… it's a dream…"

"Stop it!" Summer frowned, grabbing his hand. "Yes, okay, I was wrong. It's just that you were talking about Engel and… I really do want to start a family with you… I just think that we chose the wrong time. And, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have blamed you for it. But… we were stupid to think we could conceive a child, in the park, while my Aunt and cousin were missing and no one would see us."

"Do they know we're still in the room?" Shane asked RJ and Kelly before he was shushed by the red head. Kelly was on the edge of her seat as she listened to the young couple making up. Shane could almost picture the famous bucket of popcorn in her hands. RJ chuckled at his wife as he placed his two fingers under her chin to shut her mouth.

Summer smiled up at Dillon, "I'm really sorry I blamed you for all of this," she told her husband.

Dillon smirked, "I don't forgive you."

Summer saw the smirk and frowned, "Dillon…"

"No," he said, "You ruined a good, passionate night for me. I can't just forgive that."

Summer rolled her eyes before leaning in and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Dillon shook his head.

"C'mon, I could get that from Engel… I could get that from Christian if, A: I wanted to, and B: I tried hard enough. You're my wife; give me a little more love than that."

Summer chuckled as she leaned in, giving him a kiss on the lips. When she went to pull away, Dillon wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap and deepening the kiss.

Kelly was suddenly pulled from her sweet moment, "Okay, too touchy-feely for me now."

Summer landed with her back on the cushions as Dillon sat over her. They started making out passionately on the couch, leaving the uncles and Aunt in the room to question how far they were going to take this.

"Okay, okay," Shane called, grabbing Dillon's shirt and pulling him off Summer, "I think she's _apologized _enough."

Summer's face turned red as she and Dillon remembered that, once again, they weren't alone. Dillon smiled, pulling her into his arms. She nestled into his arms, getting comfortable with her head against his chest.

"I really am sorry," she told him.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	94. SPEED Demons

With the season quickly changing to summer, things were starting to get back to normal in Corinth (as normal as they could get anyways).

Kaylee had fully recovered from her injuries and was allowed back into the temporary command center, or as the Rangers liked to call it, the Garage. She still didn't have her teleportation powers back from Conner yet, but there were two reasons for that. First one being: Leanne and David didn't think her body was able to handle the stress just yet; second: Conner was nowhere to be found.

Jason was getting used to his new family life. He still played a big role when it came to his sister's handicap, but he found himself with a lot more freedom then before. Elena still had yet to apologize, but Tori and Blake were convinced that in time she would realise everything her brother had done for her and she would apologize on her own terms.

Summer and Dillon were still very much in the tabloids, and the city was talking non-stop about their night in the park. Even with the entire Ranger family trying to deal with the situation, nothing could keep the citizen of Corinth and NewTech from talking. The couple was handling everything perfectly, however. It got difficult at times, when they would feel dozens of eyes staring at them as they did their groceries, or parents glaring at them as their children played in the park, but Summer and Dillon had one counter argument for people.

"At least everyone knows I love my wife," Dillon would tell any person who would approach him or Summer, right before giving her a kiss.

"It's better than rumours about being unfaithful," Summer would add.

And, slowly, everyone would shut up.

Kaylee was in the garage, looking over files Kira had made during her absence. Kelly was in the kitchen, making some sandwiches. She had offered to tag along with her little sisters for the day because RJ and Hannah were over in NewTech for a Pai Zhuq activity (Kelly had no idea what it was).

Kira walked in with Vasquez and Hayden, dumping a box of papers on Kaylee's desk.

"Okay, I have to ask," Kira started as she began to sort through all the papers. Kelly joined the four with her plate of sandwiches, "how many speeding tickets does Corinth usually hand out in a month?"

Kaylee shrugged, "I don't know… we live in a dome. Most people walk to wherever it is the want to go."

"Okay… but the people who drive from one end of the city to the other," Kira said. "How many people get caught going over the speed limit?"

Kaylee shrugged, "Not my department."

"Isn't the entire city your department?" Hayden chuckled. "Wait, scratch that… isn't the entire world your department?"

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Kaylee asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"People would rather have a crazy hyper-active woman running the world than a scary and very angry dinosaur," Kelly pointed out. "We took a vote."

"There was a vote?" Kaylee and Kira both asked.

"I voted for mom," Hayden nodded.

"I didn't vote," Vasquez said.

Kira and Kaylee turned to Kelly, waiting for her answer.

"Don't look at me," Kelly said, waving them off, "You have speeding tickets to look at."

"Right," Kira nodded. She tapped the box with her hand as she looked at Kaylee. "In May, a total of 167 speeding tickets were handed out. In a dome city, that's a lot. NewTech gets like… 12."

Hayden was digging through the boxes, looking at all the papers for the tickets, "They all seem to be going to the same people too," she pointed out, laying the papers on the table in piles. "It's all to kids my age."

Kelly grabbed a paper to look at and nearly choked on her sandwich, "This guy nearly ran me over!"

"Too bad he missed," Kira grumbled. Kelly turned to her, a little shocked. "What? Did you vote for me?"

"I won't say."

"He should have killed you."

"No killing anybody," Kaylee frowned. "Hayden, could you phone into the police department."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I really have to pee," Hayden said, clutching the lower part of her stomach before darting towards the bathroom.

"I'll call them," Vasquez chuckled, grabbing the phone from Kaylee's desk.

-Afterlife-

"Earth to Dani… Dani, do you read?" Flynn called to Dani, waving a wrench in front of her face. He could tell Dani was lost in thought and needed her to focus. After all, he was fixing up her car for her first big race.

It was going to take place in the afternoon, and Dani had been really excited. She had been offered to take place in the races a few months back, but with everything going on in her life, never had to chance to actually get behind the wheel in a competition. She had finally been offered another chance today and she was going to make sure she would be present, mentally and physically for the race. Flynn knew she was over the moon about this opportunity today, but if she wanted to be able to drive a car in the race, he needed her to help.

"Dani," he called again before giving up and tapping her on the head with the wrench. Dani flinched, rubbing her head.

"Ow!"

"Welcome back," Flynn chuckled. "The car is done; I'll just need your help to transport it to the track."

"OOH!" Dani giggled, jumping out of her seat and running to her car. She jumped on the hood and hugged the vehicle.

Flynn shook his head, "C'mon, lass, we need to get it on the truck."

"If you scratch it, I swear to god…"

"Relax," Flynn smiled, tapping the car gently, "I can assure you it'll get there in one piece. I'm a professional."

"Yahuh," Dani nodded.

"Are you going to help?"

"When have I helped?" Dani frowned. "I supervise!"

"Whatever," Flynn said, "At least get off the car. I'm putting it on the truck."

"Push!" Dani shouted as Flynn finished hooking the car up to the loading mechanism and pressed the button to lift the car. "PUSH! PUSH!"

"I'm not having a baby," Flynn groaned.

"Sorry…"

When the car was set up and secure on the truck, Flynn reached for a helmet he had hidden from Dani. It was a gift from him and Hayden to her, to celebrate her very first race. Dani had waited almost eighteen years for this moment.

"Here you go," he smiled, tossing her the new helmet. It was silver, just like her Ranger uniform, with the RPM Silver logo on the top.

"Whoa…" Dani beamed, looking at the helmet. "Where did you find this?"

"Does it matter?" Flynn asked. "It's yours. Congratulations."

Dani shook her head, "I can't accept this. Aren't you and Hayden still struggling with…"

"Not so much anymore," Flynn smiled. "It pays to have houseguests. And anyways, the money you'll be making the garage while you're out there winning, it'll pay for itself in a few months."

Dani threw herself at Flynn, swallowing him in a big bear hug.

"You're the best!"

"Just promise me you won't do anything stupid while you're out there," Flynn chuckled. "We wouldn't want to crack the new helmet on its first go."

"I promise I won't lose any brain cells," Dani held her left hand up and the other went to her heart.

"It's not the cells I'm worried about," Flynn smiled, tapping her head with his fingers. "You're living proof you don't need them to function."

"Hey!"

"So?" Flynn asked as he walked to the driver's side of the truck, "Are we ready to go? Your team is already waiting for us at the track."

-Afterlife-

"So, what's the news?" Kaylee asked when Vasquez returned after making her phone call to the police department to question them about the large amount of speeding tickets.

"Well…" Vasquez started, "The police do know what's going on with the tickets."

"And…"

"Kids have found it fun to race around the city," Vasquez said.

"Street racing?" Kira asked.

"I hope it's just that," Vasquez sighed. "Apparently, some of the drivers have also spent the night in jail for DUI and more are going to appear in court over the next few weeks."

"Why the sudden outbreak of racing?" Kaylee asked. "I've never had this problem before."

"Dani's racing in that tournament, right?" Kira said. "It's hosted by some big hot shot, isn't it?"

"He calls himself SPEED," Hayden nodded. "Flynn's helping her right now with her car. The race is this afternoon."

"How did she land that?" Vasquez asked. "SPEED only asks the best of the best to race in his tournaments. I've seen him on TV before."

"Is racing that popular, though?" Kaylee frowned. "I mean, popular enough to have tournaments and a fan-base but…"

"Maybe it's not the racing that's popular," Hayden suggested. "But, I mean, how many boys my age have a certain need for speed? And let's be honest, mom, there's not street in the entire world where they can drive over 50mph."

Kaylee nodded, "Well, that is true."

"And the racing tracks are private," Vasquez added. "Unless you've been invited by one of the owners, or you pay thousands of dollars, there's no getting in."

"Dani's been training there thanks to one of her customers," Hayden explained. "He knows she's into racing and apparently had some connections. That's how she's in the race."

"Unfortunately, that means that a lot of boys don't have anywhere they can safely drive at high speeds."

"I don't remember this being a problem before the end of the world," Kira frowned, turning to Kaylee and Kelly. Both girls shrugged. They couldn't remember anything either.

"Yeah, because there were some places open to the public," Vasquez said. "Now it's all private companies."

"And there are no real highways in Corinth or NewTech because it only takes like an hour to drive across the city," Hayden added.

"Well, I guess with this tournament coming up a bunch of racing fans are feeling the need for speed," Kelly stated. "That might explain why that one guy almost ran me over and continued on his way. It happens with every sport. Soccer fans really get into soccer when the World Cup used to play."

Kaylee nodded, gathering her papers. "I'll talk to Ronny about it at the race. She might know something."

"I can check the sales records for Storm Chargers and Dani and Flynn's Garage," Kelly said. "See if we've sold some things for these street racers in the past few weeks."

-Afterlife-

Dani was waiting anxiously behind the scenes for the race to begin. She had her jumpsuit on and ready and was carrying her helmet under her arm. Flynn and her cousins were outside, doing any last minute adjustments to her car while she took some time alone to calm her nerves.

A man, dressed in a fine suit noticed her from around the corner and made his way over to her.

"Daniela Marks, I finally get to meet you," he said, causing Daniela to jump. She turned around to face him.

"Actually, it's Daniela Hartford now," she told him. "I know you can't see the ring, but I got married."

"Congratulations," the man smiled. "Who is the lucky guy?"

"My husband," Daniela smirked. The man chuckled.

"Of course."

Daniela looked up at him. She thought she recognised his face, but she couldn't put a name to it. He was obviously getting older, and a little out of his prime, but he seemed to still know what he was doing.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said, "who are you?"

"I'm sorry," the man said before offering his hand, "My name is Michael Gordon, but people please, call me SPEED."

Daniela's jaw almost hit the floor as the man introduced himself. He had been known worldwide before the end of the world as the champion of stock car racing. If there was anyone who Daniela admired more than her mother, it would be him.

"You… you're… you are…"

"Yes, yes," SPEED smiled. "I am him, he is me. But what I want to talk about is you. You're Ronny Robinson's daughter, right?"

Daniela nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm confident you're going to go out there and blow the other guys out of the water."

"Thank you, sir…"

"No, no," SPEED smiled, "Thank you, Mrs Hartford. You don't know how many drivers I had to kick out of this tournament to make room for you."

"R-Really?" Daniela asked. Suddenly the feeling of nervousness was coming back. SPEED nodded his head.

"Yes. Having the daughter of the World Famous Ronny Robinson come out for her first official race was going to make us a lot more money than any of those other amateur could bring in."

"Well… I… I hope I can at least place in the top three."

"I'm sure you'll do wonderfully," SPEED smiled. He patted Daniela on the shoulder, "It's in your blood. Good luck. The whole crowd is cheering for you."

As SPEED walked away, Daniela felt her stomach turn. She knew she could race, but she had never raced professionally. Now, the entire stadium was going to be watching her and cheering her on. Not only that, but apparently Michael Gordon had canned a lot of drivers. Daniela didn't like hearing that, but at least she could make the sacrifice worth it if she did live up to expectations.

"Dani!" Bruce called, running to his baby cousin and grabbing her arm, "C'mon, hurry up! You're going to miss the start!"


	95. Daniela's Deal

Engel was on the edge of her seat as she watched the cars drive around the track one more time. She held onto Vanessa's hand eagerly as the sound of the engines roared even louder.

"Nessie! Nessie!" she shouted just as the cars raced by. As soon as they were gone, Engel began to pout. "Why they always leaving?" she asked her step-mother. Vanessa pulled her soon-to-be step-daughter onto her lap.

"They have to go around, and around a lot," she tried to explain.

"But boring," Engel stated.

"Maybe this will make it less boring," Dawn smiled, carrying bags of cotton candy back to the seats. She handed one to Christian, one to Engel, and tossed the final bag into the crowd of Rangers, letting them fight each other for it.

"You're slowly making your way into the special place in her heart, aren't you?" Mike teased Dawn.

Dawn laughed, "What can I say? The kid is blessed."

"OI!" Ronny screamed, ripping the bag of cotton candy away from the kids as they fought for it. "My daughter, I get it!"

"Aunt Ronny!"

Ronny cocked her eyebrow, holding her hand up in a fist; "Shut up, all of you."

The kids piped down, turning their attention back to the race as Dani's car came racing around, taking the lead. Everyone in the stands jumped to their feet, cheering for the newest driver.

"One more lap," Ronny smiled, "She's just gotta hold out for one more lap."

"She can do it!" Hayden cheered as Dani's car pulled further ahead, leaving the others in the dust.

"Go, go, go!" Greg, Dillon and Scott cheered as Dani's car crossed the finish line. Everyone in the stands erupted in cheers, jumping up and down as their favourite driver won the race.

Engel and Christian were the only two still in their seats. Engel turned to the four year old.

"What happen?" she asked. Christian shrugged.

"I think somebody won," he said.

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"Me neither," Engel nodded. "Lots of cars, but no people. How know who wins?"

"I think we want a car to win," Christian said. Engel frowned. This game didn't make sense to her.

-Afterlife-

Down on the track, Dani barely had time to make it out of her car before her cousins grabbed her. Before she knew what was going on, she found herself on the ground.

"You did it!" her cousins cried for her. "You won the race!"

"I did?" Dani asked them. They got off her, giving her some breathing room while Flynn helped her to her feet. "I was just so focused on getting across the finish line in one piece!"

"Well, you definitely made it in one piece," Bruce smiled, looking at the car. "There's not a scratch."

"No one touches my car," Dani stated, her tone as serious as ever as she pointed to her cousin. "No one… ever…"

"I know, I know," Bruce smiled. He whistled, getting the boys' attention. "C'mon, guys, let's get it back to the garage for the next race."

As her cousins and Flynn took the car away, the press swarmed around Dani, flashing cameras and shoving microphones in her face as every reporter wanted her attention. Dani had no idea what to do as questions began flying around everywhere. Suddenly, she felt and arm wrap around her, pulling her out of the crowd of people.

"Daniela Hartford will not be accepting any questions," SPEED told the reported as he whisked Dani away. "We've already got her scheduled for numerous interviews, and she will answer questions that have been approved by me only."

"I will?" Dani frowned.

"Yes, now come, I would like to make a deal with you," SPEED said.

-Afterlife-

"… thirteen, fourteen, fifteen!" Samantha counted along with Engel as they set plastic cups down on the table. After the race, everyone assumed Dani was going to be talking to reporters, as well as making a deal to race professionally. They decided not to bother, and went to Hayden and Flynn's house to set everything up for her party.

Hayden and Summer were in the kitchen, getting the lunch and deserts all ready for when Dani arrived. Dawn worked with David, Flynn, Greg, Dillon Scott and Mike to set up the decorations and the large banner.

Samantha, Engel and Vanessa were setting the table, making sure everyone got a plate, a cup, a fork and a knife. Ronny and Christian were in charge of the cupcakes Summer just pulled out of the oven. They needed to make sure they were iced and ready for after lunch.

"A little higher… nope, lower… lower… higher…" Dawn instructed Dillon and David as the men tried to set up the main banner in the front hallway, "Higher… higher… lower… lower… higher… lower."

"C'mon, lass," Flynn groaned from the couch, "I haven't seen the banner move for ten minutes now. It's fine the way it is!"

"Are you kidding?" Dawn frowned. "It's crooked and off-center. This could take a while still. Lower… lower… lower… no, dammit, Dillon, keep your arm up! Okay, higher… higher!"

Dillon shut his eyes, trying to keep his anger in. David let out a long breath before taking matters into his own hands.

"Greg, hand me the hammer and nails," he said. Greg got off the couch, getting his father in-law the tools. David put the banner string in his mouth and held the nail to the wall. With one swift hit, he jammed the nail in the wall and hooked the banner up. He tossed the hammer to Dillon.

"Here you go."

Dillon did the same, and the two stepped off their ladders. They turned to Dawn who was eyeing the banner carefully.

"It's perfect!"

"Are you kidding me?" they groaned. Dawn chuckled, patting them on the back. "Good job, men."

"I am never working with women again," Dillon frowned, entering the kitchen just as the phone rang.

"Dillon, can you get that?" Summer called to him. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"… Twenty-eleven, twenty-twelve…" Engel continued to count as Vanessa gave her a bucket of toy cars to play with. Of course, she decided to continue her counting game.

"No, no, honey," Vanessa laughed, grabbing the cars from Engel. "Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three."

Engel stared up at her, "That silly."

She put her cars on the counter and showed them to Vanessa. "One, two three…"

Dillon slammed his hand down on the counter, sending Engel's cars flying in every direction.

"NO! For the last time, you can't buy tickets for another show!" he shouted before hanging up the phone and slamming it down on the counter again, just as Engel began putting her cars back up. Once again, Dillon hit the cars and sent them flying off the counter.

"What was that about?" Summer asked him. Dillon held his hand in his head.

"We're moving."

"Can't move," Engel told him. "House go boom, 'member?"

"Some punk keeps asking if he can buy tickets for another free show," Dillon explained to his wife.

"Puppets?" Engel asked, setting the cars on the counter for a third time.

"No, not puppets," Dillon said. He turned back to Summer, "I swear to god, I'm going to rip some kid's head off."

"Calm down," Summer told him, "Next time, don't say anything and just hang up."

"But those little…"

"Dillon, just hang up," Summer smiled. Dillon clenched his hands, trying to stay calm. To release his energy, hit slammed his fists on the counter. Engel stomped her feet as her cars flew off again. She punched her uncle in the stomach.

"Stop it!" she screamed. Picking up her bucket-full of cars Engel stormed off, very unhappy with her uncle.

"She's here!" Greg called, running into the kitchen.

"Calm down," Mike laughed, ripping open the last package of balloons. "It's not a surprise party."

"I know… I'm just… so excited," Greg said, beaming happily. "This has been her dream since forever."

"Just make sure she doesn't smell like burning rubber every night," David smiled, his voice abnormally high due to the helium tank. It was fairly obvious the balloons hadn't been ready yet because the boys had been having some fun. "It kills the mood."

"So does that," Ronny chuckled, ripping the balloon from her husband's hands. "You're gonna get sick."

"I'll be fine," David squeaked. "But… maybe I will lay off these for a while."

"No, no, wait…" Ronny pulled David in closer, whispering something in his ear. David pulled away, shaking his head. Ronny whispered something again.

"The house began to pitch," David suddenly began to sing, his voice still very high, "The kitchen took a slich. It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of the ditch! Which was not a happy situation for the Wicked Witch!"

David's voice began to return to normal towards the end of his little song, but the squeakiness lasted long enough for him to get through it. Ronny clapped her hands excitedly.

"That will never get old!" she squealed. David smiled at her, waiting for his reward. Ronny winked. "Tonight."

"Guess who won!" Dani cheered, finally entering the house. She was attacked by her friends and family, coming in for hugs and to get their chance to congratulate the winner. When she finally made it to the kitchen, she sat down at a stool.

"So, how was it?" Ronny asked, eager to see if her daughter had loved her first chance at a real race. Dani began to bounce.

"It was amazing, mom! I've raced before, but this was like… a whole new way to race! Everyone cheering and watching me… and I won!"

Dani gave her mother a high-five.

Flynn smiled, "Dan, you've already got about fifty fans! I've been getting messages on my phone ever since the race. People want to come to the garage now that they know you work there."

"Really?" Hayden asked. This was good news for her as well. If more people went to Flynn and Dani's Garage, it would be making more money. With a baby on the way, they needed every penny they could get. At the moment they were rather comfortable, but Hayden knew she only had a few more months to work, and Dillon and Summer were only due to stay at their place for another two months. Once they left, and money stopped coming in for Hayden, it was going to be difficult to save up and pay the bills.

"I heard a bunch of people asking me who I trusted with my car," Dani nodded. "I didn't think they would find out, though. SPEED didn't let me talk to anyone!"

"How did that go?" Greg asked. "Since the end of the race, there have been rumours that he wanted to take you under his wing."

"He does," Dani nodded. "He took me to his office after the race, and we talked all about deals and the future and stuff."

"Was it magical?" Dawn teased.

"Kinda," Dani smiled. "He's apparently got me set up for a bunch of interviews and stuff. He said I could talk about the Garage there to bring in some business, and I could answer questions and do all that famous people stuff."

"Don't get wrapped up in that stuff though," Ronny warned her daughter. Dani smirked.

"I won't," she promised. "I just want to race. But SPEED said that now a lot of people will be looking up to me and that I've got to make a few appearances."

"You better not let it go to your head," Hayden said. "Summer, remember that one time our moms got lost in the fame."

"I don't want to," Summer frowned, shaking her head. "It was a lonely time…"

"I promise, guys, I won't."

"Where is your mother?" Ronny asked Hayden. She knew it wasn't like Kaylee to miss out of Dani's first race. She loved taking part in these events, especially when there would be a big celebration at the end.

"She's back at the command center with Aunt Kira, Aunt Kelly and Vasquez. There's a problem with street racers, because of this whole tournament thing and they're trying to figure out a solution."

"Highway, highway, highway!" the two speed demons chanted. Hayden nodded.

"Yeah, I brought that up."

"What about your father?" David asked.

"Well, the others were getting kind of hungry…"

"Did they eat him?" Dillon smirked. Hayden shook her head and frowned.

"No, they did not eat him. He brought them food, and now he's trying to help."

"Maybe I can talk to SPEED about letting them qualify for a junior race?" Dani suggested.

"You could try," David nodded. "Now go wash up for lunch, you smell like burning rubber."

-Afterlife-

SPEED sat in his office; looking at the contract he had made Dani sign. Everything was going according to plan.

He had been told Dani was stupid. She hadn't bothered finishing high school because she couldn't understand anything the teachers were trying to teach her, and she did bother with a tutor or any help. She was easily one of the stupidest citizens on Corinth, at least in his eyes.

That made it easy for him to play her like a fiddle. All he had to do was promise her a little business for her Garage, as well as the chance to race as a career, and she was willing to play as his puppet for however long he liked.

He was positive she hadn't fully understood when he told her he would be taking her money, as payment for all the work he was going to be doing. He had made it sounds fair, so she wouldn't question him, when in reality, he would be taking close to 90% of what Dani would be making.

He also had her signed up for interview after interview, and appearance after appearance, hoping to keep her on her toes so she wouldn't have the time, or the energy to read over her contract again. Of course, it wouldn't make a difference if she did see any injustice, for she had already signed it, but SPEED didn't want to deal with a resentful puppet.

He had also gotten Dani to sign a form that would allow him to take control of her training schedule. When Dani did ask him about this, he promised her it was only to teach her and guide her through her career. Every athlete had someone who would help him out.

"Sir," a man said, stepping into SPEED's office with a handful of papers, "Here are the papers for the race today."

SPEED smiled, "Have you read them over?"

"I have, sir."

"And…?"

"It was a good idea to grab Daniela," the man nodded. "She's definitely the main attraction. In a matter of months, you should have enough money to be able to take that early retirement."

SPEED checked the papers for himself. It seemed on this race alone, he had made a hefty profit. People from Corinth, as well as NewTech, were all coming to the tracks to watch as the Famous Silver RPM Ranger, as well as the daughter of Ronny Robinson raced in her first tournament.

"Forget retirement," SPEED smiled, "with the money I can get from that brain-dead girl, I could buy the world!"


	96. Money Maker

Kelly was at work in Storm Chargers, stocking the shelves with merchandise from the Corinth Racing tournament before the store was open for the day. Ever since the tournament came into town, the stock was flying off the shelves. She couldn't imagine how much she would be selling now that Corinth's own Daniela Marks had won her first race.

"WHOA!" Hannah cried, opening a box only to see Daniela's face printed on various T-shirts, sweaters and jerseys. She shoved the box away, almost in fear, "MOM!"

"What?" Kelly asked, looking up from her box. She noticed Hannah was curled in a ball, rocking back and forth. She shook her head, "What did you open this time?"

"Look!" Hannah pointed to the box she just pushed away. It skidded to stop in front of Kelly. The red head grabbed the box, rolling her eyes as she opened the flaps.

"Whoa…" Kelly frowned, spotting her niece's face in the box. "That's actually kinda creepy."

"Mom… Daniela's popping up everywhere!"

"I'm what?" Daniela asked, stepping into the store. Hannah jumped, running behind one of the shelves to hide from her cousin. Kelly chuckled, shaking her head at her daughter's silly antics before turning to Daniela.

"Calm down, Hannah. I've invited Daniela over."

"What?" Daniela asked. "What? What am I doing everywhere?"

Kelly lifted a shirt from the box Hannah unpacked and showed it to Dani. The driver's eyes widened in amazement as she took the shirt.

"Oooh, look, it's my face!"

Hannah pointed to the box at her mother's feet. Daniela looked down before jumping back.

"Ah! It's my face!" she cried, kicking the box away. "Why is my face everywhere?"

"That's what happens when you're a sports star," Kelly smiled, folding the shirt back up as she began stocking it on the shelf. "Merchandise comes out and people buy it. Get ready to see your face, your car, and your number printed on every shirt, pin, hat, jacket, scarf, car…. Everything really."

"This is freaky," Daniela nodded.

"Yeah… mom I don't think I can sell this… I'm going to go work for dad."

"He's got a Daniela Speed Pizza sale today!" Kelly called to her daughter. Hannah froze in her spot for a moment, before slowly turning to her mother. Kelly chuckled, "Your father figured out how to make Daniela's race car and face out of cheese."

"I'm staying here!" Hannah called, getting back to work. Kelly grinned.

_One for mommy, none for daddy_, she thought to herself.

Daniela poked her Aunt's shoulder, "You said you needed to talk to me, Aunt Kelly? It's gotta be quick, I have an interview in like… an hour."

"Yes…" Kelly nodded. She ran to the front counter, pulling out what looks to be files straight from the command center. Daniela scrunched her nose in disgust as Kelly handed them to her. "Hayden called me last night and told me you were going to talk to SPEED about the street racers."

"Oh yeah," Dani smiled. "I remember that."

"Here are the files and everything you'll need to show him," Kelly presented to files to Dani, skimming through them rather quickly. "It's got the names of some of the people ticketed so you can get in contact with them and offer them… whatever you want to offer them."

"I'll talk to him," Dani nodded. "Now I've got to go. SPEED doesn't want me to be late to the interviews, and if I want to talk to him beforehand…"

"Go, go," Kelly laughed, waving the young racer off. She knew how busy new athletes could be, especially when they were at the very start of their career. She had seen Blake and Dustin go pro in their own fields, as well as coached a few famous athletes before the end of the world. All she could really hope for Dani now was that she wasn't being overbooked.

Daniela put the papers away in her backpack and ran to the parking lot, getting in her car and quickly on her way to her meeting with her agent.

-Afterlife-

Hayden and Flynn waited at the doctor's office while Summer and Dillon were inside. Now at thirteen weeks pregnant, Hayden stomach was starting to show and she was a lot more comfortable in her pregnancy. The nausea had disappeared a little while back and Hayden actually felt like she was pregnant. It was something that really seemed to put her at ease, especially now when she went to rub her stomach and she could feel it starting to grow. It was an exciting moment for both her and Flynn.

Meanwhile, Summer and Dillon weren't as excited. It had been a few weeks since the incident in the park, and the couple were anxious to know if they had conceived or not yet.

Hayden and Flynn had spoken with Summer and Dillon respectively about the possible outcomes. The blue and pink couple knew that no matter what the answer would be today, there would be pros and cons.

Summer and Dillon were both excited and ready to start a family. They had been discussing it for months, and at this point, the only thing holding them back was that they weren't in their own home. By the time the baby would arrive, they would be back where they belonged, but something didn't feel right about doing business in a sofa bed, in Flynn and Hayden's living room while they were houseguests.

On the other hand, the reasons for having a baby weren't ideal. Technically, the baby would be planned, seeing as getting pregnant was the reason for their night in the park, but neither Summer, nor Dillon wanted to look back on that night and remember the after-effects. It wasn't a proud moment in the relationship for either of them.

Not only that, but if Summer was pregnant she was going to have to announce it at some point. And with the world knowing about her night in the park, questions would come up. Before the baby would be born it would already have a title. Something like _The Park Baby,_ or _The Baby from that Night_. Some people may actually go as far as calling it the _Mistake Child._ Summer and Dillon didn't want to bring a child into that kind of world, especially if the child was going to be loved, no matter how it was conceived.

While waiting for Summer and Dillon, Flynn and Hayden sat in chairs, reading magazines. Flynn was excited about the rest of the pregnancy and didn't hesitate to grab a magazine with that topic. He nudge Hayden's arm to grab her attention.

"What would you think about this?" he asked her, pointing to a picture. Hayden frowned.

"Flynn, that's a pillow," she said. "If we need a new pillow you can just as my Aunt Tori. Apparently she's got like, fifty."

"It's a special pillow, Hayden," Flynn smirked. "You sleep on your side."

"Yeah."

"How are you going to do that when you get bigger?"

"Well, you're going to be sleeping on the couch, because I'm going to need more room on the bed," Hayden chuckled. Flynn frowned as he began to panic. Hayden laughed, kissing his cheek. "I'm kidding. So what about sleeping on my side?"

"I don't know," Flynn shrugged, "It might not be very comfortable for you… and this article says that women have a hard time sleeping during pregnancy."

"Yeah, I've always wondered…" Hayden smirked, "How do you move a basket-ball from one side of the bed to the other… that's got to be a challenge."

"Would you like to go out after this appointment to buy a pillow?" Flynn asked his wife. "Get a head start on the hard parts of pregnancy before they happen. Once you blow up, there's no going back."

Hayden nodded, smiling brightly as she kissed her husband, "You're the most amazing husband, you know that, right?"

Flynn couldn't help but smile.

Suddenly, Summer and Dillon stormed out from the door.

"Grab your keys," Dillon shouted to Flynn. "We're getting out of this place."

"Okay…" Flynn frowned, turning to Hayden. She shrugged.

"Did you get results?"

"Yes," Summer nodded. "Now move it. I never want to come back here again."

-Afterlife-

Daniela found herself biting her lower lip as SPEED read over the files she gave him. Suddenly he tossed the documents into the garbage.

"You don't need to care about these scumbags," he told her. Daniela rushed to the garbage, pulling out the papers.

"I know they're all troublemakers, SPEED, but don't you think we should give them a chance?"

"Give them a chance?" SPEED frowned. "You mean by taking charge of a tournament just for them? No, Daniela. You need to focus on your career right now. It's your time to shine. Taking on another task like this will just stress you out."

"But these people can cause a real problem if we don't help," Dani pointed out. "I heard one guy almost ran my Aunt over."

"Yeah, they're all bad news, Daniela, trust me. You don't need to get yourself involved with them. You need to be focused on your career. You're my little money-maker right now."

"I am?" Daniela frowned. SPEED nodded as he walked around his desk. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in.

"It's, er, sport-talk, kid," he said. "It means you're the star right now. All of Corinth is looking up to you."

"Are all the other drivers from NewTech?" Dani frowned. "I mean, I just started…"

"No more questions, Daniela," SPEED said, shoving Dani towards the door. "Now, go out there and show your fans what it's like to be you. Remember the answers I told you to give."

"I still don't think that I'm supposed to…"

"Trust me, superstar," SPEED smiled, "I've been in this business since before you were born. Go out there and make me proud."

Daniela nodded hesitantly before walking off. As soon as she was gone and out of ear-shot, SPEED's assistant walked over to him nervously.

"Sir, there's a problem with the audience…"

"What kind of problem, Alexander?"

"It seems there are some people in the crowds who are fans of Eric Hatstar."

"That loser's got some fans?" SPEED laughed.

"Sir, you know what this means for Daniela, right? If more people start to follow Eric, Daniela's fame is going to drop and your money…"

"I know, I know," SPEED interrupted. "Just do to him like you did to all the others."

"I don't think that's a good idea anymore, sir," Alexander said nervously, "All those other drivers are getting ticketed and going to jail and stuff for street racing..."

"Do you think I care what happens to them after I fire them?" SPEED asked. Alexander shifted nervously from one foot to the other.

"No…?"

"Of course I don't!" SPEED yelled. "Fire Hatstar's ass. I don't care what you tell him; just make sure he's not standing in the way of my little money maker. I don't need some punk racer stealing my money from my pockets."

"Yes, sir," Alexander nodded, "Right away, sir."

He left the office in a rush, already preparing a lie in his head for when he was going to encounter Eric Hatstar and fire him. Ever since his boss had started this tournament and invited Daniela to race, he had been firing a lot of racers and the lies were starting to come a lot more easily to him. They were never easy to tell, especially now that Alexander knew they were lies that would ruin the lives of young racers, but his boss had ordered him to do so, and unless he wanted to be fired as well, Alexander needed to do as he was told.

He went to his desk, pulling out a false report and making a call to SPEED's team of mechanics to begin tinkering with Hatstar's car. When he was done, he made his way down the hall, where he knew some of the racers in the tournament would be hanging out for the day.

"Mr. Hatstar!" he called out, waving the papers in the air, "Guess what we found in your car…"


	97. Before The Race

As Daniela exited her final interview of the day, she heard some commotion going on in the racer's rec. center. Having never met her fellow racers, she wanted to stop by and see what was going on. Good or bad, at least this would give her the chance to get to know her opponents.

Just as she stepped into the room, she saw one of the racers throw a table across the room. She covered her head with her arm as the objects on the table went flying around the room.

"I would never cheat!" the racer screamed to the man standing before him, holding up the papers. Daniela watched on curiously before spotting a group of racers standing together. She approached them carefully.

"What's going on?" she asked them as the racer continued to yell. The boys turned to her and shrugged.

"Apparently Alexander found some illegal installations on Eric's car," one of the boys said. Daniela frowned.

"He was cheating?"

"SPEED doesn't tolerate cheaters," another racer added. "They usually get fired on the spot."

"It's been happening a lot lately," a third racer piped up. "It's kinda sad to see, especially seeing as every guy who gets caught pretends like they have no idea what's going on."

"Pathetic, really," the first boy sighed, shaking his head from side to side. "It's one thing to cheat, but to lie about it when you're caught red-handed. I mean, at least leave with some dignity."

The second boy turned to Daniela, "I've never seen you around before," he told her, extending his hand, "I'm Jeremy Pohler, this is Adam McAndrews and Paul Grif."

"Daniela Hartford," Daniela smiled, shaking hands with the three boys. "The last race was my first one."

"Oh, so you're the newbie," Paul chuckled.

"You're the Robinson kid, right?" Adam asked, smiling brightly, "Dude, I've seen your mom race before, she's amazing."

"Thanks," Daniela blushed.

"I guess you take after her then?" Jeremy said. Daniela nodded.

"In more ways than just this," she smiled, "But some of my friends swear I've inherited a lot more traits from my Aunt."

"Getting on the inside must have been pretty easy for you, then," another voice said as a man joined the group, "Did you have mommy give you a spot in the tournament?"

"That's Bryan," Adam whispered to Daniela, "He's not as mean as you think. Once you get used to him, of course."

Daniela smirked as she turned to Bryan, "Actually, I got myself the spot, and I think I earned it, considering I came in first place yesterday."

"Please," Bryan said, waving off Daniela's comment, "Everyone knows the first race is just a warm-up. I was taking it easy out there."

Daniela shrugged, "Doesn't really matter, does it? I could still see your car in my mirrors. Maybe next time you'll want to speed it up just a little."

Bryan scoffed as he turned away. Daniela beamed happily as she turned back to the three boys.

"You'll all be in the next race?" she asked them.

"Of course," Jeremy smiled, "Do you really think we'd miss the chance of a lifetime."

"Great," Daniela nodded. She looked down in her hands at the papers from earlier. She needed to bring them back to her Aunt Kelly before she forgot about them completely and give her SPEED's news. "You know what; I'll see you guys then. I've got to be somewhere."

"See you later, Daniela," Jeremy, Adam and Paul nodded, waving good-bye.

Daniela grabbed her stuff from the locker room and made it out of the building. Kelly and RJ's house wasn't too far to walk, and Daniela felt like enjoying the day a little before rushing home to be with her husband and tell him all about her interviews.

-Afterlife-

"So, what's the news?" Hayden asked, closing the door behind her. Summer and Dillon walked to the living room in a huff. Dillon didn't hesitate to kick the couch in his frustration.

"Yeah, are you guys expecting or not?" Flynn smiled.

Summer turned to her cousin, "Hayden, I don't want you to ever see that doctor again!"

"What?" Hayden frowned. She looked over at Flynn for a moment, then back to her cousin, "Why not? He's one of the best there is."

"He's a son of a bitch!" Dillon shouted.

"What did he do?" Flynn asked.

"He called our child a mistake," Dillon blurted out, not realising what he had just announced. Hayden began bouncing excitedly when she heard the news that Summer and Dillon were expecting, but before it could get the better of her, Dillon's words sunk in. She stopped bouncing and looked at the couple.

"Wait, what?"

"Congratulations, it's a mistake!" Dillon said, mocking the doctor's voice as he quoted him from earlier that day.

"He really said that?" Flynn asked, almost in disbelief.

Summer nodded her head, "He did. I mean, I know this wasn't exactly the plan and everything… but that's just…"

"It's rather unprofessional," Hayden interrupted.

"Was he just joking around?" Flynn asked.

"Does it matter?" Dillon growled. "You don't go to work to joke around! You're supposed to be serious about it!"

Hayden furrowed her brow, "You didn't kill him, did you brooding puppy?"

Dillon frowned, turning his head slowly to Hayden, "Of course I… why would I kill him?"

"Well, for starters, it's you we're talking about," Hayden smiled, "And you left that place pretty quickly."

"Well, if I stayed in there any longer I probably was going to rip that bastard's head off for what he said!" Dillon grumbled. "No one talks about my child like that."

Flynn pat Dillon on the shoulder, "Put it behind you, man. A lot of people are going to be making comments like that from now on. Just focus on the good, okay?"

"What's good about this?" Summer frowned. "If we can't trust the doctors to be professional, who can we trust? I don't want to give birth and have the doctors welcoming my kid into the world by calling it a mistake."

"They won't," Hayden smiled, taking a seat next to her cousin, "You'll probably have your mom in the room with you. As soon as she hears that, I'm sure Aunt Kira's going to make the doctors suffer."

"Aye," Flynn nodded, "Ignore those doctors and look on the bright side. You two are having a baby!"

Summer smiled as she turned to Dillon. The Black Ranger looked at his wife and couldn't help but smile in return.

"He's right," Summer told him. "I'm pregnant."

Dillon nodded, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk, "I know."

Hayden grabbed Flynn's arm, pulling on it, "Can we go buy that pregnancy pillow now?" she asked her husband, "I don't like the look on his face. I think he's going to do weird things to my cousin again."

Flynn nodded. He ran to the windows, closing the curtains before grabbing his wife and his wallet and running to the door.

"Be sure you two burn everything before we get home," he called, shutting the door behind him.

Summer chuckled, turning to Dillon as he took the spot next to her on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. He put his hand under her shirt, placing it on her stomach.

"You're having my baby," he whispered in her ear. Summer nestled into his arms.

"I love you."

-Afterlife-

"Here you go," RJ smiled, handing his wife and daughter their ice-cream bowls. "One chocolate sundae and one banana split… without the banana…"

"Thank you, daddy," Hannah laughed, kissing her father on the cheek as she accepted her ice-cream. RJ merely sighed. In a perfect world, his only daughter would love bananas just as much as he did, instead of having a severe intolerance of them.

Kelly grinned as RJ grabbed his own ice cream from the kitchen and sat down between his two girls. She pat his leg gently.

"Aw, it's okay, RJ, I won't break the next one."

"No more for me," RJ frowned. "After the disappointment with the last one…"

"DAD!" Hannah laughed, slapping her father in the chest. RJ smiled, wrapping his arm around his daughter and squeezing her lovingly. He looked over at Kelly, who held the remote in her hand. He remembered she had been watching Daniela's interview on the TV before he walked in with ice-cream.

"So?" he asked his wife. Kelly looked to him. "How was Daniela?"

"Not bad," Kelly nodded. "But it seemed a little rehearsed."

"Yeah," Hannah agreed, "Dani didn't really seem like Dani in the interview. She looked like she was holding back a bit."

"Maybe it was just nerves," RJ said. "She's never been in front of the camera before."

"Hopefully it's just that," Kelly said. "I've met a few agents in my day. I know some of them can be kind of controlling. Image is everything to them, and the last thing they want is for their client to lose their image of perfection."

"Dani wouldn't let someone control her like that," RJ assured his wife, "She's a bright girl. I'm sure she would notice."

"I would hope so," Kelly nodded.

She turned to Hannah as her daughter finished her banana split – without the banana – and took the bowl from her. "Alright, kiddo, off to bed for you. Aren't exams coming up?"

"But mom…"

"No buts," Kelly said, "Now scoot."

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest as she got up off the couch. She gave her mother a sharp glare before kissing her father on the cheek.

"Goodnight!" she called on her way to her bedroom. "I love you, _dad_!"

Kelly shook her head. Hannah always hated being told to go to bed, especially now that she was seventeen and almost an adult.

RJ grinned childishly as he looked at his wife.

"Daddy one, mommy none."

Kelly chuckled, "I got her to work for me today instead of going to you."

RJ frowned, "It seems we're tied then… but I did get her her ice-cream for the night."

Kelly groaned, "Dammit…"

-Afterlife-

It was late when Daniela dropped the papers off at Kelly and RJ's house. Hannah had already been in bed, and Dani took this as her hint to get home as quickly as possible. She was going to need her rest for the big race tomorrow.

She got home and found the lights were already turned off. Quietly, Dani made her way upstairs to hers and Greg's bedroom. She changed into her pyjamas and crawled into bed, curling up in Greg's arms.

He stirred, waking as Daniela came into the bed. He kissed her as she put her head on the pillow beside his.

"How were the interviews?" he asked her. Daniela smiled.

"Pretty good. Kinda boring towards the end. It's the same thing over and over again."

"You have that big race tomorrow though, don't you?"

"Yeah."

Greg rolled over, checking the time on the clock.

"It's kinda late."

"Sorry about that," Dani whispered. "Aunt Kelly had some papers for me, and I had to return them."

"Papers?"

"Yeah. Aunt Kira, Aunt Kaylee and Aunt Kelly know about some street racers and were wondering if SPEED could help get them off the streets."

"What did he say?"

"He was a little bit of a jackass about it," Dani sighed, remembering the conversation, "But… I guess he did kind of have a point. Before I start worrying about their lives, I should establish mine, right?"

"Whatever you say, Nascar," Greg smiled, kissing his wife again. Daniela snuggled up next to him, happy to be in his arms.

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

"I'm not," Greg laughed. "Goodnight, Dan."


	98. Street Racing

With the tournament only minutes away from starting the second race, the streets were empty. Racing fans were already in the stadium, waiting to watch the race. Even citizens who never showed an interest in racing were attending the race, just to watch their Silver Ranger in her first tournament.

Summer, Hayden, Dillon and Flynn were running slightly late as they walked the streets of Corinth. They weren't in a rush, however. They had seats reserved especially for them, and the game wasn't set to start for another thirty minutes.

With two pregnant women in the house, getting out the door had proven to be almost impossible. Summer had her first round of morning sickness, and Hayden had to pee constantly.

As they strolled down the street, they reached a crosswalk. They waited for the light to change, even though the likelihood that a car would come was rather slim. Everyone was at the race.

Summer was the first to step onto the street, followed closely by Dillon, who didn't want to leave her side in this moment, especially in case someone from the news attacked her with questions.

Just as Hayden was about to cross she felt something in her shoes poking the back of her foot. She told Flynn to go on without her as she kneeled over to fix her shoe.

Suddenly, from out of the blue, three cars swerved around the corner, taking up the street completely. Flynn, Summer and Dillon were standing right in the middle, with absolutely no time to get out of the way.

Hayden looked up when she heard the screeching of the speeding cars and reacted quickly. She jumped in the way, hoping her powers would protect her and her baby.

"Power of earth!" Hayden screamed, raising the street above ground level as the three cars slammed into the dirt wall. Rocks, boulders and car parts flew everywhere in the air.

Hayden jumped in front of Flynn, protecting him from the debris as shards of rock and metal pieced her body. Dillon did the same for Summer, terrified she might get hurt and he would lose her or the baby.

The four former Rangers all landed on the ground in a heap, unmoving. The three cars came to a sudden stop once they hit the wall in the road and the drivers were knocked unconscious.

Conner, who had been teleporting all around Corinth and NewTech to avoid his wife and teach her a lesson, appeared in a cloud of red smoke, with the familiar Zwop sound echoing through the streets. He waved his hand in the air, blowing the smoke away as he got a look at his surroundings.

"Oh… shit!" he cried, noticing the car crash with his daughter, son in-law, niece and Flynn.

-Afterlife-

"Am I good? Please tell me I'm okay…" Kaylee begged as David looked her over. Kaylee would have preferred Leanne give her the final check-up, seeing as she was much closer to Leanne than she was to David, but the Headmaster of the Thunder Academy wanted to go back home and spend some time with her family during her father's funeral.

It had been a while now since Kaylee's incident, and she was excited to get her powers back, especially seeing as Conner seemed to be having the time of his life teleporting everywhere.

David smiled, packing up his things, "I think your body is ready to accept the powers once again," he told her happily. "As soon as we find Conner we can do the trans…"

"Doctor Marks…" a nurse called, rushing into the room, "I'm sorry to interrupt but there's a huge emergency downstairs. Seven people were involved in a street racing incident, there's a lot of blood and…"

"I'm on my way," David interrupted. The nurse nodded and quickly turned around, getting back to work on helping the patients who had just arrived. David turned to Kaylee, "I'm sorry, we're going to have to do this another time."

"That's fine," Kaylee said, putting her Commander Jacket on, "I kinda wanna get involved in this street racing thing. There's something I really don't like about it and the sooner I can put a stop to it, the better."

"Lead the way, commander," David said, holding the door open for Kaylee as the two rushed to the emergency department. It was clear David had done this many times before as he pushed through the doctors and nurses, making his way to the first patient. He didn't have time to get a look at the woman on the gurney, "What happened?"

Kaylee, not wanting to interfere with the doctor's work, searched for anyone who would have any information on what happened and who had been involved. She noticed Conner sitting in a chair, with a nurse kneeling before him, asking questions that seemed to upset Conner deeply. Without a second thought Kaylee rushed to Conner's side.

"Conner…" she called. Conner lifted his head, spotting his former teammate rushing towards him. He stood up, pulling Kaylee into a hug.

Kaylee accepted the hug, knowing whatever happened Conner needed someone to comfort him. But, as soon as she was in his arms, she felt like the roles had been reversed. For some reason Conner was telling her everything would be okay.

She looked up at him a little nervous, "Conner, what happened?"

"I don't know," Conner managed to say through his tears as he shook his head, "I just appeared and… there they were… all seven of them…"

"Who?" Kaylee asked.

"You don't want to know…"

"Who, Conner?" Kaylee pressed. "Who was in the accident?"

"Summer… Dillon…" Conner choked back his tears. Kaylee gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"No…"

"Flynn and Hayden," Conner finished, looking down at Kaylee. He noticed her sway slightly and grabbed her arms. "But… but they should be okay… right? Hayden and the baby, at least…"

Kaylee shook her head, "No… the nurse said there was blood…"

Kaylee turned to the two doors, where David and the other doctors had taken all seven patients to be treated.

She turned back to Conner, "What about the others?"

"I don't know," Conner shrugged, "I have no idea. Summer and Flynn seemed okay… kinda…"

Conner dropped back into his seat, hiding his head in his hands, "I don't know, Kaylee, I don't know!"

"You were there!" Kaylee screamed, losing her cool. She knew Conner was probably just as upset as she was, but she needed to know what happened. Her daughter, son in-law, grandchild, as well as her (technically) adoptive daughter and one of her former Rangers had all been involved in an accident.

Kaylee's muscles grew tense, and the only thing she could do to let out her frustration was pull on her hair. She groaned loudly as she turned back to Conner.

"What the hell happened!" she screamed, "What did it look like! Why was there an accident?"

"I don't know!" Conner yelled back, glaring up at Kaylee with hate in his eyes as he jumped back to his feet, standing over the small woman. Kaylee didn't back down. Frustration and anger was controlling both of them and pretty soon someone was going to get hurt. "I don't know, Kaylee! If I did know, don't you think I would tell you!"

"What do you know, then?" Kaylee growled.

"Nothing!"

"You were there!"

"After it happened!"

"You still saw it!"

"I don't know what I saw!" Conner shouted. "Everything blurred when I saw Summer! My daughter was hit, Kaylee! I saw her lying there helpless! There was nothing I could do!"

"So was my daughter!" Kaylee screamed.

"Yours heals spontaneously!" Conner reminded her, "She'll be fine!"

"The nurse said there was bl…"

Kaylee suddenly felt two hands grab her and rip her away from Conner. At the same time, Conner felt someone pulling him away as well. When the two upset parents turned to see who had torn them apart, they found Dr. O and Adam.

"Guys," Dr. O shouted, breaking up the fight between his two former Rangers as he held Conner back. Adam kept a firm hold on Kaylee. He knew she was slippery and could easily free herself if he gave her any leeway. "Conner, Kaylee, calm down."

The two older Rangers sat the younger generation down in the chairs, keeping them apart so they wouldn't begin screaming again.

Conner looked up at his older teacher, "Where did you come from?" he asked.

"We were on our way to the race," Tommy explained, "when we saw the accident."

"We were just about detour around when we saw Dillon being loaded into an ambulance," Adam added. "And it's a good thing we decided to show up."

Tommy stood between his two students, looking at each of them, "You two need to calm down. Yelling at each other isn't going to solve anything. I'm sure Dillon's going to be…"

"Dillon, Summer, Flynn and Hayden," Conner corrected the teacher. "They're all in there."

Tommy paused, turning to Adam for a moment. His original plan to keep Conner and Kaylee calm wasn't going to work now that he knew there were more people involved in the accident.

"Oh…"

Kaylee stood up, "Adam, would you mind staying her for me until Dustin shows up?" she asked the frog. Adam nodded.

"Of course… where are you going?"

"To get to the bottom of this," Kaylee said. She turned to Conner, glaring daggers at him, "Seeing as some people are completely useless when it comes to important information."

Conner jumped out of his seat, "I told you everything I knew!"

Tommy grabbed the red Ranger, holding him away from Kaylee as the green Ranger storm off. One way or another, Kaylee was going to stop all this speeding, even if it meant cancelling the tournament. It seemed rather obvious that with all the hype on racing, teenagers and young adults were careless and reckless with their driving, and now people were really getting hurt.

-Afterlife-

Dani's car crossed the finish line, and the young racer came to a stop. As she crawled out of the car, she ripped off her gloves and threw them to the ground, before doing the same with her helmet.

"Calm down, Nascar," Bruce said, approaching his cousin while the rest of the family took care of the car, "it's still second place."

"Yeah," Dani nodded, "But now Bryan's going to rub it in my face for the next couple of days."

"You two are tied in the standings," Bruce smiled, "He can't really rub it in that much."

Suddenly SPEED stormed over, walking right past Dani and approaching Bruce a little ways away. He grabbed Bryan's helmet out from his hands and slammed it into Bryan's car. It was obvious from here that Bryan didn't appreciate the gesture, but SPEED didn't seem to care.

"What's going on there?" Bruce asked, leaning into Dani as everyone down on the track, and up in the stands turned to watch the shouting match between SPEED and Bryan.

Daniela shrugged, "I have no idea."

Suddenly, Bryan shoved SPEED, almost throwing him to the ground before storm off. He pushed by the officials on his way out.

SPEED had a short conversation with the officials before they nodded and turned to the crowd.

"The winner of the race is… Daniela Hartford!" one of them shouted out the speakers, causing the entire stadium to cheer.

Reporters, who had finally been allowed access onto the track, swarmed SPEED, obviously very curious about what had happened and why Bryan had lost the match. SPEED waved them off.

"This is my tournament," he told them, "I don't tolerate misconduct on the track. I saw what happened in that last turn. It's a shame I had to do this to one of my better racers, but if I want the tournament to stay fair, I have to make a few tough decisions."

As the reporters began asking more questions, about what exactly it was he had seen in the last turn, SPEED pulled away from them.

"No more questions, please."

Up in the stands, Kelly watched the whole thing unfold and couldn't help but feel something was going on. Though her area of expertise was extreme sports, Kelly had enough knowledge in stock car racing to know that the entire race had been clean and fair.

While everyone else started leaving the stadium, Kelly stayed in her seat.

"Are you coming?" RJ called to her when he saw she hadn't moved. Kelly turned to him.

"Sorry, I was just thinking…"

"Amazing turn of events, huh?" RJ smiled. "It seems like Dani's got more than talent on her side."

"I don't think talent's playing as big a role as everything thinks," Kelly frowned.

"You heard the owner," RJ shrugged, "That other guy wasn't racing fair. He deserved what…"

"RJ! Kelly!" Tori screamed, rushing over to the couple with Elena, "Can you please watch her for a few hours?"

"Actually, we were…"

"Please, please, please!" Tori begged, letting go of Elena's hand and giving her daughter over to RJ, "I need to drive Dustin to the hospital."

"What?" RJ asked.

"There was an accident before the race," Tori explained, as quickly as she could, "Blake's already taken Jason, and they're going to pick up Kira. I really, really need to go now."

"What happened?" Kelly asked.

"I can't take Elena with me… she's too young to…"

Kelly grabbed her sister's shoulders, shaking her gently to snap Tori out of whatever panic she was in.

"Take a deep breath," she instructed. "What's going on? Why the hospital? What accident?"

"Three cars were racing down the street," Tori said, "Dillon, Summer, Flynn and Hayden were hit."


	99. SPEED's Tangled Web

"Look, Doctor, please… just… my daughter's pregnant…" Dustin said, hoping the doctor would let him through to visit Hayden and Flynn in the hospital, but the doctor shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Brooks. No visitors allowed at the moment."

"But... I need to know how they're doing," Dustin insisted, "Please, doc…"

"When Dr. Marks comes out, he'll let you know," the doctor said, "Until then, please take a seat with the rest of your family."

The doctor pointed to the empty chair in the middle of the group, defeated, Dustin took his spot beside Tori. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, holding him close.

"She'll be fine," she whispered to him, hoping it would offer a little comfort.

Suddenly, David stepped out from behind the doors. The look on his face did nothing to comfort the anxious family and friends waiting on news about the four rangers involved in the accident.

"Kira, Conner," David called, waving them over, "Can I have a word with you guys?"

Kira and Conner stopped up, making their way over to their friend nervously. David pulled them into the hallway so they could speak privately.

"I've had to make a call," he said, trying to put the news as gently as he could, "Leanne's on her way now…"

"Whoa, whoa… Leanne?" Conner asked. "What can she do that you can't? Are Summer and Dillon okay?"

"Dillon will be fine," David nodded, "We've talked to the boys driving the cars and it seems Hayden's rock wall took most of the damage."

"What about Summer?" Kira asked, almost dreading the answer.

"Summer should be fine as well…" David paused, swallowing hard, "But there might be complications."

"Complications?" the parents asked before Leanne rushed into the hallway, throwing her jacket on carelessly.

"I got here as soon as I could," she told David. He nodded, pointing down the hall.

"Summer's in room 2011."

Leanne rushed, as quickly as she could down the hallway. Kira wanted to follow her, but Conner grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it gently for comfort. She turned to David.

"Why do you need Leanne?"

"She's better with prenatal situations," David explained.

"Prenatal?" Conner frowned.

"Pregnancy," David nodded. "Yesterday Summer was here at the hospital."

"And she's pregnant?" Kira asked, completely in shock. David nodded.

"It seems so," he said. "It looks like the night in the park was effective."

"Wait… wait… if Summer was pregnant…" Conner began, but stopped as the news hit him. He felt his heart beating faster. Kira pulled into him, almost hiding herself away from the world.

"We hope the baby was able to survive," David said. "She's not very far along, only a few weeks, and her injuries don't seem to threaten the baby… but there are factors I don't know about yet. Leanne was able to detect Kaylee's miscarriage… I'm hoping she'll be able to help Summer."

Kira and Conner turned to look at each other. They both knew that worse come to worse, their lives would be turned upside down. They remembered just how difficult a miscarriage had been for Kaylee and Dustin, and they remembered doing everything they could to help the grieving parents. It was a very difficult time in the lives of everyone involved, and neither the red, nor the yellow Dino Ranger wanted to go back to that time in their life, especially with their daughter.

"Can we see her?" Conner choked, holding back his tears. David shook his head.

"Not until Leanne gets out," he told her. "If you want, though, you can go visit Dillon. I'm sure he could use someone to talk to."

Kira shook her head. Though she wanted to be there for Dillon and help him in this time, she didn't know what she would be able to tell him. Anything she asked him, or anything she brought up, might just make his feel worse about his condition, or worry about Summer and the baby (if he knew about it, Kira wasn't completely sure).

Conner kissed her cheek, "I'll go talk to him," he told her. "You go back with the others, okay?"

-Afterlife-

In the waiting room, Tori, Dustin, Blake, Tommy and Adam had seen Leanne rushing into the other rooms and felt their hearts drop.

Cam, who arrived with Leanne, placed his hand on Dustin's shoulder.

"I heard about it in the car," he whispered. "We were on our way back from Sensei Omino's funeral when David called."

Cam walked around, taking a seat across from the others so he could speak with them.

"What do you know?" he asked.

"Nothing," Dustin grumbled, hitting the armrest with his fist.

"The doctors are still looking at them," Tori explained to Cam. She smiled at him sympathetically. "Sorry you had to cut the funeral short."

Cam waved it off, "I think it was for the best," he said. "Leanne was really trying to hold it together, but she was going to break down, we could all see it."

"How is she?" Blake asked.

"Distracted, for now," Cam said, looking over his shoulders to the doors where his wife had disappeared behind moments ago. "I think it's good for her. Keeps her mind working. You know how Leanne is."

"How's Maddie?"

"Curious," Cam chuckled. "She still wants to know what happened to her grandfather."

"Leanne hasn't told her?" Tori frowned.

"She can't," Cam said. "It's not easy to tell your daughter her grandfather took his own life."

Kira stepped out from behind the doors, tears streaming down her face. She looked at her friends who all turned to her, hoping for some kind of news. She shook her head sadly, breaking down into loud sobs.

Tori jumped up from her seat and ran over to her friend, wrapping her arms around her.

"What did he say?" she asked. "How are they?"

"He didn't talk about Flynn and Hayden," Kira said as she was led back to her seat. "Conner's with Dillon now…"

"And Summer?" Adam asked.

"Summer was pregnant…"

"Was?" Cam frowned. He looked over at the boys, while Tori turned to Kira.

"No…"

"We're not sure yet," Kira said. "That's why David called Leanne… but that can't be good news, right? Last time Leanne dealt with an injured pregnant woman…"

"Summer's tough," Tori said to her friend, holding her tight. "I'm sure she's fighting as hard as she can to keep the baby."

-Afterlife-

Ronny walked into the Garage, looking around curiously before spotting Kaylee standing before the monitors, looking at still-images of the city-streets.

"Okay, this better be good," the yellow Ranger said. "You called me in the middle of Dani's celebration party."

Kaylee turned to Ronny and the former Nascar driver immediately noticed the tear stains on her "twin's" cheeks.

"Kayl…"

"There was an accident," Kaylee said, turning back to the monitors. "Well, actually, it was preventable."

"What happened?" Ronny asked, approaching her friend slowly.

"What do you know about street racing?"

"It's illegal," Ronny nodded. "Wait, this doesn't have to do with the street racing Hayden mentioned at the last party, does it?"

Kaylee sighed, "Unfortunately…"

"There was an accident?"

Kaylee pointed a remote at the monitors, changing the pictures to show Ronny the accident involving her daughter and the other Rangers. The picture, taken from a security camera, was slightly blurred, and Ronny couldn't make out the figures on the streets, but she could see the severity of the accident. She gasped loudly.

"Ouch… that's gotta hurt."

Kaylee nodded, "I've watched the footage over and over again," she said. "There were three cars racing each other. They started their race here, and it looks like it was probably going to end somewhere here."

Kaylee pointed to a map she had stuck to the wall, showing Ronny the track the three cars had taken before the accident, and the path she believed they would have taken had the accident not happened.

"Looks like street racing to me," Ronny said.

Kaylee turned back to the monitor, showing Ronny a still of the three cars, moments before the accident.

"They were neck and neck… turning the corner at the same time and they took up the entire width of the street. I'm guessing they were going really fast."

"Well yeah," Ronny nodded, "Thus the racing part of street racing."

"Three pedestrians were on the street when the cars turned the corner," Kaylee explained, changing the picture so Ronny could clearly make out Summer, Dillon and Flynn's faces. The yellow Ranger gasped, swaying slightly, realising before it was too late that if she fell, there would be nothing soft to catch her.

"No…"

"It gets better," Kaylee said.

"Really better?" Ronny asked, "Or is that just…"

"Hayden was present," Kaylee interrupted. Ronny's question was answered with those three words. She hissed, shaking her head.

"Don't tell me she…"

"She jumped between them and the cars," Kaylee nodded. "She pulled up an earth wall to protect them. Thankfully she did too, or they could have died."

Kaylee hit the play button on her remote, showing Ronny the crash. Ronny had to close her eyes as the three cars hit the earth wall, causing it to break apart and send rocks and boulders, as well as car parts, flying everywhere.

"I want it to stop," Kaylee growled, stopping the footage. She turned to Ronny, "It has to stop before someone gets hurt! I figured you could help me."

"I'll do anything," Ronny nodded. Kaylee let out a ghost of a smile.

"Good," she said. "Go find SPEED and tell the tournament is off."

Ronny shook her head, "Anything except that!" she cried. "Kaylee, this is Dani's dream! You can't crush it like this! It's not her fault…"

"I don't want to do this, Ronny, but I have no choice. Obviously the races are getting the fans all riled up, and people are now getting hurt! Kelly was almost hit, now those four are in the hospital…"

"Do you have the names of the kids?" Ronny asked, "Maybe I can find them and talk to them personally."

Kaylee walked to her old desk, grabbing a piece of paper.

"I had David give me the names of the three boys over the phone," she said. "Unfortunately I think only one guy used his real name. Eric Hatstar…"

Ronny's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She knew that name. He was one of the boys who had raced with Dani in the first race. He was the only other racer who had a small following aside from Dani. Apparently, according to the SPEEDster magazine she read, he had been kicked out of the tournament and fired as a professional driver when SPEED and his team discovered illegal car parts.

"I know that kid," Ronny said. "He was a racer. Not a riled up fan… but an angry former racer!"

"What?" Kaylee frowned.

"SPEED fired him!" Ronny said. "Apparently when he was fired, he refused to admit the car parts were his, and that he was aware they were on… he put up a fight to stay, but SPEED is never wrong, and the poor kid was fired."

Ronny grabbed the paper from Kaylee's hands, looking at the other names, trying to match them to any other names from the list of racers in the tournament.

"Ronaldo Smittens and William Pring-Prong," Ronny read. "They were racers too!"

"Those are real names?" Kaylee laughed.

"Kayl, do you have the list of offenders with you?" Ronny asked, sounding like she was suddenly in such a hurry. Kaylee nodded, opening a drawer and pulling out the list of people who had been caught racing in the streets over the past few weeks. Ronny read the names over, her jaw dropping.

"Almost all of these people were racers for SPEED!" she said.

"You can remember all those names, but you can't remember to wash your lucky socks?"

"Kaylee, promise me you won't do anything to mess with the tournament!" Ronny said. "It's not the tournament that's causing people to race… it's the racers. They're the ones causing the trouble."

-Afterlife-

Something wasn't right. Kelly could sense it. After the race, everyone who didn't go to the hospital went to Dani's celebration party.

Only Kelly and RJ were aware of the accident involving four of the Rangers. They didn't feel it necessary to rain on Dani's parade just yet, especially when, according to the messages RJ was getting from Adam, there was still no news on the condition of any of the Rangers.

But even with the matters at the hospital, Kelly still felt like something wasn't right. There was something about the race, and what happened between SPEED and Bryan that irked Kelly. She was proud her niece came in first place again, but she was beginning to question whether Dani had earned that position on her own, or if SPEED decided to play the role of racing god.

Kelly had seen her fair share of races back in her day. She knew the rules. Maybe not as well as SPEED, but well enough to be able to spot any illegal or dangerous plays on the track. Just like the risky move Dani made in the tenth lap, which should have earned her a caution, but officials let it slide.

Now, Kelly was finding this suspicious. SPEED would let an infraction of rules go when the entire stadium had seen it happen, but he blew his top for something only he had seen.

"What are you thinking about?" Greg asked, taking a seat next to Kelly and offering her a drink. Kelly shook her head.

"The race today."

"It was pretty sweet," Greg nodded. "And I wouldn't have been upset if Dani came second, but the tables really turned in her favour, don't you think?"

"I think someone turned the tables," Kelly said. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Have you seen the deal Dani made with SPEED when he signed her?"

Greg shook his head, "Nope. It was all Dani's doing. She may not be school smart, but I don't judge her ability to read a contract."

"They can be tricky little buggers," Kelly said. She glanced around the room. Everyone was distracted with the party; no one would notice she and Greg were gone. "Can you take me upstairs?"

"Why?"

"Dani brought the forms home with her, right?" Kelly asked. "She's got a copy of them."

"Yeah."

"I want to read it."

"If Dani catches you…"

"I'll deal with her," Kelly said.

Greg shrugged, putting his drink down as he took Kelly upstairs. He walked to Dani's end table, opening the top drawer and pulling out a folder. He reached in, grabbing the stack of papers.

"Here," he said, handing it to Kelly. The red head glanced at the contract, her face slowly twisting. Suddenly, she thrust the papers into Greg's chest.

"You read it," she told him.

"What…"

"Something seems unfair about this," Kelly said. "The hours he's asking Dani to put into this, all the interviews he's gotten her to agree to, the appearances and this…"

Kelly pointed to one of the lines, "Dani's not allowed to answer questions that haven't been approved by SPEED, and she's not allowed to give answers that haven't been approved by SPEED. He's censoring her!"

"Why?"

"Not sure yet," Kelly frowned. She pointed to the numbers on the contract, "Do these add up? Is Dani getting paid a proper amount for all the work she's doing?"

Greg quickly did the math in his head. The money Dani would be making, minus the taxes. What percentage of her income would have to go to her team, as well as the percentage that needed to go to SPEED. He shook his head.

"This doesn't add up."

"How so?"

"Well," Greg pointed to SPEED's name, "He's getting 90% of Dani's income after taxes. Dani's racing team is getting 5%, and Dani's only getting 2%."

"Where's the rest going?"

"It says insurance," Greg frowned. "I don't believe it."

Kelly shook her head, "Dani, Dani, Dani… always read the contract."

"She told me she and SPEED read through it…"

Suddenly it all clicked for Greg. Dani's ability to understand contracts had grown considerably since she and Flynn started the garage. She wouldn't be fooled by a scam this obvious unless SPEED tricked her. When it came to numbers, Dani had to focus hard. She did terribly in math (still believing to this day that pi is a dessert and not 3.14. At best she thinks it's 3.14 slices of pie). With her lack of knowledge, and her hatred for the subject, it wouldn't be hard to confuse Dani, or manipulate her into believing she understood what was going on, when really she had no idea.

Greg threw the contract onto the bed, "That son of a bitch!"

"What?" Kelly asked.

"He thinks she's stupid!" Greg shouted. "SPEED thinks my wife is stupid!"

"What are you talking about?" Kelly frowned. "Dani…"

"Everyone knows Dani's not… how to put it… not firing with all spark plugs."

"You mean stupid?"

"She's not stupid," Greg frowned. "Well… according to tests and stuff she is but…"

Greg took a deep breath as he tried to explain this to Dani's Aunt.

"Dani's… she's not book smart… but she's in no way stupid… she's… she's…. she's like Kaylee… kinda."

"Kaylee's smart," Kelly said.

"Yeah, but in life," Greg nodded. "Dani excels in social situations. She learns how the world works through observation, and she's amazing at coming to conclusions, and drawing answers from life itself from her experiences and intuition. That's something you can't test. That's why she's always failed in school. It's not because Dani's stupid… it's actually sorta the opposite… in a way…"

"School did nothing for Dani," Kelly nodded. "There was nothing in school Dani could grasp. There was nothing it could teach her."

"Unfortunately, I don't think SPEED knows that," Greg sighed, "I think, he thinks, Dani's a moron and he's going to play with her stupidity and take this as far as he can."


	100. Daniela Learns the Truth

_Author's Note: Yay, 100 chapters again! It seems everytime I reach 100, the plotline is centered around Dani. First Dani overdoses, and now she's in a shitty deal with an even shittier agent._

_Thanks to everyone who has read the story and followed along, and a huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed. I always love to hear what you think and it's great motivation for me to keep going! You're all amazing!_

* * *

"Well, Flynn, come tomorrow you can probably head home," David smiled as he finished Flynn's check-up. Of the four Rangers involved in the car accident, Flynn had been the least injured. Everyone knew that it was thanks to Hayden jumping in the way and protecting him because her powers would allow her to heal, but that didn't comfort Flynn. He hated that Hayden put her life on the line, once again, without thinking about the baby.

"Can I go see Hayden?" he asked David. The doctor shook his head.

"Leanne's in with her now," he said. "It'll still be a few hours before she lets you in."

Flynn growled, obviously frustrated. David sighed, patting Flynn's leg.

"I can already tell you everything is going to be fine," he said. "Hayden lost a lot of blood, but Conner got to the accident quickly enough, as did the paramedics. I'm sure…"

"Are you sure my baby's okay?" Flynn asked. "That's all I want to know. Is the baby okay?"

At the moment, Flynn didn't care much about Hayden's well being. Of course, it would have destroyed him if something did happen to her because of this, but Flynn knew Hayden's powers would heal her. He knew, at the end of the day, she was going to be okay and would probably be allowed to go home at the same time as him. The baby on the other hand was another story. The blood loss and the injuries could have been too much for Hayden's body to handle and if it had to choose between healing Hayden or the baby… Flynn didn't want to imagine what would happen.

"Relax Flynn," David said, "The reason Leanne's only checking up on Hayden today is because there were no signs or threats of a miscarriage."

"Then why is it a few hours?"

"Because, Hayden still needs to rest," David got off the bed and walked for the door, "Like it or not, your wife's is still pregnant, and after that accident she needs all the rest she can get for a full recovery… for her and the baby."

David left the room, giving Flynn a little time to rest as well. Just as he stepped into the hallway, he felt something run into him before squeezing the air out of him.

"Guess what day it is today!" Dani cried, pulling away from the hug and looking up at her father. David frowned as he glanced down at his daughters, then up and down the halls for any nurses.

"Dani? What the hell are you doing back here? No one's supposed to be back here without permission."

"I know a few people," Dani shrugged. David shook his head.

"Yeah, well I know a those people too," he said. "As a matter of fact, I introduced you to those people, and I have the power to fire them."

"Relax dad," Dani chuckled, "I'm only back here to tell you happy father's day!"

David's face softened as he kissed his daughter on the top of the head. He had completely forgotten about Father's Day with everything that had been going on. Between Dani's races and the hospital, it seemed like he had no life at all. He couldn't remember the last time he had really seen Ronny.

"Thank you, baby girl," he smiled. "So, what did you get me?"

Dani reached into her pocket, "Well… it's not really much…"

She pulled out a small paper from her pocket and presented it to her father, "I was going to give you and mom this ticket to the race this afternoon. I bought it before I was invited to race and qualified for this one. I know you guys now have free passes so it's kinda worthless."

"I don't care," David chuckled. He accepted the passes, "Thank you, Dani."

"But I really want to do something for you!" Dani cried out. She saw a doctor walk down the halls and grabbed his arm.

"Dr. Palmer, would you mind if my dad took the rest of the day off?" she asked the doctor. "I have a father's day idea for him, and it'll only work if he gets the day off."

"I don't know…" Palmer frowned. Though he didn't have any plans for father's day, he wasn't sure about working the extra hours to cover for David.

"Please, please, please!" Dani begged, doing her best to give the doctor the face that no one working in the hospital could resist. Palmer chuckled at the display.

"Alright… just stop with the face, Daniela. I'll cover his shift if he promises to make it up to me."

"How so?" David asked. Palmer held out his hand.

"I want passes to the next race, and the day off so I can enjoy it."

David turned to his daughter who shrugged.

"I don't have any on me… oh, but maybe…"

Dani grabbed her father's ticket, which was worthless anyways, and scratched out the date, replacing it with the one of Palmer's choice. On the back of the ticket, she wrote a note, telling whoever would receive the ticket that Palmer was a special guests and if they didn't let him in she could personally kick his ass.

Sadly, Dani was never good in spelling.

"This says I'm a special goose…"

"Ooh, I was close," Dani giggled, looking up at her father. He shook his head, correcting the mistake for Dani. Palmer shook his head.

"This better work," he told Dani.

"No matter what happens today, I'm going to make it to that race," Dani smiled. "I'll talk to whoever is standing by the doors for you."

Palmer nodded and continued on his way. David turned to Dani.

"Goose, really?"

"Better than the last time I wrote something," Dani shrugged. David checked her forehead.

"You're not burning up…"

Dani slapped her father's hand away before shoving him towards the exit, "I'm not sick. Now, you go home."

"I thought I was getting a present…"

"Your present is time with me and mom today before my race," Dani smiled, "As a family. It's something we haven't done in forever. But after my race, you two are on your own. Just promise me you'll use some protection. I don't want a baby brother or sister."

-Afterlife-

Greg hadn't slept at all after he and Kelly had come to their conclusions about SPEED. He couldn't tell Dani what they had found, knowing it would break her heart and destroy her if she found out that SPEED was only using her for money because he thought she was stupid.

He walked into Storm Chargers, going right for the backroom and finding Kelly.

"I hate you," he growled. Kelly looked up from the papers in her hands. She had Greg make a photocopy of their findings before taking off. She wanted the chance to look at them again to make sure she was right with her suspicions.

"I'm sorry… I hate this just as much as you do," Kelly nodded. "If it's any consolation, we're right at least."

"It's not," Greg frowned, "But at least there is that. I didn't lose sleep over nothing."

"How did Dani take it?"

"I didn't tell her," Greg said. Kelly looked at him.

"You…"

"Have you seen Dani when people call her stupid?"

"Right…" Kelly nodded. "So, how do we break it to her?"

"Gently."

"She's got a race today," Kelly said. "Maybe we should do it before then… hopefully it can postpone the race and expose SPEED."

"And put a stop to those street racers," Greg added.

"Well, they are still responsible for their actions," Kelly said. "But after court appearances, the one who don't go to jail can maybe get their jobs back. They were, after all, fired unfairly."

"Dani should be at the track at two," Greg said, checking his watch. "We can tell her then."

"I'll be there."

-Afterlife-

Flynn ignored David completely as soon as he was sure the doctor would be far enough away and got out of bed, determined to visit his wife. He crept out into the halls, making sure no one would see him before sneaking to his wife's room.

He turned to look over his shoulder before bumping into something. His heart began to race, afraid it might be a doctor. He turned around slowly.

"Dillon?"

"Thank god…" Dillon breathed; obviously he was as paranoid as Flynn about getting caught. Flynn smiled at bit when he saw his friend was okay.

"You're up rather quickly," he said. "I thought you took the hit for Summer."

"Not the first time I've had metal pierced through my skin," Dillon smirked. "It'll take a lot more than that to keep me down."

"Have you heard any news about Summer?"

Dillon nodded sadly, "Summer's going to be okay. No news about the baby. The nurse said Leanne was going to give me all the information today when the results came up."

"Let me guess," Flynn said, "You're not going to wait for Leanne to see you, are you?"

"Are you kidding? I can't wait! My wife's pregnant, and I might lose my first child… on father's day!"

"Shit…" Flynn frowned. "I should call my dad."

"Worry about that later," Dillon said, patting his friend on the shoulder, "How's your wife?"

"Wife, fine," Flynn said. "That's obvious. It's the baby I'm worried about. Leanne's checking up on Hayden now."

"You're not waiting either," Dillon laughed.

"I'm scared half to death!" Flynn cried. "Of course I'm not waiting."

"Well, we're in the same boat, my Scottish friend," Dillon said. "How about we paddle our way to our wives' rooms together?"

"Aye," Flynn nodded. The two men checked over their shoulders before setting off, carefully, down the hallways, looking through the small windows for their wives. Suddenly, Dillon waved over to Flynn.

"In here, dude," he called. Flynn ran over.

"Hayden's in there?"

"They both are," Dillon said. "I guess Leanne had them moved for convenience."

Flynn grabbed the door handle, turning it slowly.

"This is it, lad," he said to Dillon. "No matter what happens…"

"No matter what," Dillon nodded, giving his friend a small smile before both boys stepped into the room. Leanne heard the door creaking open and jumped slightly. She hadn't been expecting anyone to walk in, and was slightly startled to see two figures approaching her.

"Flynn, Dillon. You two are supposed to be in bed," she said, putting her clipboard down. She tried walking over to the boys, to keep them from making their way further into the room, but Dillon and Flynn were too quick for her. As they stepped forward, they both caught a glance at their wives.

Hayden was holding her stomach, glancing up at the ceiling with a thankful look on her face. Flynn took this as a good sign as he rushed over to her.

"Hayden…"

"It's fine, Flynn," Hayden said. "The baby's okay."

Flynn let out a huge breath, feeling the weight lifting off his shoulders as he sat down on the bed beside his wife, wrapping his arms around her.

"You scared me half to death!" he told her. "What did I tell you about jeopardizing your life like that?"

"Not when I'm pregnant," Hayden lowered her head in shame, "But I couldn't help it. It wasn't just you out there. Dillon and Summer and their baby were in danger as well. I had to do something!"

"I know… I know… you just…" Flynn wanted to scold Hayden for what had happened, but he could bring himself to do it. He was just so happy his family was safe and his child was still alive. "You really scared me, Hayden. I would rather be run over by a car and lay up in the hospital for months, even years on end, then see you or the baby hurt."

"I'm sorry…" Hayden sighed. Flynn kissed her.

Dillon found he couldn't go over to his wife. She had tear streaming down her face and was totally lost in her own little world. Unlike Flynn, Dillon couldn't take this as a good sign. He could only imagine the worse.

-Afterlife-

Greg tapped his fingers impatiently as he waited for Kelly. It was 2:05, and the former pink Ranger was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, he saw her racing down the hallway, carrying the stacks of papers she had with her at Storm Chargers. Greg looked at her, raising his hands in curiosity.

"Where have you been?" he asked her.

"I'm so sorry," Kelly said. "Traffic."

"There's not a car on the road!" Greg frowned. "Everyone's here."

"Street racers," Kelly reminded the genius. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to be hit."

"As long as it's not today," Greg said, turning towards a door. He knocked on it while Kelly thought about what he said.

"Oh, but if it's another day you'll be fine with it?" she frowned, "Oh, no, just go ahead, hit Kelly. We don't need her anymore."

"That's not what I… Dani! Hey!" Greg smiled as his wife opened the door to her change room.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dani frowned. Greg and Kelly pushed their way inside, closing the door behind them before Kelly held the papers up.

"We're here to talk about the deal you made with SPEED," Kelly said.

"Dani… you might want to sit down."

-Afterlife-

"Daniela!" Bruce called, waiving his cousin over to her car as the announcer called for the racers to make their way to the starting point. Daniela grabbed her helmet from him, quickly putting it on before getting in the car. Bruce leaned in, about to give Daniela instructions on the race, but she shushed him.

"Get your face out of my car before I dent it," she growled. Bruce frowned.

"You okay, kiddo?" he asked. "You seem a little tense."

"I'll be fine," Dani nodded, "You just make sure SPEED is watching the race. That son of a bitch wants me to win… I'm going to win alright…"

"Yeah, that'll show him," Bruce frowned, stepping away from Dani as the engine roared, "Stay safe, Dan…"

As soon as Bruce was off the track, the race began, with Daniela quickly taking the lead, pulling far ahead of the other cars. Bruce found Greg and Kelly were standing a few feet away from the pit crew. As he took his headset, he approached them.

"Do you two know what's going on with Dani?" he asked them. "She seemed a little tense."

"Make sure you keep her focused," Greg told Bruce. "If you think she's getting too frustrated, tell her to pull out of the race."

Bruce laughed, "You think Dani's going to pull out. You're cute, Greg."

Greg glared at the taller man, "Make her pull out."

"Okay, okay," Bruce said. "If I have to, I'll see what I can do."


	101. Not Stupid

Leanne could see Dillon was frozen on the spot and nudge him gently, waking him up from what could be called a nightmare. Dillon moved hesitantly to Summer.

"Sunshine…" he called weakly, snapping Summer out of her trance. She looked at Dillon, with the tears still running down her face. She nodded.

"It's okay," Summer said, a smile finally appearing on her face as she gave her husband the good news. She couldn't even believe it herself. All this time in the hospital she had been left to imagine the worse; to imagine what it would feel like to lose a child before getting the chance to see it. Leanne had given her the good news a while ago, but it hadn't really sunk in until she said it. "The baby's okay, Dillon."

Dillon dropped beside the bed, taking his wife's hand in his and kissing it. He placed his other hand on her stomach, smiling up at his wife.

"Congratulations," Leanne whispered to both couples. "The babies are both very healthy considering what they've been through."

"That's good to hear," Flynn said, turning over to Summer and Dillon's side of the room to offer the other couple a comforting smile. Dillon returned the favour, holding his wife close.

"How long before we can get out of here?" Hayden asked impatiently. Her scars were already healing up, as they naturally would, and she didn't want to sit in the hospital any longer than she had to.

"Not long," Leanne answered, grabbing Summer and Hayden's clipboards. "I'll just do a few last minute stuff, make sure you guys will be okay on your own and then I can let you out. I'm just going to get the boys' papers."

-Afterlife-

"_Mother fucking piece of shit, you son of a bitch!"_

Bruce shook his head, ripping off the headset as he turned to Greg and Kelly.

"What's got her so upset?" he asked the two. "Now her entire sentence is filled with curses."

Greg winced, watching the race on the big screen. Daniela's driving was getting more and more reckless as time went on.

"Pull her out," he told Bruce.

"Whatever you say," Bruce nodded, slipping the headset back on and catching the last part of another curse sentence. He took a long breath, "Dani, drop out."

"_NO!"_

"Daniela, get your ass out of this race right now."

"_NO!"_

Kelly took the headset from Bruce.

"Daniela, get out of the race before you lose focus completely and crash," she said. "Your mom's up in the stands. You don't want her to live through that scare again, do you?"

Daniela muttered something on the other end as her car came around the corner, pulling out of the race. The entire stadium before to murmur in confusion as a penalty flag was waved in the air for Dani. She stopped the car in front of her pit crew and jumped out.

SPEED rushed out onto the track, obviously very curious about why his star racer would pull out of the race when she was in the lead. Daniela spotted him from a distance and stormed over.

"You lying bastard!" she shouted, ripping her helmet off and throwing it at SPEED. He caught it just before it hit his face and frowned.

"Daniela, calm down. What's going on...?"

"You know what's going on!" Daniela screamed. "You think I'm stupid!"

Up in the stands, the Ranger family was listening to Dani's argument with SPEED as it slowly took over the screens. Even the racers on the track began to slow down and stop to watch what was unfolding between the Racer and the agent.

As soon as Ronny and David heard their daughter so upset they jumped out of their seats, making their way, as quickly as they could, to the track.

SPEED laughed, looking around as camera started surrounding him.

"Of course I don't, Daniela," he said nervously. "You're my star…"

"You thought you could trick me into being your money maker!" Daniela screamed. "You said we would be earning our fair amounts."

"And we are…"

"Then why the fuck are you stealing 90% of whatever I make! That's not fair! I'm racing; my team's making sure I keep racing. You've pretty much just been sitting on your ass collecting money!"

"Not to mention the fact that the racers you've fired are the ones street racing through Corinth," Ronny threw in, joining her daughter on the track. "Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

"Wait… what?" Dani frowned, turning to her mother. "The street racers are…"

"The driver who hit Dillon, Summer, Flynn and Hayden was Eric Hatstar," Ronny continued.

"Eric?" Dani frowned. She turned to SPEED. "He's the drive you fired because you found illegal parts on his car."

"He's still saying today that he never put those parts in his car," Ronny said.

"So?" SPEED frowned. "That doesn't prove anything. That's one of my former drivers acting irresponsibly. What does that have to do with me?"

"All the drivers you fired said the same thing," Ronny said.

Kelly nodded, "And that last guy, Bryan… you fired him for a dangerous move in the race. What exactly did he do?"

"He cut Daniela off illegally to win the race."

Dani frowned, "No he didn't. It was a clean cut. I didn't like it, but there was nothing illegal about it."

"You son of a bitch," Bruce said, shaking his head at the owner of the stadium. SPEED simply shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "It's not like there's anything you can do about it. I own this track, as well as the right to hire and fire anyone I want. I don't have to answer to anyone."

"But the contract you made Daniela sign was unfair!" Greg shouted.

"I didn't make her sign anything," SPEED smirked. "She signed it on her own."

"You lied to me when you explained it."

"All you had to do was read and understand," SPEED shrugged. "It's not my fault if you don't know how to do that."

"You little…" Dani growled, ready to throw herself on the man, but she kept her cool, clenching her fists and teeth in anger instead.

SPEED turned to the cameras. "So, I fired a few racers because I didn't like the way they raced on my track. I don't see what all the fuss is about."

"You've ruined their lives!" Dani screamed. "Most of them have worked their entire lives to get where they are now and you kick them out without reason! They don't have anything to fall back on."

"Not my fault," SPEED said. "It's the risk of this business."

"You lied to me!" Daniela shouted.

"I sugar-coated the contract," SPEED corrected her."Everything I told you had a little bit of truth to it."

Daniela tensed up, ready to attack but she continued to hold herself back.

"Fine… I quit."

"You can't quit," SPEED smirked. "You're obliged, by contract, to race until the end of the tournament, or until you get kicked out."

"The same shitty contract you tricked her into signing."

"I did not trick. I sugar coated," SPEED said. "It's not my fault this kid's too stupid to read a contract."

Daniela growled hatefully as she gazed at the man who had just called her stupid. She wasn't stupid. She knew that much.

"I'm not stupid…"

"You didn't finish high school!" SPEED laughed. "Any buffoon can finish high school."

"I dropped out!"

"Because you were too stupid!"

Daniela launched herself at SPEED, taking him down to the ground. She sat on his chest as she delivered a round of punches. Bruce quickly grabbed his cousin, effortlessly lifting her off SPEED.

The agent picked himself off the ground, wiping the blood from his nose.

"Fire me now, you son of a bitch!" Dani screamed as she tried to release herself from Bruce's grip so she could have another go at SPEED. "Fire me, or I'm going to damn sure I come in dead fucking last in every race until you kick my ass out of this tournament!"

"Daniela, calm down," David frowned, glaring at his daughter.

Daniela screamed, trying to pull away from Bruce, but he wouldn't let go.

"Dani," Greg called, helping his father in-law, "You've seriously got to calm down before this backfires against you."

"I'm not stupid!" Dani screamed.

"We know you're not, Dani…" David whispered, approaching his daughter. Dani's kicking and screaming began to calm, and Bruce felt comfortable with letting her back on her feet. He stuck by his cousin, in case she got angry and threw herself at SPEED again.

Daniela glared at SPEED one last time before storming off the track.

"Security!" SPEED called, waving over a few men and pointing to Daniela. "Escort Miss Daniela out of the stadium."

Security did as they were told; rushing over to Dani and grabbing her arms to lead her out, but Dani threw them away.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving," she told them. "And you don't have to worry about me ever coming back."

SPEED smirked, turning back to the track, "Well, let's continue with the race. It's obvious we need a winner before we can move onto the next round."

David saw Ronny tensing up as SPEED completely ignored her daughter and brushing off the incident like it never happened.

"Go for it, Ron," he nodded.

The former yellow Ranger walked up to SPEED, tapping him on the shoulder. SPEED turned around, letting out an annoyed sigh before he felt something smashing into his face and he was thrown to the ground.

Ronny wiped the blood off her hand as she glared down at the man.

-Afterlife-

After leaving the track, Daniela found a corner to hide in between the stadium and the shop right next door. She crawled over the dumpster and a few garbage bags before curling up in a ball on the ground.

Her parents had always told her she wasn't stupid. School just wasn't her area of expertise. Unfortunately, intelligence was only measured by how well you did in school.

She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head in her arms as she began to sob.

Curled up and hiding from the world, Daniela began to have flashes from her childhood, when she would drop her head on her desk and hid behind her arms while the kids around her laughed because she couldn't give the teacher the right answer.

She had been tested when she was younger for a learning disability, but every result said she was perfectly normal. Though Ronny and David were pleased to hear that, it had offered no comfort to Dani. Now there really was no excuse for her inability to perform in school. She was just stupid, according to the other kids.

Once she dropped out of school, Dani thought she had put that part of her life behind her. Her family knew she wasn't stupid and they never hurtfully teased her with it, and thanks to her time as a Ranger, even Corinth city seemed to forget about her academic performance.

But it was obvious to anyone looking at her records and files that Dani was a high school dropout. It was also easy to see why. When Daniela would pass her classes it was only by a small margin. Other files would indicate Dani had to retake some classes, as well as hire a tutor, and still her grades wouldn't improve.

SPEED had taken a look at her school files somehow, and decided to use her past against her, believing Dani would be too stupid to find out he was using her.

What made matters worse for Dani as the revelation played over and over in her head was that SPEED had been right. Dani hadn't been able to see through his plan and had gone along with it. The contract she signed did allow SPEED to take a large portion of the money she made, and she hadn't seen it.

Daniela kicked a bag of garbage away in frustration, hitting her head against the brick wall behind her.

"Dan?"

Dani looked up when she heard her name and saw Summer and Dillon standing before her. She wiped her eyes.

"I thought you were in the hospital."

"Not anymore," Dillon said. "Leanne let us out a little early."

"Dani, what's wrong?" Summer asked, kneeling beside her cousin. Daniela turned her head away.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing," Dillon frowned.

"Leave me alone," Dani shouted at Dillon while pushing Summer away. Dillon caught Summer with his hand, keeping her from falling back completely while he looked down at Dani.

"Careful," he said. "You're going to hurt the baby."

His lips curled up in a smirk when he said this, hoping that news of Summer's pregnancy would snap Daniela out of her sadness.

"Whoo…" Daniela said, twirling her finger in a very unexcited way.

"Dani, what happened?" Summer asked.

Dani looked at her older cousin, "Summer, promise you'll be honest with me."

"Of course," Summer nodded.

"If I didn't drop out of high school… do you think I would have passed at the same time as everyone else?"

"I… uh…" Summer hesitated, looking up at Dillon for a moment for help. Daniela didn't seem pleased with this reaction.

"Please, Summer. Be honest."

"Dani, school just wasn't your strong point," she said.

"So no?"

Summer shook her head.

"It doesn't mean you're not smart…"

"Yeah, it does…"

"No… Dani. The path you chose in life doesn't require school. You don't need it and it doesn't work for you."

"Maybe I just chose the path that doesn't require school because I knew I was too stupid!" Dani shouted. "I could have chosen to be a doctor like my dad… but that was too hard. I could never…"

"Dani, you want to race!" Summer told her. "It's always been your passion. I remember when you were just a little baby and Sam and I would visit you. You would always take the toy cars and drive them in a circle."

"Stupid people can do that."

"You're not stupid," Dillon told the red head. "You're just… not gifted."

"Prove it," Dani said, getting to her feet. "Prove to me that I'm not stupid."

Silence. Dillon and Summer didn't answer. Dani shook her head.

"See?"

"It's not that you're stupid, Dan… there's just… it's…" Summer stammered, trying to find the right words to say.

"Everyone else thinks I'm stupid."

"Do you think you're stupid?" Dillon asked.

"I don't know."

"Look, Dan, does it really matter what other people think?" Summer asked, getting to her feet as well and placing her hand on Dani's arm.

"I don't want them laughing at me… or using me because they think I'm stupid."

"Well, show them you're not stupid," Summer smiled. "Show them you're just as smart as they are?"

"How?"

"Figure it out," Summer shrugged, smiling as she took Dillon's hand, leading him back to the street. "We'll see you later, Dan."

Dani watched her cousins leaving as she tried to think. How could she show the world she wasn't stupid and get them to stop laughing at her for it?


	102. Christian's Soccer Ball

That morning, Daniela woke up before her alarm clock, quietly turning it off so she wouldn't wake Greg. Almost a week had passed since she had learned of SPEED's contract and Dani was still determined to prove the world she wasn't stupid.

She had talked to her parents about going to university. They had tried to change her mind and tell her she didn't need to prove anything to people who didn't care about her, but Dani was determined. It was a trait she inherited from her mother (amongst the many others). Once she had an idea in her head, she didn't back down from it.

Once that had been made clear, David had tried suggesting she go back to high school. Almost immediately Dani refused. There was no way she would be returning to the hell hole that was the root of this problem. If she wanted to prove to people she was smart, she wanted to put herself in a learning environment with other students her age.

When Greg heard his wife wanted to go back to university, he didn't believe it was a good idea. University wasn't the place for Dani and though he had total confidence in her abilities, he didn't see her getting the success she wanted.

He had therefore proposed Dani attend college. She could focus on one field, which would really help Dani out. When Dani hesitated to agree to his decision, he told her that she could sign up for a course in mechanical engineering.

As soon as Greg had said those word Dani's face had frozen in terror and excitement. It was a face Greg had never seen before on his wife, and he wasn't sure how to react. It seemed Daniela heard mechanical and had been excited for that, but the engineering part, at least to her, meant smart people doing hard work. So Greg had to explain to Dani that if she went to school to become a mechanical engineer, she would be studying and learning what it was she loved: the building, designing and maintenance of mechanical systems, such as a car engine.

So, that morning, Dani was getting up early so she would be at her classes on time. Corinth city didn't have a college. They only had one university. If Dani wanted to go to college, she would have to drive all the way to NewTech for her classes.

Dani was brushing her teeth in her bedroom when Greg walked in. Dani's shoulders slumped forward as she saw her husband.

"Did I wake you up?" she asked, spitting in the sink. Greg shook his head, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"Not necessarily. Even when the alarm clock is turned off, I wake up at this time."

Dani looked at her husband in the mirror with a strange face.

"You're weird, Greg. Normal people sleep in when they have the day off."

"Normal people have days off," Greg corrected her. "I'm not going to work, but I have a job to do from here."

"What's that?"

"Summer and Dillon have asked me to remove the video of their night in the park from every computer system in the world," Greg said. "Now that they're pregnant, and it's official, they don't want people remembering the night and associating it with the baby."

"Well, good luck with that," Dani frowned. "Every computer system in the world?"

"I should be done by noon," Greg nodded. "I've already planned it out. I'm going to create a small virus that will destroy the initial program, and spread to every system that contains those same files. Other computers, cell phones… you know, things like that."

"You're going to create a virus, with the intention of controlling it, but you're going to spread it to every computer system in the world?" Dani asked. Greg nodded his head.

"Yeah, why?"

Dani put her toothbrush down and walked out of the bathroom, towards her night table. She opened the top drawer and began pulling out the Ranger engine cells that Kaylee and Rebecca allowed her to keep.

Greg leaned against the bathroom door frame, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Dani grabbed the phone, "Well, last time you unleashed a computer virus it ended the world and we had to kick its robot ass. I'm just getting prepared this time."

"Ha-ha," Greg frowned. "I'm not going to destroy the world."

"That's what they all say," Dani teased in a sing-song voice.

"Who says that?"

"People who destroy the world."

"That's only happened once," Greg said. "And neither Gem nor Gemma nor Becca nor I said those words before unleashing the Venjix."

"But you said it this time," Dani smirked. Suddenly she jumped, turning to Greg with a smile on her face. "Oh, can I name the programme? If it's going to destroy the world, it's gotta have an awesome name."

"I've already named it…"

"I'm thinking, The Night Virus… or Park Virus… or…. OH! Deleto-virus!"

"Dani!"

"Those are cool names!"

"No… you're not naming my virus, and it's not going to take over the world. It's harmless to every system except to delete the video of Summer and Dillon having sex!"

"Venjix was harmless to the world. He was only supposed to delete Alphabet soup…"

"No…" Greg paused mid-sentence as he looked at his wife. She crossed her arms on her chest. She had a point. "Aren't you going to be late for class?" he asked, changing the subject as he pointed to the clock.

"Dammit!" Dani shouted, grabbing her clothes from the end of the bed. She ran to Greg, kissing his cheek. "I'll be back around dinner time. Be careful with the Deleto-virus."

"I will, I will," Greg nodded. "I've learned from the last time."

-Afterlife-

Kaylee woke up, around the same time Daniela did, but under different circumstances.

"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up! Wake up!" Christian shouted as he jumped on the bed. Up and down, up and down, shaking Kaylee from her sleep.

Dustin stepped into the room.

"Christian, I told you to wake your mother up, not toss her like a salad."

"It's fine," Kaylee said, sitting up in bed and grabbing her son. "It's been a long time since you've woken me up, buddy."

"What are we going to do today, mommy?" Christian asked excitedly.

It was Kaylee's first day on in a long time, and she had promised she would spend time with her son.

Her day off came from getting her powers back from Conner. Hayley and David had transferred the powers from the red Dino Ranger back to their proper holder and due to never having done this before they didn't want to run the risk of something happening. Obtaining new powers was a huge stress on the body, and if Kaylee overworked herself, mentally or physically, she could lose control of her powers once again and start zwopping around Corinth and NewTech like a mad woman. She had left Ronny in charge of the street racers and observing SPEED's race track. Because Dani had legally signed a contract, everything SPEED had done was technically in the clear. He couldn't be arrested, and because he owned the track, he couldn't be fired. So all of Corinth who thought he was a scumbag was waiting for him to make one wrong move and slip up.

Meanwhile, that still meant that Corinth needed to deal with their street racers. Since the discovery of who the street racers where, Kaylee had been filtering out the one who deserved to go to prison for what they had done, and the ones who hadn't caused harm, and were just racing out of need for speed. They all obtained tickets and appeared in court to testify, and the racers who didn't go to jail were being offered a chance to get back into the racing career after doing their community service.

But with Kaylee on her small vacation, it was up to Ronny to supervise the community service, as well as come up with a way to get the racers their careers back.

The rest of Corinth city was being looked after by Colonel Truman. He wasn't happy about looking over the city 24/7 because it meant he had to do his job, as well as Kaylee's, but the extra work came with extra money.

"Mommy," Christian asked, poking his mother's face, "What are we going to do today?"

"What do you want to do?" Kaylee asked her son, throwing off the blankets as she got out of bed. Christian sat down and looked at her.

"I don't know. Watch TV?"

"No more TV for you," Dustin told his son. He looked to Kaylee, "He's been watching way too much lately. I don't want him to get addicted again."

Kaylee nodded, "That wasn't a fun phase…"

"But it's me and mommy time," Christian whined as he looked at his father. "Not daddy time! I want to watch TV with mommy and you can't say no."

"I'm with your dad on this one," Kaylee told her son, picking him up off the bed. "How about we do something else? Maybe we can play a game, or go outside."

"Outside is boring," Christian said. "There is nothing to do."

"Are you kidding?" Kaylee chuckled. "Everything is outside."

"Not the TV."

"Will you stop with the TV?" Kaylee groaned. "How about we stop by Aunt Kelly's store and I'll buy you something you can do outside."

Dustin scratched the back of his head as Christian jumped off the bed excitedly. He loved getting new toys, and Aunt Kelly's shop was always filled with cool toys.

Dustin turned to his wife, "Um, Kayl… Kelly only sells extreme sports equipment. I know Christian's a big boy and all… but he's still a little young for most of the stuff in there."

Kaylee nodded, "I know, but remember what happened to Storm Chargers after the end of the world?"

"It moved?"

"No… well yes, but Kelly had to expand her store. She's the only well known sport's store in Corinth, so she does sell a bit of regular sport's equipment. I'm sure Christian will find something there."

"I'm getting a new toy!" Christian giggled, running to his father and hugging his legs. Dustin ruffled his hair, and looked at Kaylee.

"We'll, he's already had breakfast and as you can see he's dressed, so whenever you two are ready to head out…"

"Now, mommy?" Christian asked his mother, giving her the puppy dog look he learned from Dustin. Kaylee laughed.

"I'll just get changed and make some toast and we'll be on our way."

"YAYS!" Christian shouted.

-Afterlife-

As soon as Christian set foot in Storm Chargers, he was running around, looking at all the different things he could buy. Kaylee had told him what section of the store he could buy something from, but Christian was curious and wanted to look at everything.

Kaylee left him to choose a new toy while she walked up to the front counter. She leaned over, finding Kelly squatting behind, putting away some supplies for the day. Kaylee poked her head.

"Good morning!"

Kelly jumped, falling back on her butt as she looked up at Kaylee.

"What the… what are you doing here?" Kelly asked. She put the last roll of demonic tape away (after losing half the roll in her hair) and stood up straight. Kaylee pulled a strand of tape from her friend's red hair.

"Christian and I are having a mother-son day, and this is the only way I could distract him from the TV," Kaylee said. "He's going to pick something out from the sports section… hopefully a ball, and I'll teach him that sport."

"Mommy!" Christian shouted as he pointed to a blue and yellow dirt bike hanging on the wall as a display. It was Dustin's old bike, and once it began to break down, he sold it back to Kelly, and she hung it up for everyone to see. It helped add to the atmosphere of the store, and when customers asked about the bike, she could tell them it was the bike that Freestyler Dustin Brooks won his first competition with

Kaylee turned to her son and saw her pointing at the bike. Christian bounced up and down, "I want that, mommy! Please! Please! Please!"

Kelly chuckled while Kaylee shook her head.

"I'm sorry squirt. I told you to stick to that section over there?" Kaylee said, pointing to the section of the store with the regular sport's equipment. "That's a dirt bike, sweetie, and it's a little too old for you."

"But I can ride my bike okay!" Christian argued. "And daddy says I won't need training wheels soon! I'm ready, mommy! Please!"

Kaylee shook her head. She had to say no to this one, no matter how much her son begged.

Kelly came around the counter, taking Christian's hand, "Maybe when you're a little older, buddy," she told him. "That bike will still be there, I'll make sure of it, but how about you choose something from this side of the store."

Kelly led Christian to the section Kaylee had pointed to and brought him to a box filled with different types of balls. Footballs, tennis balls, baseballs, basketballs, lacrosse balls, golf balls, volley balls, and even a few ping-pong balls. Christian looked inside the box, moving around the balls until something caught his eye.

"Ooh," he smiled, reaching to the bottom of the box and pulling out a black and white soccer ball. "What's this?"

Kelly smirked, turning to Kaylee as she answered her nephew's question, "That's a soccer ball. I think you'll really like that one. You have to kick it across a field and get it into a net to score a point."

Christian looked at the ball, completely amazed as Kelly pat his back.

"And you know what… I remember, when mommy was younger, she used to play soccer!"

Christian turned to Kelly, eyes wide, "She did?"

"Yep… you know, that would be a fun thing for you to do with her today," she smiled. "Don't you think?"

Christian nodded excitedly, holding the ball in the air for his mother to see, "Mommy, can you teach me how to play soccer?"

Kaylee walked over to her son, "Maybe, kiddo… but I don't know if I'm any good. I haven't played since high school."

Kelly scoffed, "Please."

She took the ball from Christian and threw it at Kaylee. The younger woman reacted quickly, stopping the ball with her chest and letting it rolled down to her feet. Before it hit the ground, she kicked it back up in the air and bounced it on her head a few times.

Christian was amazed at his mother's hidden talent and ran over to her excitedly. Kaylee let the ball fall to the ground and stopped it from bouncing by placing her foot on top of it. Christian looked up at her.

"I wanna do that!" he cried, stealing the ball and throwing it up in the air.

Kaylee turned to Kelly, "I guess I do remember how to play," she laughed.

"So, are you going to buy it?" Kelly smiled. Kaylee looked over her shoulder at her son, who was trying desperately to hit the ball with his head like his mother.

"I promised I would get him something for us to play with today," she nodded. Kelly went to the cash register to ring up the purchase, happy she remembered the code for the ball so she didn't have to take it away from Christian.


	103. The Virus

"That's right, buddy, but next time keep your eye on the net," Kaylee chuckled as she chased after the soccer ball that had missed the net. Christian dropped his head back in frustration.

"I can't do this!"

Kaylee picked the ball up and walked over to her son. She placed it on the ground, at his feet and smiled.

"Yes you can," she said. "I know you can. It just takes some practice. We all start off unable to do stuff."

Christian rolled his eyes, "Okay, I don't want to do this then."

Kaylee looked down at her son and took a deep breath. She grabbed his arm gently and sat him down on the grass.

"Sweetie, you can't just give up. This morning you were so excited to play soccer."

"But I can't get the ball in the net," Christian pouted, crossing his little arms over his chest. Kaylee smirked, poking his sides.

"One more try," she told him. "If you make it, I'll buy you ice-cream for dinner."

"If I don't?"

"Hey," Kaylee frowned as she jumped to her feet. She looked down at the young boy, "Ranger kids don't assume they won't make it! Just focus, kick the ball like I told you and look at the net."

Christian slowly got to his feet as Kaylee ran back to the net, taking her position as goalkeeper. Christian picked up the ball, getting a good feel of it before setting it back down. His mother told him it was important to do before taking a shot. It gave him a better feel of where and how the ball was placed on the field. He looked up at the net, and his mother. She smiled at him.

"You can do this, buddy," she encouraged.

On the other side of the field, Dustin was watching his wife and son from afar, smiling brightly as he waited for Christian to take his final shot of the night.

Dustin had come close to half an hour before to pick Kaylee and Christian up to take them back home, but when he saw the fun they were having (even if Christian was getting frustrated) and the smiles on their faces, he decided to stay back and watch.

Christian ran towards the ball and kicked it as hard as he could. The ball flew through the air and Kaylee dove to catch it. She landed with a thump on the ground, just out of reach of the ball. The ball hit off the side post and for a moment, Christian thought he had missed again.

Fortunately for him, the ball hit the post at the perfect angle, sending it right into the net. He cheered, hopping up and down to celebrate his goal while his mother collected the ball from the back of the net and ran over to him. She scooped him up in her arms.

"You see what you can do when you believe?" Kaylee smiled. Christian nodded, stealing the ball from him mother.

"I wanna do that again!"

Dustin approached the mother and son, finally making an appearance.

"Whoa, buddy. I've got a pizza waiting for you in the car. You wouldn't want it to get cold, now, would you?"

Christian smirked, "Not now. I'm going to score another goal!"

Christian kicked the ball down the field, decided to dribble it to the other net to score again. Kaylee smiled as she watched her son. Dustin leaned in, wrapping his arm around her.

"You let him score, didn't you?"

"Hey, that was a very believable dive!" Kaylee grinned. Dustin shook his head.

"Kayl…"

"What? He needed a confidence boost! And it wasn't like I placed the ball in the net for him. I just didn't stop it. That shot was his."

Dustin smirked, "I know."

Christian kicked the ball into the empty net and turned to his parents, "Look! I did it again!"

Kaylee laughed, running after her son, "Can you do it when someone's coming after you?" she called after him, stealing the ball from the net and taking off for the other side of the field. Christian screamed with laughter as he chased after him mother.

"No, mommy! Get back! It's my ball!"

"You'll have to steal it from me, soccer star!" Kaylee called.

Dustin shook his head before taking off after his wife, "Don't worry, Chris. I'll take her down; you steal the ball and score!"

"Not if I get to him first," Kaylee said. She stopped the ball with her foot and kicked it to the middle of the field. She then turned and ran after Christian, catching up to him quickly and grabbing him. "We'll outrun Daddy!"

With Christian in her arms, Kaylee ran down the field, kicking the ball. When she got close enough to the net, she set her son down.

"Kick it! Kick it!" she told him. Christian kicked the ball and Dustin took off after it, trying to save it before it went in his net. He dove for it, rolling in the grass a few times before landing in the net. Suddenly he felt something bounce off his butt. Laughing, he turned around.

"Did I stop it?"

Christian shook his head, "No, daddy," he pointed to the net, where the ball was sitting just past the goal line.

-Afterlife-

While the Brooks were having some family fun together, Ronny and her family were spread out everywhere. Dani was in her first college class in NewTech, David was at work at the hospital, and Ronny was back at home, looking through a collection of papers and files she took from the Garage, where Kaylee had temporarily set up the command center while the other was being cleared and restored.

After finding out SPEED's true intentions for hiring her daughter, Ronny was pissed off. The one thing she hated more than someone washing her lucky socks was someone taking advantage of her daughter because they thought she was stupid. Though her report cards and high school records wouldn't prove it, Daniela was anything but. The problem was Daniela's short attention span and lack of interest in anything that didn't involve cars. Ronny and David had figured that out when Dani started kindergarten and nearly failed every test the teacher gave her. According to her kindergarten teacher, Dani struggled with her number, colours, shapes and the days of the week. This wasn't true. Dani knew her colours, and had known them since she was two and told her parents she wanted a yellow and silver race car birthday cake, pink plates for her girl cousins, blue plates for her boy cousins and green cups because her Aunt Kaylee loved green. She knew her days of the week just as well as anyone else and could tell the difference between a square, a circle and a triangle. Tires and steering wheels were circles, the bottom of an individual seat in a car was a square (more or less), and speed bumps were rounded triangles.

The only thing Dani did struggle with was her numbers. But she knew them just like every other kid. If someone were to look at Dani at her job in the garage, they would see she spent half her day sorting through the financial matters and played the job of amateur accountant to make sure more money was coming in than going out. And though they did hit that rough patch, Flynn and Dani were still in business.

Ronny slammed her papers down on the desk as she rested her head in her hands. Just as she was about to give up, David walked through the door with a big smile on his face.

"You won't believe what happened at work," he told her. "One patient came in and…"

David stopped when he saw the look on his wife's face. She seemed very frustrated and overworked.

"You know… hospital stories are never really all that funny…" he trailed off as he approached Ronny, "So, uh… what are you doing?"

"Trying to find any loophole in Dani's contract," Ronny told him, tossing her papers aside, "But SPEED knows what he's doing. There's no way I can bust him for what he's done to our Dani."

"Calm down," David said. "I hate him just as much as you do, but his whole plan backfired! Dani's refusing to work for him and he's been exposed! It won't be long before he goes down."

"That's the problem," Ronny sighed, "He can't go down. He owns the only track in Corinth and NewTech! Even if the world knows he's a scumbag, racers will still sign with him because he's their only chance at a dream."

David walked to the fridge, pulling out a beer, "Well, here's a funny idea. How about you open up a track?"

Ronny chuckled loudly, not trying to hide the sarcasm as she rolled her eyes at her husband.

"Who the hell would trust an old washed up woman driver like me?" Ronny asked. "I've got nothing on SPEED! He's the hotshot."

"Yes, but you're hot," David smirked. "A lot of guys might not like the idea of a woman being their boss, but they will turn the other cheek if that woman is a hot cougar."

"You do realise we are still married, right?" Ronny frowned. "By faith, I'm not allowed to sleep with other men."

"I'm not saying you should sleep with them…" David frowned. He sat beside Ronny, placing his hand on her leg, "Back when you were racing, you were one of the most famous and most loved racer of all times… and you still are! People only know Dani because she's your kid."

"And she was a Power Ranger."

"There's that," David nodded, acknowledging that fact. Being a Ranger in a two city world did allow you to reach fame rather quickly. "But, look on the bright side. You'll open up a track and you'll make sure that kids like Dani get a fair chance at success. No lies, no cheating and no discrimination because the kids look stupid."

"Dani's not stupid," Ronny growled, "She's just not focused."

"I know, I know… but think about it, Ron. Why try to take down the man when you can beat him at his own game? Make him run out of money by stealing all his fans and his racers. He'll hit rock bottom and you can rub it in his face."

Ronny smiled, "I do love rubbing people's face in stuff when I beat them."

"I know you do," David chuckled.

"Especially when they insult my family."

"I know that too."

"That son of a bitch is going down!" Ronny cried, jumping off the couch and running for the computer room so she could e-mail Kaylee about buying some property to build her own race track.

David leaned back on the couch with his beer in his hand. He checked his watch and smirked.

"People ask how I put up being married to the most stubborn, hard-headed and competitive woman in the world… it's actually much easier than being married to half of the women still out there."

-Afterlife-

"So, how goes the Deleto-virus?" Dani asked, sneaking up behind her husband as he sat at the computer, working overtime on his project for Summer and Dillon. Greg jumped when Dani wrapped her arms around him.

"Dan… how many times have I told you not to do that when I'm working?"

"Numbers confuse me," Dani chuckled, "Remember?"

Greg shook his head, turning around in his chair to face his wife, "Speaking of you being confused, how was school?"

"It was amazing!" Dani grinned, dropping her backpack on the ground and pulling out her books. "I got everything I'm going to need for my classes and more!"

"Glad to hear it," Greg smiled. "I take it the classes are interesting?"

"You should have seen it," Dani said, "The professor pulled out this super engine and showed us what it did! It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in the world! He said that by the end of the course, we'll all be able to build one!"

"That's fantastic!"

"And the work in these classes is so easy!" Dani said, pulling out some papers for Greg to see. He took them and gave them a look. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw what she had done, but Dani wasn't finished. "I don't understand why they don't teach us this stuff in high school! If they had done it this way, I could have aced all my classes."

"Dan, you know college is actually supposed to be harder than high school and elementary school… combined."

"It doesn't feel like it," Dani grinned. "When I finished my work, the teacher was surprised! I scored top in the class for all the diagnostic testing, and he's even asked me to be his assistant for some of the hands on work! He's asked me to teach other people! _Me_, explaining school work to other kids! Bethany and those other bitches aren't laughing at me anymore, are they?"

Greg turned the Dani's work over, checking out the other side, "Dani, this is amazing. For someone who frequently forgets the number eight when counting to ten… this is… it's… well, it's impossible!"

"Did I get something wrong?" Dani asked, her smile dropping right off her face as she grabbed the paper from Greg, checking over her work. "The professor said he would have to double check but…"

"No, no, not in that sense," Greg smiled. "All your calculations, your diagrams, the charts, the proportions… it's all right. It took me years to learn this kinda stuff back in the soup."

"Really?"

"Dani, you may not be brilliant in everything… but your mind seems to… it's… when you're focused and when you actually want to learn… there's nothing you can't do!"

Daniela smiled brightly, "Really?"

"It took me a few minutes to understand what the hell was on that paper," Greg nodded, "And I helped Rebecca design a lot of the Ranger technology. You're not stupid, babe. You're anything but!"

Greg stood up, "This deserves something special!"

"I know!" Dani cheered, bouncing up and down with excitement. "We should go to the store and buy some pie!"

"Pie?" Greg frowned. "Why pie? I was thinking a fancy dinner."

"Because, I always thought pie was a dessert! Now that I'm smart, I can eat my old stupidity!"

Greg rolled his eyes and let out a small chuckle as Dani ran for the front door, grabbing the car keys out of the bowl.

"I'll be right with you, smarty-pants," Greg called to her as he went back to the computer, quickly shutting down the project he was working on. Before checking to make sure the shut down had been successful, he took off after his wife. With her short attention span and her easily excitable personality, it would be no surprise if she left for the store and a fancy dinner without him.

Just as he closed the door to the computer room, a dark red light began to shine, lighting up the entire room and the words _system failure_ could be seen on the computer screen.

-Afterlife-

Hayden had forgotten her jacket back at the Garage and had stopped by to pick it up. It was after hours in the Command center, and normally the night crew would be working; but ever since the fall of the command center and the death of the entire night staff the command center had been left alone at night.

Hayden didn't feel any differently walking around the garage all alone. It brought back memories of her Ranger days when she couldn't sleep. The only thing missing was Dillon walking around with her, groaning loudly because she was disturbing his midnight peace.

She grabbed her jacket from her chair and turned to leave when the Garage suddenly lit up brightly. Hayden shielded her eyes for a moment and in that time, the every computer system in the Garage started acting up. The lights were flashing on and off, the microwave, stove and blender were doing the same and the computers were making loud beeping noises, almost like they were going to blow up. Hayden grabbed her small handheld computer, hoping to maybe figure out what was wrong, but she was sad to find that her computer was doing the same.

She dropped it on the ground as a dark red light appeared on the screen.

"Oh no," she said, looking around in her panic, "No, no, no… not again."

The Garage's defence systems were the next things to begin acting crazy and cannons began to pop out of the walls, firing freely. Hayden dove under her mother's desk, taking cover. She pulled open the biggest drawer, grabbing the briefcase that her mother had locked inside. She quickly popped it open, revealing the morphers.

It took her a moment to try and figure out which one was hers. Normally they could be told apart thanks to the engine cell placed inside them. Every Ranger had a different colour. But the cells had been taken out of the morphers and placed in their own compartment.

So long as Hayden grabbed the pink engine cell, she assumed using Scott, Flynn, Summer or Mike's morpher would be the same as using hers. She took her cell, as well as the morpher in the middle of the case, activating them both at the same time.

With her morpher at the ready, Hayden pulled herself out for under the desk. Suddenly, she heard a voice over the intercom Rebecca still hadn't turned off when she came out of hiding.

"_I am Deleto-Virus! Humanity shall fall!"_

The lasers turned on Hayden, tracking her movements and firing. Hayden, as quickly as she could, ran across the garage, escaping the command center before she could get hurt. But once she was out, she didn't stop running.

She continued her run down the streets, noticing every streetlight flashing and the traffic lights going crazy. As she peeked inside a few homes, she could see all the computers in there were acting just as out of control as the ones in the command center.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Hayden screamed, running right past her home and turning the corner quickly. She made it to her parents' house in record time, barging in. "Mom! Dad! It's happening again!"


	104. Deleto's Start

Kaylee and Dustin were in the upstairs hallway after putting Christian to bed when they heard the front door swing open and Hayden calling their names. Instinctively, the two parents ran down the stairs. Kaylee caught Hayden in her arms, holding her close why Dustin ran for the door, looking outside quickly for anyone following his daughter.

That's when he saw the lights outside flashing. He and Kaylee hadn't noticed before now because they kept the lights off while putting Christian to bed. He ran into the kitchen after closing the front door and noticed the appliances were also beginning to act up. He unplugged them as quickly as he could as he turned to Hayden.

"What's going on?" he asked her. Hayden shrugged.

"I don't know… I was in the command center getting my jacket when everything started acting crazy. I think it's a computer virus."

"How do you know?" Kaylee asked her daughter.

"It called itself the Deleto-Virus. It wants to take over the world."

"Of course," Dustin groaned. "They always want to take over the world."

Hayden looked up at her mother, "What are we going to do?"

"I'll call Rebecca, Gem, Gemma and Greg," Kaylee said. "Dustin, make sure you unplug everything!"

"On it!"

-Afterlife-

After a nice romantic dinner, and going to the grocery store to pick up some pie, Dani and Greg stopped by the park to enjoy their desert (and not the math symbol) in the park.

They laid on the blankets, looking up at the artificial night sky when suddenly it began to blur and fade out. A dark, red light began to glow, lighting up the night sky instead of the stars and the moon. Greg felt panic wash over him before his phone rang.

He answered it nervously, "Hello…?"

Dani sat up, looking at her husband as the colour drained from his face.

"No… no, don't call them… they won't know what to do. We'll be right…"

Suddenly the phone died. Dani touched his arm gently.

"What was that?" she asked him. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Remember the Deleto-Virus?"

"Aw, you gave it my name," Dani grinned, "That's so sweet! I told you it was a really cool name."

"Well, I hope you like it," Greg sighed, "Because you're going to be using it a lot for the next little while."

Greg got to his feet, packing up his things. Dani frowned as she watched him.

"Greg… does this have to do with the Venjix look-a-like in the sky?"

Greg helped his wife to his feet, "Come with me. We'll have to head back to the Garage."

"What? Why? Greg! Come on, I'm finally feeling smart and you're holding out on me!"

-Afterlife-

Engel was sitting on the floor in her bedroom, finishing up her night time movie before bed when suddenly the TV shut off. She crossed her arms, pouting as she kicked the screen.

"Cindybella!" she called. "Come back! Not done dancing!"

The old DVD player Scott and Samantha used for Engel suddenly flickered back on and Engel heard a loud grinding noise. Engel turned to the little machine and frowned.

"Not funny! Favourite part!" she cried, kicking the DVD player as well. Suddenly it spat out a piece of the DVD disk, slicing Engel's foot. Engel fell to the ground with a loud thump and screamed loudly.

The DVD player spat out another piece of the disk and this piece hit Engel in the face, just beside the eye. The two year old held her face in her hand as she tried to crawl away. The DVD player continued to spit out pieces, one by one.

Suddenly, Scott and Samantha ran into the room, hearing Engel's loud cries. Samantha picked her daughter up, holding her in her arms while Scott took on the DVD player, slamming his foot down on the small machine to break it. He ran for the wall, unplugging the device.

"MOMMY!" Engel screamed as Samantha gently rocked her, trying to sooth her daughter.

"It's okay," Samantha whispered, kissing Engel on the top of her head to heal the injuries the DVD player had caused, although the damage was already done.

Scott grabbed the pink teddy bear from Engel's bed; bringing it over to his step-daughter as his wife tried everything she could to comfort Engel. The pain had subsided when the injuries healed, but the fear Engel was experiencing after the attack wasn't about to leave anytime soon.

"What was that?" Scott asked his wife as he took the two year old, reuniting her with her favourite pink bear. Engel wrapped the toy in her arms, holding it very close for comfort as she pulled into Scott.

"I have no idea… but we might wanna call one of our parents," Samantha suggested. She left the room for a moment to get the phone, but returned suddenly with a look of panic on her face.

"Scott, we have to get out!" she told him, grabbing Engel from him and running for the door. Scott didn't hesitate to follow her out of the room, but ran for the bedroom instead of the front door when he saw Samantha sprout her wings and use them to protect herself and Engel from leaving the house. All electronic devices seemed to be acting up like the DVD player in Engel's room had done and they were spitting out whatever they could. Scott grabbed the handgun he kept in his end table for moments like this one and quickly followed his wife, shooting at anything that threatened to shoot his family.

-Afterlife-

Greg and Dani took cover behind a wall as the laser beams continued to blast at them. Greg pounded his head against the wall in frustration, while Dani peeked around the corner. She jumped back as a laser beam was shot at her head.

"That was close," she breathed, leaning against the wall. She turned to Greg, "I have a solution."

"Does it involve dying?"

"It involves not dying… I hope," Dani frowned. "You tell me what I have to do, and I'll go in at super speed and take this mother fucking computer down."

"Dani… I love you, I really, really do. And you know I believe in your intelligence level… but there's no way you'll understand how manually shut down the computer and disarm the virus!"

"It's the big red power button, right?" Dani asked. Greg rubbed his temples.

"No. If you shut it down before disarming it we'll lose control."

"Oh, so you have this all under control," Dani said, rolling her eyes as the sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Well, that's good to hear, because I thought the random fire, the alarms blaring and the panic was all a bad thing!"

"You know what I mean!" Greg yelled.

"So what do we do?"

Greg shut his eyes, suddenly disappearing. Dani rolled her own, counting down the seconds before Greg was shot. Just as she reached zero she heard him scream. His body reappeared and rolled back behind the wall for protection.

"You forgot that this thing tracks heat signature, not movement, right?"

"Shut up."

"You also forgot that robots do release heat, especially when they overheat, and you and Dr. K programmed this to detect even the smallest amount of heat radiating off a body."

"Daniela, shut up."

"What?" Dani frowned. "It's not often I'm right."

"You're the woman in this relationship, you're always right," Greg muttered, rubbing his chest where he had been shot. Dani furrowed her brows.

"See, either you're right, and that makes you wrong, or you're wrong and that makes you right which then makes you wrong."

"Would it be domestic violence if I threw you into open fire?" Greg snapped. Dani growled, shutting her mouth as she turned to her husband. "Dani, this is serious!"

"Well, what are we going to do?" Dani asked him. "We can't get close to that thing without getting shot!"

"If I don't shut it down soon it'll infect every computer system and more in the world!" Greg frowned. "We need to figure out a way to get close to it."

"I can run…"

"No," Greg told her. "You'll be able to avoid danger on the way there and back, but you'll have to stop at the main computer and there's you'll be a sitting duck. You're not getting hurt because of a mistake I made!"

"Then why am I here?"

"Because you refused to get out of the car."

"I was driving!"

"I'll go in," Greg suggested, getting back to his feet. Dani jumped up, grabbing his arm.

"No way! You'll get shot too… again! I say, if we're this conflicted, we fall back and go find Aunt Kaylee. She'll know what to do."

"No! I have to fix this!"

"You can't!" Dani frowned. "Come, listen to the golden rule of me always being right and let's get out of here before this thing decides to shot the wall."

"You go," Greg said, pulling out of Dani's grip, "I can figure this out."

"No, Greg!" Dani groaned. She rolled her eyes before catching sight of something shinning. With a smirk, she took off running, scooping the item up in her arms before turning back to the wall and sliding back to safety. She slid right up to Greg's feet, knocking him over but quickly pulling him back under cover.

"Look!" she smiled, showing him the box with the morphers.

"Dan… that's a good idea!" Greg smiled, picking up his old morpher and engine cell. Dani beamed, doing the same.

Once they were morpher, Greg grabbed his old blaster. He looked at Dani.

"Okay, on the count of three, we're going to shoot at everything."

"Sounds like fun," Dani grinned behind her helmet.

"Once we've destroyed everything, I'll check the computer to see just how much damage Deleto has caused."

"Three, two, one, fire!" Dani called, shooting before Greg had the chance to do the countdown on his own. He took a moment to roll his eyes, before joining his wife and shooting at every laser possible. A shower of sparks and various explosions came down on the two Rangers, but their suits protected them from most of the damage.

When there was only one laser left, Dani pocketed his blaster and took off at super speed, bouncing everywhere to distract it. The laser, tracking her heat signature, began firing everywhere, losing control. Greg ran out, free to take his time because Dani's heat signature was currently much, much stronger than his.

He ducked behind a table.

"Dani! Take cover!" he shouted, aiming his last shot at the laser beam, firing as soon as he could. The laser took the direct hit, exploding just as Dani sped by. She was tripped by the blast, falling out of her super run and smashing into the wall. Greg ran over to her, helping her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. Dani nodded, shaking her head.

"There's not much to lose, right?" she smirked. Greg laughed, hugging her with his free arm.

"Yes there is," he told her. Dani smirked before pushing him away.

"Go check the computer!" she told him. Greg ran to the main system, typing in a few codes and checking the screen.

"Okay, it's infected everything in Corinth and some of it has spread into NewTech… but as long as that's it…"

"It's spread to NewTech?" Dani frowned. "This isn't good. If one computer is infected, it's only a matter of seconds before they all are!"

"What do you mean?" Greg asked. Dani shook her head.

"Do you know what the Amish NewTech citizens like to do in their spare time?" she asked her husband. Greg shrugged. "Watch TV, play video games and download music!"

"That's…"

"Everything in New_TECH_ is a computer! When a NewTechnician says they're going to write something down on paper, do you know what they're actually going to write on?"

"NewTechnician…?"

"A little handheld computer, the size of a regular piece of paper!"

"Dani…"

"That's why I stowed away on the bus when I wanted to race! It's no fun racing when you're not actually in the car! Everything is virtual reality! Hell, I'm pretty sure the SPD Rangers weren't actually in their suits, but controlling them from a remote location!"

"That's not true."

"It might as well be," Dani said. She clung onto Greg's shirt, pulling him out of the garage, "We're doomed!"

-Afterlife-

The Rangers were all standing in Kaylee's living room, wondering what was going on as Kaylee paced back and forth. Everyone had their own experience with the computers going crazy, and a few of the Rangers had the scars to prove it.

Samantha came down the stairs after putting Engel down for bed with Christian, finding everyone in the room still talking about what could have caused the Deleto-Virus to spread.

Scott was running his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth. As leader of the RPM team, as well as leader of Eagle squad, it was going to be his responsibility to figure out who was responsible for Deleto, and to make sure they deleted him, before it deleted them. Gem and Gemma were helping to the best of their abilities.

Flynn had his arms wrapped around Hayden, holding her protectively. Though he knew she could heal, and by now the baby would be able to heal as well, he still worried deeply about her safety. As soon as he found out she had been the prime target for the laser beams in the garage, his heart jumped and his stomach turned.

Summer was sitting on the couch, wondering what she was going to do, and Dillon sat by her side, offering suggesting to Scott to try and help him out. Now that Summer was pregnant, it was very unlikely she be thrown into battle again a Venjix 2.0. She was going to need a replacement. Normally she would ask Samantha to take her place, but it seemed Samantha was already going to take Hayden's position.

Ziggy sat with Rebecca. The doctor seemed both happy, and upset about the current situation. Upset because it seemed the world was in danger once again, but happy because this time it wasn't her fault.

Mike, like Scott, was pacing back and forth, but he was wondering how a DVD player could attack his daughter. Scott and Samantha wouldn't share the information with the group until Engel was in bed, sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, just as Kaylee was about to pull her hair in frustration, Greg and Dani arrived, almost tripping over themselves as they stumbled in past the doorway and made their way into the living room. Greg had a few bruises and burns, but nothing too bad. Dani was almost the same, but she had a big bump on her forehead from when she ran right into the wall.

Dillon chuckled at his friends, "What happened to you two? You look like you just came out of a blender."

"We were in the garage," Greg told his team as he looked up at Kaylee. "Everything's been infected; all the computers and electronic devices in Corinth as well as NewTech city."

"NewTe…" Kaylee trailed off as she ran to the phone, making an attempt at dialling Kira's number, but as soon as she turned it back on the screen started flashing a dark red and a loud beeping sound could be heard. Kaylee quickly shut it off and drop it on the ground. For safety reasons, Dustin smashed the phone with his foot.

Greg shook his head, "I did say all electronic devices, right?"

"My bad," Kaylee frowned.

"What were you guys doing in the garage?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Dillon nodded. "And why aren't we there now? Isn't that our base?"

"The garage is where the virus started," Hayden told the boys. "It was the first things to…"

Hayden trailed off when she saw Greg shaking his head. She turned to him and frowned.

"What?"

"The virus didn't technically start in the garage," he said. "It's called the Deleto-Virus."

"Well, we got that much," Dustin nodded. "Where did it technically start, then?"

Greg shied away, but Dani nudged him. He looked down at her as she gave him a stern look. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"At my home computer."

"You started the virus?" Rebecca, Gem and Gemma coughed, turning to their best friend with a sharp look. Greg nodded.

"Dillon and Summer asked me if there was any way I could take the video…"

"Hey, don't go blaming us for this!" Dillon frowned, piping up as soon as he heard his name.

"I'm not… I came up with a solution that would wipe the video off every computer system. I created a virus that I was going to upload, attached to the internet file that carried the video of the incident. When someone would try to open up the video to watch, or show it to someone else, it would infect their computer and erase all memory of the video. Once that was done, the person wouldn't be able to access the video again."

"Oh boy…" Kaylee frowned, shaking her head.

"I was working on it when Dani and I decided to go out to dinner to celebrate her first day back at school. Before leaving I went to shut it down… but I must have clicked the wrong button."

"I'll say," Hayden frowned. She glanced up at Greg, "But if you did all this on your computer, then why did the first incident happen at the garage?"

"I don't…" Greg stopped and turned to Dani. She looked back at him, confused for a moment before mentally understanding what he was trying to get at. She nodded and took off running. Before anyone could see her leave, she was back.

"Yeah, the first incident did not, I repeat, _did not_ happen at the garage," she said.

"What does it look like?" Greg groaned.

Dani bit her lower lip, turning to Hayden and Flynn.

"Got any room for two more houseguests?" she asked. "A giant computer virus has eaten up our home."


	105. The Virus Spreads

_Author's Note: I'm baack! Well probably not fully seeing as I'm still recovering from the surgery, but I am able to write again. Sorry if the writing seems a little off from other chapters, I'm a little out of practice (who knew 4 days of writing could affect me this much). Hopefully I'll be back up to par, and back up to speed with updates soon._

_And finally, I just wanted to say thank you to all you guys for waiting patiently, and a big thank you to everyone who wished me well. I really hate surgery, and I was in so much pain, and just knowing that you guys were thinking of me really helped me out!_

_Now, on with the chapter!_

* * *

"Not good, not good, not good!" Kira shouted as she ran around NewTech command center, trying to figure out what was wrong with all the computers. Almost every officer in the building was doing the same. Those who weren't were working on deactivating the defence systems to keep them from destroying the entire city from the inside out.

Bridge ducked behind a desk, turning it over on its side to create a barrier. He looked up at his commander.

"I think we may have a problem."

Kira turned, glaring down at her former Red Ranger, "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Well…"

"Bridge," Z groaned, slapping her hand on his mouth to keep him from talking, "I don't think it's time for you right now."

"I'm sorry," Bridge said once Z removed her hand from his mouth (after feeling something wet leaking through her fingers), "But if we don't get the computers under control soon…"

"I know, I know," Kira grumbled, "NewTech's going down. Just get over there and help us fix it!"

Bridge nodded, saluting his commander before jumping over the desk and running to the main computer. He shoved one of the officers aside as he tried to work his magic.

Ben came in from the break room, holding a toaster in one hand and a burnt bagel in the other. He growled, tossing the toaster against the wall.

"Stupid technology! That was almost perfectly toasted too until everything started going crazy."

"Boo-hoo," Z said, shaking her head as she grabbed Ben, pulling him under cover as a laser flew past his head. "Mind lending a hand?"

Ben shrugged, checking his watch. "Sorry, not at the… yes, now I can!"

Z frowned as Ben ran out of the shelter. He was dodging lasers as he ran to the computer Bridge was working on. Z looked up at Kira who shrugged.

"His break just ended. He does that all the time when the copy machine breaks down."

"Move aside," Ben told the red Ranger, pushing Bridge away before punching the computer.

The chaos only grew worse for a moment, and everyone thought Ben had just made everything worse when suddenly the entire command center shut down.

Kira stood up straight, brushing the dust off her jacket as she looked around, "That's going to have to do for now," She said before turning to a pile of debris, "Samantha!"

Out from the debris popped Samantha, holding up a small computer, "Yeah, mom?"

"Did you manage to figure out what happened?"

"Well, the computers started…"

"Why it happened," Kira corrected herself, before Samantha could begin explaining what she had just lived through. "Why, did the computers break down?"

"I don't know," Samantha shrugged, holding up her little computer, "This thing broke down too."

"Actually we smashed it," Ryan said, popping out beside his wife, "It started glowing a freaky colour, so I punched it."

"No, I punched it," Samantha said, turning to her husband and frowning. "You screamed like a girl and told me to make it stop."

"Hey, you obeyed," Ryan smirked. Samantha rolled her eyes and turned back to her mother.

"I wouldn't suggest turning on anything that can be turned on for a while," she said. "Right before the screen changed, the computer came up with something about a Deleto-Virus. I don't know what it is, but if it's another Venjix, I don't want to have to deal again."

"Commander, maybe you should go check the systems from Corinth City," one of the cadets suggested. Kira nodded. Corinth city had a back up computer system from NewTech, just in case things went south. Kira was well aware of the fact that her entire city was computer based, and knew that one little problem, such as a virus, could take out her entire city. She had come up with the idea of the back-up systems staying in Corinth to avoid them getting contaminated with the same virus.

"That's probably a good idea," Kira nodded.

"Oh, mom, can I come?" Samantha asked, shooting her hand up in the air. "It's been a while since I've seen Summer and Hayden! I wanna see how big they are!"

Ryan groaned, "That means I'm tagging along too, aren't I?"

"Field trip?" Ben asked, "I could go for a field trip."

"Me too!" Bridge nodded. "Z and I have been cooped up in this command center for ages! You never take us to Corinth, Kira!"

Kira rubbed her temples as her Rangers began begging. It was times like these where she was sure the maturity level of Rangers continued to drop with age.

"Fine!" she said. "It'll be a Ranger field trip! I'll meet you all at the border in thirty minutes, okay?"

"Yes!" the Rangers cheered as they climbed out of their hiding spots and over the debris.

"I'm sure Heather's going to want to get out of the house as well, Ben!" Kira shouted to her black Ranger. "There's nothing worse than an angry, seven-month pregnant woman who's been trapped in the house for three weeks straight!"

-Afterlife-

Ziggy smirked as he plugged the blender in and turned to his two audience members. Engel was sitting on the counter, watching her uncle, while Christian sat on a barstool, holding two cups in his hands. Ziggy smirked.

"Now, kids, you see, even when everything's going wrong, you have to find the light…"

Ziggy turned on the blender and it started up. The blades spun around wildly, chopping up the berries and inside the mixer as Ziggy tried to keep the appliance under control. He held it down against the counter.

"Engel, pull the plug!"

"Not allowed!" Engel shouted over the noise of the blended. "Go ZAP!"

Ziggy turned to Christian, but he held up the two cups.

"My hands are full."

Ziggy groaned, reaching over to the wall to unplug the machine before it jumped out of his hands. As the blades stopped spinning, Ziggy looked at the kids, smiling proudly.

"And now, you have a smoothie!" he grinned, taking the cups from Christian and pouring the two kids their smoothies.

Samantha walked over to the kitchen area as Engel took a sip of her smoothie. She picked up her daughter and checked what was in the cup before looking at Ziggy.

"How did you…?"

"Oh, you know," Ziggy smirked, showing off his arms. Though he was blessed with super-strength, his arms were only still only as thick as noodles, "I'm so strong, even rogue technology can't beat me."

Samantha turned to her brother, "How did he do it?"

"He almost killed himself," Christian laughed.

Kaylee walked by the kitchen, noticing the blender had been pulled out and inside were smoothie remains.

"Ziggy…" she groaned. "I've told you, no using any technology until we get this virus thing sorted out."

"I'll get it!" Hayden shouted, hopping off the couch as everyone heard a knock on the door. Just as she reached for the door, it swung open, narrowly hitting her in the face.

"Kaylee, we have a problem!" Kira called as she led her Rangers into the Garage. Hayden rubbed her face as she glared up at her Aunt.

"If I have brain issues, I'm suing you," she grumbled.

Kaylee walked over to her best friend, "I know, Kir… we're working on it."

"Wait… you know about it?" Kira frowned. "I thought it was a NewTech issue."

"Someone unleashed a virus," Dillon said, rather loudly as he turned his gaze to Greg. Dani growled, clenching her fists.

"Shut up, Dillon. He was doing it for you."

"Wait, Greg did this?" Kira asked, shifting her eyes from Kaylee to Dillon and Greg.

"Did you not notice the destruction in the city?" Dustin frowned. "Half the city's torn up from the attack. We had to turn off the power and unplug everything before we could find some peace."

"Then Ziggy decided to go crazy with the blender," Samantha muttered.

"You mean the virus caused this?" Ben chuckled as he looked out the window. "I thought you guys were just too lazy to clean up the mess from when the command center fell."

"Hey! Corinth City is not lazy!" Kaylee frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, "We have selective athleticism."

"Whatever," Ben scoffed. "All I know is that if this were NewTech, we would already be working on a new Command center."

"Yes, but that's because people fear me," Kira chuckled. "I tell them to do something, and they do it."

"People do stuff for me," Kaylee pouted.

Over in the living room, the Rangers from both RPM and SPD were getting together while their commanders discussed the Deleto-virus. Samantha Jr. sat next to her sister with a huge grin on her face. Summer rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead…" she groaned. Samantha squealed, pinching her little sister's cheeks.

"You're so, so pregnant with my little niece or nephew! AWW!"

"Yeah, about that," Samantha Sr. said, pointing to Hayden, Summer and Heather, all of which were pregnant. "You guys are called into action both teams are going to be down a few Rangers."

"Can't you jump in?" Bridge asked. He knew that Samantha was more than ready to jump in as RPM Pink when her sister was out of action. He had read all about the mutant troubles and how Samantha had taken over for a pregnant Hayden.

"That solves my problem," Hayden smirked, leaning into Flynn as he wrapped his arms around her. "But Summer and Heather are pregnant as well."

"Anyone know what happened to Dawn?" Summer asked, looking around and noticing that Dawn had been missing since the start of the virus. She knew that in case of emergency she should head to the Garage, the Brooks' house or the Command Center to regroup with the others.

"She could take over for Summer," Dillon nodded. "Of course, once we find her."

"And don't worry about Heather's replacement," Z smirked. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Heather frowned, "I don't know how I feel about being replaced by a Z clone."

Gem and Gemma exchanged looks as they watched the Rangers interact. They were a little hurt when no one had considered them as replacement Rangers, instead opting for Dawn, who was missing, and the clone of another of the Rangers.

"What are we going…"

"… to do?" they asked. Scott looked at the twins.

"You guys are going to help me," he said, getting to his feet. Samantha immediately began to panic.

"Scott, what are you…"

"We're going to go around the city. We'll rescue some civilians and make sure every piece of technology is unplugged and/or destroyed."

"I think I'll head back to my place," Greg said, getting up with Scott and the twins. "I'm the only one who can stop the virus."

"No… Greg, I think that's a bad idea," Dani frowned, pulling her husband back down on the couch. "Our place is ten times worse than the command center."

"Dani, I'm going," Greg said, pulling away from Dani and getting back to his feet. "You can come with me if you want."

"I don't like this," Mike muttered, causing the rest of the Rangers to turn to him with a curious look. "I don't know guys. I just have a bad feeling."

"If we run into trouble we'll let you guys know," Scott said, waving for Gem and Gemma to follow him. Greg looked to Dani. She nodded, getting out of her seat.

"We'll do the same," she said.

"We'll stay here and see what the commanders say," Bridge pointed to Kira and Kaylee. "Maybe we'll get to wear the spandex again."

"Oh no…" Ziggy groaned as Rebecca's eyes widened and her face turned red.

"We've already got our morphers," Dani smirked as Greg pulled his out. She waved goodbye to her friends as she followed him.

-Afterlife-

As they approached their front yard, Greg turned to Dani.

"I want you to stay here," he told her. "I'm going to go in and see if I can figure this out."

Dani shook her head, "No. I didn't come here just to let you walk to your death. We're doing this together!"

"Dani, we already know this thing is dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

Dani placed her hands on her hips and scoffed, "Remember what happened last time we fought an evil computer virus and you didn't want me to get hurt. You know I'm going to follow you in there no matter what you tell me."

Greg groaned, dropping his head back. He had to find a way to keep Dani safe.

"Alright. I'll go in there first. You wait out here for five minutes, then come in, deal?"

"No."

Greg frowned. This wasn't working.

"Dani, please…"

"No."

"Dani…"

Dani took a deep breath. She looked up at her husband, "Alright… I'll wait three minutes, but only if you morph."

Greg smiled, kissing his wife, "That sounds like a fair trade. I'll see you in three minutes, okay?"

"Three minutes!" Dani shouted as Greg ran up to the door, opening it slowly. She winced as he stepped inside and waiting for the glow of his morph. Seconds felt like hours as she watched the front door of her house.

She turned to the windows for a moment and saw a wire fly by. Every electronic device in Corinth had been unplugged except for the ones in the Hartford household. Dani didn't bother trying to unplug the machines when she sped by due to the danger, so the technology was all contaminated by the virus and had a mind of its own.

Suddenly, a thought hit Daniela. Greg shouldn't be morphing if he was going into a virus infested house. The Ranger technology was just that, technology. It was connected to the computers back at the Garage, which had been infected with the virus. If Gregory morphed, and if he stayed morphed, he would be allowing the virus to grow and spread through the Gold Ranger technology and it would take control.

Panicked, Daniela dropped her morpher and ran inside the house, "Greg! Power down! Power down now!"

As she ran towards the staircase, Daniela was hit by something hard that sent her flying into the wall. She picked herself up, her vision blurred.

"Dani, run!" she heard Greg shouting. Her vision slowly cleared and Daniela could see the Gold Ranger standing over her, pointing his blaster at her.

"Oh, fuck…" Daniela said. She looked up at the Gold Ranger. "Greg, are you in there?"

"I can't stop it, Dani."

"I guess I'm running," Daniela said, jumping to her feet and taking off at super speed, making sure to bowl Greg over as she left the house to give her a little more time to run and find Scott, Gem and Gemma.


	106. Gold and Silver

With the power out, there was really nothing Ronny could do. Ever since SPEED had the nerve to call her daughter an idiot, in front of the entire world, she had been working on plans for a new racing stadium. One that would run SPEED's business to the ground. He was treating his racers unfairly, using them solely for money (and not in a good way), and tossing aside the ones he just didn't like.

She decided to visit SPEED's stadium just to see how he was doing. With no power or technology, there was no way the cars could race. Of course, in his profession, no race meant no money, and no money meant bad business.

She walked right into the stadium and found SPEED standing on the side of the racetrack with his arms crossed as he looked out at the dark, empty track.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" she laughed, coming up beside him. "Only a few days after you're exposed as a jackass, technology and power are cut at the risk of a giant virus taking over the city."

"Shouldn't you be mentoring the Rangers with your precious daughter?" SPEED grumbled, clearly unhappy.

"Were you not listening? No power, no technology. No technology, no cars. No cars, no mechanics. No mechanics, no me. I'm as useless to the team as you are to this earth."

"Ouch," SPEED said. He turned his head to Ronny, giving her a small smirk, "I hear you have a crazy dream of running me out of business. Too bad it's going to be just that. A crazy dream."

"I used to be a woman in Stock Car racing, and one of the most successful and famous racers there was. I took time off to become the yellow Power Ranger when I was twenty-one and saved the world from four different villains trying to take over. Went back to racing, earned millions, married a doctor, had a child who grew up to become a Power Ranger and a race car driver… and you think me trying to start a business is crazy," Ronny laughed as she counted the various blessings in her life. She found it funny that SPEED had an ego that would keep him from seeing that luck was on Ronny's side. Not only that, but Ronny was stubborn and competitive. She always got her way because she never gave up. A joke David used to tell people after Daniela was born was that she was supposed to be a boy, but because Ronny was determined to have a girl, that's what happened.

"Well," SPEED said, shaking his head, "Your luck has run out. Once the power comes back, and technology is safe to use, people will be flooding into the stands to watch my races. No one will know what your little stadium really is."

Ronny turned to SPEED and stuck out her tongue.

"Go Zwop yourself," she smirked. She turned around, walking off before SPEED could even bother to ask what that meant.

-Afterlife-

"Engel, don't touch!" Mike shouted, pulling his daughter away from the candles before she burned herself. Engel had never seen candles before. Growing up in this time, there was no need for them. Electricity powered everything. They weren't even needed for scent, as air fresheners had taken over years ago. Engel was fascinated by the light bouncing around, up and down and side to side, and giggled every time Christian magically made it disappear by blowing on it.

Mike pulled the two year old on his lap and looked down at her, "Do not touch the fire. It's hot."

"Pretty," Engel said, pointing to all the candles on the coffee table. Suddenly, she was scooped out of her father's arms by Hayden. Her Aunt carried her back to the table, kneeling down before it.

"Fire is pretty, Engel, but look…"

Hayden held her hand over one of the flames, close enough so the fire would burn her skin slightly. She couldn't feel it, but she made a pained expression with her face to show Engel how it hurt. Engel gasped, her hands flew to her mouth as her Aunt showed her the burn marks.

"Ow…" she said. Hayden nodded and put Engel back on the ground.

"No touch."

"No touch," Engel nodded, saluting her Aunt and taking a step away from the fire. Mike looked up at his cousin and shook his head as Hayden shook her hand to help the healing process.

"Why did you do that?"

"I taught Christian with that same method," Hayden smirked. "He's never played with fire since."

"Has anyone else noticed that the guys have been gone for a really long time?" Heather asked, rubbing her stomach carefully as she sat on the couch. She looked around nervously. "It's almost been five hours."

"Scott and the twins said they were checking everywhere," Samantha Sr. shrugged. "Corinth's not as big as NewTech, but it's still pretty big."

"But Dani and Greg should be back by now, don't you think?" Heather frowned. "I don't think they would stay at their place for five hours if they've got stuff attacking them. And even if Greg's only working on stopping the virus, I know my cousin well enough to know that she wouldn't sit by and wait for this long."

"Maybe Heather's right," Z nodded, "Who could it hurt if we go and check it out?"

"I don't know…" Flynn frowned, shaking his head slightly, "It's not like we'll be able to call for help if we need it. It's probably best if we all just stick here and wait for someone to get back. At least this way we're safe in case something happens."

"Something has happened," Bridge reminded the blue Ranger. "A virus has taken over our cities."

"It's too bad Hayden's pregnant," Dillon grumbled. "It used to be fun sending her out to get killed. Now Flynn won't let us because of the baby!"

"Dillon!" Summer shouted, smacking him in the chest.

Hayden nodded, "I agree with Dillon. I miss it! I haven't blown myself up in months! Stupid baby."

"Well, you non-pregnant people have to do something," Heather said. "The longer we wait, the more time the virus has to grow. Who knows what it could be up to now."

-Afterlife-

Heather's words couldn't be any truer. On the other side of town, Greg was still in his Ranger suit, unable to power down, and unable to think for himself. The power of the virus had made the suit much stronger than when it was originally programmed, and it had managed to take complete control of Gregory's mind.

The Gold Ranger was in his work room, with a bunch of Daniela's tools scattered around him, as well as the books from her classes. They were open on the last few pages, which held a few of the steps to the super engine the instructor had brought into class. Of course, they were only in the book as examples of what they would be doing at the end of the class, but a mind like Greg's could easily figure out which steps were missing and how to fill in the blanks.

In his hands was already a prototype of a smaller version of the engine, modified slightly to suit his needs. If he was going to take on two cities, he was going to need more fire power that DVD players and blenders. He examined the little machine, trying to figure out what he could do to improve it.

He put the small engine down at Daniela's morpher caught his eye. When he had chased her out of the house, he had seen it lying in the yard and picked it up. He knew already that the Rangers weren't going to use it. After Daniela had seen what happened to Gregory, the Gold Ranger was sure that she would discourage the use of morphers.

The Gold Ranger knew how to use that to his advantage. He picked up the morpher. He played with it in his hands as his mind went to work on what he could do with it.

-Afterlife-

It had taken Daniela only a few seconds to find the Eagle Squad, and a few minutes to explain to them what happened.

As soon as Scott had heard what happened with Greg when he used his morpher, he knew they were in trouble. No morpher meant no power. They were going to need all the help they could get, so they set off to find Dawn. One more man to fight in their army meant they had a better chance at stopping the Gold Ranger, and hopefully Dawn's past as Tenaya meant she could figure out how to stop the virus.

Fortunately, Dawn had been in her center since the virus began, and she had been smart enough to unplug and shut everything down. Aside from a few broken appliances and the smashed TV, the center was almost as clean as it was normally.

Dawn offered Dani the coolest ice-pack she could find and wrapped it in a towel so Dani could place it on her arm. Daniela had been hit by a blast from Greg, and it was finally starting to leave its mark. As the racer nursed her injury, Dawn took a seat beside her.

"Greg was probably the worse person the virus could claim," she said, looking at Scott and the twins. "He helped build the first Venjix!"

"Thankfully it didn't…"

"… get Rebecca," the twins said.

"She actually may have been easier," Scott said. "Rebecca doesn't know how to fight."

"She plays a mean violin," Daniela muttered. "But Scott's right. Greg's got the brains, the knowledge, and he knows how to fight. He may not be the best fighter, but he's taught me a thing or two."

"Yes, but that's easy, Dan," Dawn teased, tapping Daniela's head. Daniela swatted her hand away.

"I'll have you know I'm going to college! Before you know it I'm going to… SHIT!"

"Bathroom's down the hall," Dawn pointed, scooting away from Daniela. The silver Ranger shook her head.

"No, my textbooks!"

"School's out of session, Dan," Gemma chuckled.

"I don't think you'll be needing your books right now," Gem finished.

"My books show us how to build different kinds of engines! At the end of the book there's some of the steps to building a super engine! Who knows what Greg could do with that?"

"You read the book?" Dawn frowned.

"What kind of super engine?" Scott asked.

"Does it matter?" Daniela shouted. "With Greg's mind, he could use it to create anything!"

"You made it to the end of a book?" Dawn asked, obviously in shock that Daniela was reading. And a book that didn't have pictures, only graphs, blueprints and text.

"Calm down, Dani," Gemma said. "Greg's a genius! I don't want to make you feel bad, but what you're learning now, we learned…"

"He didn't understand what was on my diagnostic test right away," Dani frowned. "It took him a few minutes."

"This is bad," Gem stated, sinking in his seat. Suddenly Dawn perked up.

"You read a book!"

"Yeah, now mind catching up?" Daniela frowned. "We've moved on from there. Greg could be building something that could bring us to our knees… or lower!"

"But you read the book," Dawn said. "You would have if you know what's at the end… right?"

"I got bored between classes," Dani shrugged, "And it was interesting… so I jumped ahead, who really cares."

"Do you know how to build what was at the end of the book?"

Dani glared at her friend, "I took one class and unlike Boom 1 and Boom 2, I don't have a photographic memory."

"But you know how to build an engine, right?"

"Yeah…"

"You know how to upgrade engines, right?"

"Kinda… Flynn usually takes care of the upgrades. I just put them together and make the pieces fit."

Dawn got off the couch and walked to the front door, where her keys where hanging on a hook. She grabbed them and turned back to Daniela.

"Uncle Dustin gave me a car when the store opened up. It's the latest model and the engine's up to date. Use that and anything else in this room to create your own super weapon."

"I can't do that!" Dani gasped. "I'm nowhere near as smart as Greg! Whatever he makes is surely going to be better! And what if the virus spreads into my weapon and he uses it and makes it better?"

"Are you saying you're too stupid?" Dawn smirked, placing her hands on her hips, as if challenging Daniela. Scott, Gem and Gemma watched on, very interested in what would happen next.

Daniela shook her head, getting to her feet, "You know I'm not stupid."

"I don't know. It sounds to me like you're too stupid to build a weapon that could stop the virus and save Gregory."

"I'm not stupid!"

"I _**bet **_you're nowhere near smart enough to do something that a simple mechanic would call simple."

Daniela stomped over to Dawn, snatching the keys from her friend's hands.

"You're on!"

Once the red head was gone, Scott stood up and clapped. Gem and Gemma quickly joined him, clapping excitedly.

"That was amazing!" they cheered. "How did you do it?"

Dawn pointed to the roof above her head, "My entire career is based off helping people overcome challenges, reach their maximum potential and learn to function in a society with any disabilities or impairments they may have. As far as I see it, it's my job."

"You're good," Scott smirked.

"Now, how do we tell the others we've got a situation on our hands?" Gem asked. "All the communication lines are down, and they're across town."

"I'm sure Greg's going to make his presence known sooner or later," Scott said.

"But we need to do something!" Gemma exclaimed, agreeing with her brother. "We can't just sit around here and wait for something to happen!"

"They are right, Scott. The longer we sit on this, the worse it's going to get," Dawn said. "You guys are Eagle Squad! You should be out there!"

"I guess we can go by Dani and Greg's place," Scott nodded. "Maybe take a look at what's going on. At least then we'll know what we're up against."

"I'll wait here with Dani," Dawn smirked, "just in case she needs help."

"And she is likely to sneak off," Gem pointed out. "Her husband has just been taken over…"

"… by a big bad virus!" Gemma said. "And she's stubborn and determined and in love."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Dawn nodded. "You guys go check out what Greg, or Gold Ranger, is up to. But be back soon, if not we're going in after you."

-Afterlife-

It didn't take long for Gold Ranger to come up with ideas and execute or design them. In a matter of hours he figured out how to use Daniela's morpher to create his first henchwoman.

Before him stood the Silver Ranger, just waiting to be activated and told what to do. The only difference between the Silver ranger's uniform now, and Dani's suit, was the computer pad on the left arm, and the fact that underneath the suit was all machine.

The Gold Ranger tapped on the visor, activating the Silver Ranger. He smirked as she came to life, ready to take orders.

"Well, only seven more of these and I'll have the whole RPM set," he smiled to himself.

"Do you want me to collect the RPM morphers?" the Silver Ranger asked with a robotic voice.

"You know where to find them," the Gold Ranger said, dismissing his new lackey before an idea hit. He grabbed her arm before she left. "Oh, and I hear the limited editions SPD morphers are out. Bring them back as well. I'm too busy working on my big project to go get them myself."


	107. The Silver Ranger's First Mission

For the Silver Ranger, there was nothing easier than stepping into Ranger base and grabbing the morphers. Unlike everyone else, the Silver Ranger was able to override the programming for the lasers so they wouldn't shot at her. All she had to do was walk over to the briefcase that had been left on the floor and pick up the morphers.

She quickly noticed that three of the morphers were missing. Of course, Silver and Gold were already in the Gold Ranger's hands, so there was nothing to worry about there, but the pink Morpher was gone as well. When Hayden first discovered the virus was taking over, she had taken her morpher and become the pink Ranger to protect herself as she ran from the garage.

It wasn't much of a problem though. A quick scan of the city showed the Silver Ranger that the Pink Morpher was at the same location as the Red, Blue, Black, Crimson and Nova SPD morphers.

-Afterlife-

Scott grabbed onto Gem and Gemma as they crawled up to the Hartford household, ducking under the window. Before they were going to look inside, Scott just needed to remind Gem and Gemma what it meant to observe.

"Alright, remember team, we're on an observation mission. That means no guns, no loud noises, and absolutely no giving sounds to whatever he's doing in there. I don't need to know if the door goes 'eeeeeeeek' or not when you open it."

Gemma and Gem nodded and saluted before poking their heads up to spy on one of their best friends. Scott rolled his eyes before looking into the house.

"This isn't fun," Gem whined, "The house is dark."

"He must be in his work room!" Gemma smirked, pulling away from the window. Scott grabbed her just as she started running around the house.

"Wait here. We might see something."

"Hey, Scott, does a toaster crawling across the floor count as something?" Gem asked, pointing to the floor inside the house. Scott looked in. The toaster was, in fact, crawling on the floor. It looked like a bug, scurrying its way around aimlessly.

"Cool!" Gemma smiled. "A pet toaster! I wonder what he called it!"

"I'm going for poppers," Gem grinned. "Dani and Greg's toast always popped out very high!"

"We're not naming his robots!" Scott frowned, but quickly shook it off. Working alongside Gem and Gemma, he learned to expect this behaviour. On one mission, outside the dome, they had encountered another new species of animal, a lot like the giant colourful rats that had threatened to invade Corinth. The animal seemed to be a mutated cow. It was much more aggressive than its former breed of cow, and while Scott was trying to tranquilize it, Gem and Gemma were busy thinking of a good name, and the many things they could do once they brought it home. Scott turned to the twins, "We're here to see if there's anything out of the ordinary. What do you guys see that's weird?"

Gem pointed to the toaster, "Well, Scott, if you haven't noticed, there's a toaster…"

"Good…"

"… with no toast inside," Gem finished, making Scott groan. Gemma pat him on the back.

"Don't worry, Scott. We've got this under control. If Greg's managed to get a toaster working like that, who knows what else he's got working for him."

Suddenly, Gem moved away from the window, ducking down, and pulling his sister and leader with him. Just before Scott could ask what he was doing, the window was blown the pieces. Everyone covered their heads as they glass flew everywhere. As soon as it settled, Gem took off.

"The wind up monkey spotted us! RUN!" he screamed. Scott and Gemma exchanged looks before glancing inside the house. Just as Gem had said, Daniela's childhood cymbal playing monkey had been brought to life, and had spotted them. His eyes began to glow once again, and Scott and Gemma took off before they could figure out what that meant.

-Afterlife-

Kaylee and Kira walked over the couches, looking down at the team of Rangers, "It's getting dark. You guys should go to bed."

"Have you guys figured out what we should do?" Ben asked as he stood up and helped his wife to her feet.

Kira shook her head, "Not yet. There's not much we can do with no technology. We don't know who's out there, or how bad it is."

"And it's too dangerous to send anyone else out," Kaylee sighed. "I think, this time, it's best if we just let the trouble come to us."

"Eagle Squad and Dani and Greg are already out there," Hayden said. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

"That's a pretty strong group of people," Kaylee nodded, "They'll be fine."

"How are we doing this?" Mike asked, looking around at the people in the room. "There aren't enough beds to fit all of us."

"Thankfully, I'm pregnant, so there's no debating it for me," Hayden smirked, rubbing her stomach. At four months, she was really beginning to show. The morning sickness had stopped (much to both Hayden and Flynn's relief), and Hayden was just waiting to feel her baby move. She waved to her friends, "Goodnight everyone."

"Same goes for me," Heather smiled, and Ben followed. When Dillon grabbed Ben's arm to stop him, Heather pointed a stare.

"I am seven, almost eight months pregnant," she growled. "I'm tired, I'm sore, it takes me hours to get comfortable… I want the man who did this to me!"

Dillon immediately let go of Ben, allowing the couple to go upstairs. Kaylee laughed as she pointed.

"You two can sleep with Hayden in her room. Summer's bed is still set up there."

"Whoa, wait, Summer doesn't get a bed?" Dillon frowned. "But she's pregnant."

"Only a few weeks," Summer shrugged. "And I'm fine with letting someone else taking the bed."

"Why couldn't we have done it a few months ago?" Dillon grumbled.

"Well, if beds are going to the pregnant woman and their husbands, I'm going," Flynn smirked.

"That leaves my bed," Samantha Sr. frowned. "Christian and Engel are already sharing his. And I doubt mom and dada are going to give up their bed."

"Are you kidding?" Dustin said as he entered the room, "Because of your mother, we're sharing as well!"

"Who is bunking with you?" Z said, laughing internally at whichever sucker was going to wind up sharing a bed with the parents.

"I am," Kira smirked, causing Dustin to groan.

"Kaylee sleeps in the middle," he frowned. "If Conner realises we shared a bed, I'm going to lose something I value."

"Why do I get the hump?" Kaylee whined.

"Mom, that's only in the car…" Samantha Sr. laughed.

"Oh…"

"Summer, just go ahead and take the last bed," Samantha Jr. said. "If you don't we're all going to fight and no one's going to get any sleep."

"Okay, but it's going to be weird for me sleeping here, and no being in my own bed," Summer said, getting off the couch. Dillon jumped off; excited he had been nominated for a bed. Just as they reached the stairs, the front door swung open.

"Everyone stop and no one gets hurt!" the Silver Ranger shouted as she stepped into the house, holding up at blaster as Dillon and Summer. She walked into the living room and pulled out another blaster, aiming it at the rest of the family. Dillon placed himself in front of his wife.

"Run upstairs," he whispered. The Silver Ranger turned to the two of them.

"I said, freeze."

"Daniela?" Kaylee asked, before spotting the computer on the Silver Ranger's arm. Rebecca frowned.

"I don't think it's Daniela anymore."

Ziggy got to his feet, "I got this, guys."

He walked over to the Silver Ranger, acting tough as he stood before her. He grabbed her gun and tried pulling it out of her hand with his super strength.

The Silver Ranger didn't let go, and Ziggy fell on his butt, empty handed. He scurried over to the couches.

"Nope… I don't got this. Anyone else wanna try something?"

"What do you want?" Dustin asked the Silver Ranger. Her head turned towards him.

"The morphers," she said. "SPD Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, Crimson and Nova, as well RPM Pink."

"Those are some specific demands," Ryan muttered, clenching his morpher in his hand. "Why would you think we're just going to give up our…"

Ryan was cut off when the Silver Ranger shot her blaster, sending the Rangers flying and hitting the walls. Instinctively, even though they were out of the line of fire, Dillon covered Summer.

The Silver Ranger walked over to Bridge first, reaching down and grabbing his morpher off him. When Bridge tried to protest, she kicked him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain while she moved on, plucking the morphers from Z, Ryan and Samantha Jr. easily.

The Silver Ranger walked back to the stairs. She looked up at Dillon and Summer, "I already have your morphers. Out of my way."

"What makes you think I'm going to step aside?" Dillon growled, clenching his fists. The Silver Ranger scoffed, before smacking Dillon on both sides of the head with the butts of her two blasters. Dillon said the world spinning for a moment, before hitting the ground.

The Silver Ranger pushed Summer aside as the yellow Ranger dropped down beside Dillon who was slowly coming too. He had a hard enough head.

Hearing all the noise downstairs, Ben and Flynn decided to check it out. When the Silver Ranger was at the top of the stairs, she saw the husbands coming out of their bedrooms. She knew one of them had the SPD Black morpher.

"Daniela?" Flynn asked, stopping in his tracks when he saw the Silver Ranger. She shook her head.

"I'm the Silver Ranger, created by my Master, the Gold Ranger. Hand over SPD Black, SPD Nova, and RPM Pink."

"Over my dead body," Ben growled.

"I can arrange that," Silver Ranger said as she pulled out both her blasters, levelling them at the boys. "Hand them over."

"Lad, we can't risk it," Flynn whispered, motioning to the bedrooms, where their two pregnant wives were trying to get some sleep.

"Easy for you to say," Ben frowned, "She doesn't have your morpher."

"Correction," Silver Ranger smirked. "I possess RPM Red, Blue, Yellow, D-Green, L-Green as well as SPD Red, Blue, Yellow, and Crimson. My Master would like the entire set."

Ben turned to Flynn, "I take that back… but there's no way I'm handing my morpher over to this bozo!"

"Look, if we don't give in now, she'll fight us for it. If she wins, she'll go inside to collect the girls' morphers. I know Hayden will be okay, but do you really want Heather fighting this freak when she's seven months pregnant with your child."

"She won't win," Ben growled, charging the Silver Ranger suddenly. She stepped aside, letting him crash down the stairs, almost taking out Summer and Dillon. The Silver Ranger rushed down, almost at super speed, and swiped the SPD Black morpher from him. She ran back up the stairs, pulling out one gun and shooting at Flynn. He was hit directly in the chest and was thrown over the railing.

Summer screamed, jumping out of the way again as another Ranger came tumbling down.

Silver Ranger opened the bedroom door, and Hayden was already on her feet.

"Who are you?" she asked. From what she heard outside, she was sure the Silver Ranger wasn't Daniela. There was no way her cousin would attack anyone that way, nor would she ever call Greg her Master.

"Hand over the morphers," the Silver Ranger said, extending her hand, "And I won't kill your children."

"Hayden, she knows…" Heather whispered.

"Of course she knows," Hayden frowned, "You're a balloon, and I'm too round to be fat!"

The Silver Ranger groaned. It seemed everyone in this family was stubborn. She pulled out her blaster again.

"I said, hand it over."

"That may have worked on everyone else," Hayden said, "But you can't hurt me."

"When you're pregnant she can," Heather reminded her cousin.

As the Silver Ranger tried to threaten the girls to hand over their morphers, the door opened up once again, and Christian and Engel walked in. They had been woken up by all the noise, and were determined to figure out what was going on. The moment Christian saw his sister in trouble, he ran inside.

"Leave her alone!" he screamed, jumping on the Silver Ranger, grabbing her legs and taking her by surprise. Hayden took this to her advantage, kicking the blaster out of the Silver Ranger's hand.

The Silver Ranger tried shaking Christian off, and with the blaster out of her hands, she could use them to throw him off. Just as she lifted the young boy in the air and was ready to throw, Engel joined in.

Angry that someone would attack Christian, as well as hurt the babies in her Aunts' stomachs, her wings sprouted from her back and Engel soared towards the Silver Ranger, striking her across the helmet, twisting her head slightly and disorienting her. The Silver Ranger fell onto her back, and Christian landed on top of her. He saw the morphers lined up on her belt and quickly grabbed one before the Silver Ranger kicked him away.

Heather ran, catching him before he rolled into the wall. Christian slowly got to his feet and quietly showed her he had taken the Black SPD morpher. She smiled, tucking it away, out of sight.

It was too late, though. When the Silver Ranger got back to her feet, she saw the morpher being passed from Christian to Heather and ran for them. Engel and Hayden, who were on the other side of the room tried going after her, Hayden on foot, Engel in the air.

The Silver Ranger grabbed Heather by the neck, lifting her so her feet barely touched the ground. Christian quickly swiped the Black SPD morpher from her and stuck it down his pants.

Angered, the Silver Ranger reached into Heather's pockets, grabbing her SPD Nova morpher before letting her drop. Heather gasped for breath.

Engel was the first to reach the Silver Ranger, but stopped short of flying into her. The Silver Ranger turned to the small child and laughed as she swatted the angel away like a fly. Engel crashed to the ground, just beside Hayden.

The Silver Ranger stepped towards Hayden, who stopped as soon as Engel hit the ground. Without a second thought, she kicked the former pink Ranger. When Hayden hit the ground, her morpher fell out of her pocket and slid across the floor. While Hayden nursed her stomach, the Silver Ranger went for the morpher.

Engel shook her head and saw her Aunt lying beside her in pain. This infuriated her. She was only two, but she knew how bad it was if her Aunt Hayden got hurt. Her mother already explained it to her once when Engel punched Hayden in the stomach out of frustration. It was bad for the baby.

"Meanie head!" Engel screamed, running over to the morpher before the Silver Ranger could grab it she held it close to her chest. "No get until say sorry!"

"Hand it over, kid," the Silver Ranger said. Engel growled. She opened the morpher at the top and slid the engine cell out, catching it in her hand.

"Say sorry!" she yelled, throwing the morpher at the Silver Ranger, but holding onto the engine cell. She needed two things to throw, just in case the Silver Ranger wasn't going to listen.

The Silver Ranger stepped forward, but stopped when she heard a voice.

"You might wanna listen to the kid," Kaylee growled, standing in the doorway. The Silver Ranger turned to Kaylee.

"But I thought I…"

"The others may be down, but I've taken more than a few hits to the head," Kaylee said. "I recover quickly."

"Say sorry or time out!" Engel screamed, very frustrated at this point. Her little face turned red, and her body was shaking. "One! Two! …"

"Three!" Kaylee screamed, launching herself at the Silver Ranger and striking her in the helmet with a strong punch. No one messed with her kids. The Silver Ranger stumbled backwards, but as Kaylee moved for her again, she jumped back into the fight, grabbing the mentor's arm and throwing her across the room.

Before Kaylee hit the wall, she zwopped.

Engel ran towards the Silver Ranger, taking her feet out from under her. Christian, decided now would be a great time to join in, ran in to help his niece. He jumped on the Silver Ranger's stomach and hit her in the chest.

Suddenly, Kaylee reappeared, and both kids knew it was time to hide. They jumped off the Silver Ranger while Kaylee picked her up and ran her into the wall.

"Get out," Kaylee whispered, throwing the Silver Ranger aside. Defeated, the Silver Ranger got to her feet. She had most of the morphers anyways.

"I'll be back!" she screamed. "My Master won't rest until Corinth and NewTech are under his control."

Kaylee watched the Silver Ranger leave before turning to Heather. The Nova Ranger was rubbing her neck gently.

"You okay?" Kaylee asked her niece. Heather nodded.

"Just a little dizzy," she said. Heather pointed over to Hayden, who was leaning against the wall, nursing her stomach. Kaylee rushed over, dropping to her daughter's side.

"How does it feel?"

"I don't… butterflies…"

"It's okay," Kaylee whispered, "We'll get David to look you over and…"

"No, no, mom… I think the baby just moved. It felt like butterflies for a minute… or a bug crawling…"

Kaylee smiled, feeling the weight of the world lift of her shoulders as she helped her daughter get to her feet.

"We'll still get you both checked out, as well as Summer. Something tells me two men falling from the sky gave her a little bit of a scare."

"Mommy, look!" Christian smiled, reaching into his pants to pull out the SPD Black morpher. Kaylee took it and smiled.

"Great job, buddy!" she grinned. "That's one less thing to worry about."

"And look!" Engel called, holding up the engine cell. She had no idea what it was, but she wanted praise like Christian. Kaylee lifted her into her arms and smiled.

"Wow… we've got one of each still left… this could work."

"What do you mean?" Heather asked.

"Christian, Rebecca's already awake downstairs. Take these to her and tell her I've got a plan," Kaylee said, handing the SPD morpher and the RPM engine cell to her son. He nodded, taking off down the stairs, running past Summer, Flynn, Dillon and Ben, who were all sitting down by now. Kaylee, Heather, Hayden and Engel followed slowly.


	108. Behind the Mask

Dawn walked into her garage holding a plate of sandwiches. She past by her car, noticing the engine was now completely gone. Dani was sitting on the floor beside a table, looking at small pieces which Dawn didn't know the name of, fiddling around and trying to get them to fit together. Finally, Dani reached to the table, grabbing her own weapon from the table. She brought it down and placed it between her legs before trying to jam her pieces into the weapon. Dawn chuckled as she held out a sandwich.

"You look like Engel playing with her building blocks."

"I've got the shell, as well as the power source set up," Dani said. "Now the only problem is how do I get it to work, and what the hell is it going to do?"

"Baking soda and vinegar and it'll spit pretend lava at Greg?" Dawn suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she sat down. Dani turned to her with a sharp glare.

"That's not funny! Before I can finish my weapon, I want to know what Greg is building. I need something that will either be more powerful that his weapon, or will reverse the effects of his weapon. I can't do that unless I know what it does."

"Well, Scott and the twins should be home soon," Dawn said. "Maybe they'll have information on the super weapon then."

"Or maybe not," Gem sighed as he walked into the garage with the rest of the team.

"Greg's got an army of little appliances walking around your house," Gemma explained. "We were almost taken out by a monkey!"

"He touched my monkey?" Daniela growled, clutching the pieces in her hand tight. "I told him, my monkey is very fragile and…"

"Not anymore," Gem breathed.

"It turns out you were right about Greg creating weapons and stuff," Scott said. "Everything we saw looked like it could be a weapon. And we never saw Greg, so I think he was hard at work making something."

"A super weapon?"

"Maybe…"

Daniela fell back on the floor, "I'm never going to get this done! I need to know what kind of super weapon he's using!"

"A dangerous one?" Gemma suggested, shrugging her shoulders. Dawn nudged her in the ribs and shook her head.

"Daniela's sense of humour is currently unavailable at the moment due to her husband being the evil villain and her brain being hard at work on one task already. Please hold off all jokes until the operators can safely connect you to whatever funny bone there is left in her body. Thank you for your patience. Your call is important to us."

Again, Daniela turned to point a sharp, angry glare in Dawn's direction. The older girl shrugged.

"I've been watching you for hours! The most excitement I've had was when I was making sandwiches and I had to open a new bottle of the mayonnaise! Let me have this one!"

Daniela growled and threw a wrench at Dawn. The older girl screeched and ducked just in time to avoid getting smacked in the face.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

"Maybe we can challenge Greg and get him to draw his weapon out a little early," Gem suggested. Daniela and Scott both shook their heads.

"Kaylee was clear when she told us the rules of Rangering. Never escalade a battle. If Greg's going to stay inside and work on his weapons all day that means he's not out attacking the city. If we draw him out, we'll be putting many lives in danger and breaking one of the golden rules."

"Though I don't get why we're still following the rules made by some giant head in a jar," Daniela huffed.

"Rules are rules," Scott stated. "When Greg does come out, we'll be ready for him. Until then, we'll wait."

Gem and Gemma nodded before sitting on the floor to see if they could help Daniela with anything. Dawn pulled Scott aside slightly.

"Do you think we'll all be ready for him?" she asked, motioning to Dani sitting on the floor. Scott shrugged.

"We're going to have to hope she can fight against him," Scott nodded. "And I don't think we have much to worry about. She's already building a weapon."

"A weapon to fight his weapon. Not to fight him. Those are two very different things."

"Daniela's strong, and I trust her to do the right thing," Scott said. "I'm sure if it comes down to it, she'll be able to fight Greg. I mean, none of us want to see him get hurt. We just want him back."

"I guess," Dawn nodded. "I just… I don't want her getting hurt in the process. If this were Samantha…"

"I'd get her back."

"But at what cost?"

"Daniela will be fine," Scott said. He pat Dawn on the shoulder before joining the others to see if he could help. Dawn just rolled her eyes.

"Yes, she's just got to fight her newlywed husband. It's no big deal…"

-Afterlife-

The Gold Ranger was already beginning to understand why former evil villains always had such painful headaches. He had sent the Silver Ranger out on a simple mission, one he was sure she couldn't screw up. Grab the morphers and bring them home. There was really nothing to it.

And yet, the Silver Ranger had lost two morphers to two children, two pregnant, former Rangers, and one of the oldest Rangers still alive today.

Thankfully though, she did manage to bring home the other morphers, safe and sound and in working condition. With his primary project already close to completion, he could turn his focus to creating an army.

The Silver Ranger approached the super weapon, touching it gently.

"Master… what exactly is this...?"

"It's none of your business!" the Gold Ranger snapped, shoving the Silver Ranger away from his weapon. He picked it up gently, carefully balancing it in his hands as he admired his own handy work. "This is my weapon. If you want one, go make your own."

"Master…"

"I've already created you!" Gold Ranger yelled. "Do I have to do everything for you? There are tools on the table. Figure something out and go kill a Ranger.

The Silver Ranger lowered her head as she walked to the tables and gazed down at the tools. Just as she picked one up, the Gold Ranger had an idea.

"Better yet… drop the tools and go collect your Ranger. I need someone to test my weapon on."

-Afterlife-

"Stop it… it tickles!" Samantha Sr. giggled as her mother stuck another needle in her arm.

"How does that tickle?" Kaylee frowned. "You look like a voodoo doll, and it tickles?"

Sammy shrugged, causing the needles to move slightly and her to giggle again. Rebecca came around.

"It's the serum that tickles," she explained. "I assumed that would be a more delightful feeling than pain."

In the seat beside Sammy, Ben was giggling as well as Kira shoved the last needle up his arm. The pterodactyl turned to the young doctor and frowned.

"Well, it makes it hard as hell to shove the needles in properly."

"Why do we need needles in the first place?" Heather asked. "Can't you just strap the morphers on?"

"They are no longer morphers," Rebecca explained. "These are activators. When you turn them on, they'll create a suit around your body capable of protecting you against almost any attack for a limited amount of time."

"So it's basically our Ranger suits," Dillon nodded. "Yes, I can see where those things strapped to their wrists are no longer morphers."

Rebecca growled, "They are activators, and they serve a new purpose."

"Defeating evil?" Ben smirked.

"Protecting your body."

"So, like the Ranger suit?" Dillon frowned.

"Yes… No. Unlike the Ranger suit, your body will still be exposed. There is no helmet to protect your head and an accurate shot can still kill."

"I think I prefer the Ranger suits, then."

"Sammy looks like Lara Croft," Ziggy giggled. The L-Green Ranger turned to Ben, "You don't."

"The new suit is designed to protect the wrists, elbows and knees and it can carry an arsenal of weapons on the belt."

"So we're construction workers on a bike with no helmet?" Ben frowned. He turned to Rebecca. "Gee, Doc, I feel so safe."

"Ben, cut the attitude," Bridge frowned. "I'm sure Rebecca's already figured out how this thing is going to protect you… even though it looks nothing like the Ranger suits."

"What were the needles for?" Z asked.

"Because I've changed the morphers to activators, I needed a new way to connect the suits to the body," Rebecca said. "The needles contain a serum that will modify Samantha's and Ben's DNA so the activators can properly bond with the users."

"Why do I have to get more needles?" Samantha asked as Kaylee gave her another one.

"That is Hayden's morpher."

"So?"

"Are you Hayden?"

Samantha lowered her head, "Right now, I wish I was."

"The extra needles will allow you to use a morpher that isn't yours."

"So, Aunt Kayl, this was your great idea?" Heather asked as she pointed to her husband and cousin. "Stick them with needles and hope they'll survive against the Silver Ranger?"

"I figured whoever we're up against wants to use the morphers for something, and that's why he sent the Silver Ranger out to get them. If we change the base codes for the morphers there's going to be no way they can turn our own Rangers against us."

"Like they did to Dani?" Heather frowned.

"That wasn't Dani," Dillon said. "Did you not hear her when she spoke? That thing… whatever it was, was a robot."

"Or Dani trapped inside a robot," Summer whispered. She turned to Dillon, "We're still not completely sure. Dani and Greg haven't come back and it's been hours."

"That thing wasn't Dani…"

"How do you know?"

"I know because…"

"Summer does have a point, Dillon," Samantha Jr. said, taking the seat next to her sister. "Dani and Greg leave, and a few hours later we get attacked by the Silver Ranger? Right now I guess we have to work on the assumption that whoever the Silver Ranger's Master is, he got to Dani and Greg… at least…"

"Whoa, at least?" Samantha Sr. frowned, turning to her cousins. "What do you mean, at least?"

"Like it or not, Scott, Gem and Gemma have also been out for hours," Sam said. "There is the possibility that…"

"No… Dani and Greg went to the source of the virus," Sammy shook her head in denial. "Scott was going around town. That's two very different…"

"She's not saying it happened," Kira explained, hoping to calm the Angel's nerves. "She's just saying, now that we know something's happened to Dani while she was out there… we need to assume that maybe something happened to Scott."

"Nothing happened to him," Sammy growled.

"This was easier to do when we had technology," Mike groaned. "We don't know what's out there, and we don't know where our team is."

"Not only that, but unless the Silver Ranger decides to take off her helmet, we'll never know if it's actually Dani in the suit, or if it's some crazy scheme from this Master," Dustin pointed out.

"And if we don't know that, we can't risk destroying the Silver Ranger," Kaylee sighed. "Ronny would have my head if something happened to Daniela."

"But you saw that thing!" Ben frowned. "Whether or not that was Daniela, she was able to take us all out and nearly caused two miscarriages!"

"Ben, the baby is fine," Heather assured the Black Ranger. "Uncle Doc said I was clear and Hayden's baby moved."

"That doesn't change anything!" Ben said. "I know you guys care about Dani, but we can't take it easy on her. If the Silver Ranger threatens my family again I will destroy her!"

Samantha Sr. growled as she got out of her seat, "Hurt my cousin and I'll kill you. Rebecca changed Hayden's morpher for me. I'm sure she'll be able to change your morpher as well."

"Ben, that's my cousin too," Heather pointed out. "She's also your family. That means Greg is your family as well."

"And I'm not letting you lay a hand on Scott or the Boom-Twins," Samantha Sr. said.

"Gem and Gemma don't have a morpher," Rebecca said. Samantha Sr. shook her head.

"Doesn't mean they won't be capture by the big bad Deleto-Virus. If we have to count Scott in as a possible threat, we've got to count them as well."

"So, what we're hearing is that none of you guys are willing to fight your friends?" Kira asked.

"I am," Ben said, but the rest of the Ranger shook their heads. Kira took a deep breath. "Guys… this might be out of control…"

"Mom, are you saying we're going to have to fight?" Summer asked.

Kira nodded reluctantly, "If the Silver Ranger, and whatever other Ranger does come out to fight, I'm afraid…"

"We can't fight," Summer frowned. "Mom, this isn't your team! Dani, Greg, Scott, Gem and Gemma… they're RPM."

Summer turned to the rest of the RPM team for a moment with a sad look before turning back to her mother.

"I'm RPM. This is my family. We can't hurt them."

Kira quickly realised where she made her mistake. Though Summer's family was SPD (her mother the commander, her father the trainer and her sister the yellow Ranger), Summer was and RPM Ranger. Kira knew just as well as another other Ranger, that there wasn't much that was stronger than the bond of a Ranger family. Right now, Kira wasn't asking the SPD Rangers and the RPM Rangers to destroy an enemy. She was asking the kids, and her own daughter, to possibly kill members of their own family.

Before she could say anything, Kaylee stepped forward.

"Look guys. I know it's hard to fight against people you love. But sometimes… you've just got to trust that they'll be okay," she said. "We'll establish a no destroying the Ranger rule, but you guys can't pull any punches. Take out the Silver, Gold or Red Rangers if you have too."

"Yeah," Dustin nodded, "And we're not even sure Dani, Greg, Scott or the twins are in real danger."

"But we've got to act like they are," Flynn said. "We need to work on the assumption that our friends are behind the helmets."

Dustin smiled slightly, "Trust me. Even if the others have been turned, don't you think they would want you guys to fight?"

-Afterlife-

Daniela dropped her weapon back on the ground and rolled over onto her stomach.

"I'm done. Until we figure out what Greg's up to with a super weapon, this is all I have."

"What does it do?" Gemma asked.

"I wish it made waffles," Gem frowned, holding his stomach. "I'm hungry again."

"You had an entire pizza," Daniela said. "How are you still hungry?"

"It's a guy thing," Dawn smirked, pointing over her shoulder, "Scott just left to raid my fridge again. If he eats anymore, he's going to explain to the mutants why there's nothing for them to eat."

"So, does it make waffles?" Gem asked.

Daniela shook her head, "It shoots lasers. It's all I could do. It makes it easier to upgrade if I need a powerful weapon, and if I need a weapon to counter Greg's, I can modify what the laser does."

"What does the laser do now?" Gemma asked.

"Blows stuff up," Daniela giggled. Gem and Gemma quickly grabbed it in their hands as they jumped to their feet.

"We'll go test it out!" they cried. Daniela laughed, watching the twins run to the field behind the New Dawn Centre.

Dawn got to her feet as well.

"While they do that, I'm going to make sure Scott hasn't eaten my ice cream. Want to come?"

"I'm good," Daniela smiled, stretching herself out now that her weapon wasn't sitting before her. "I think I'll nap here."

"On the garage floor?"

"Ask Flynn. I've fallen asleep at work on the floor thousands of times."

Dawn shook her head as she walked to the door and turned off the lights, "Whatever. Enjoy your nap."

"Enjoy your ice cream."


	109. Ranger Gold's Army

The centre rumbled slightly as the Boom-twins tested Daniela's weapon outside. Dawn and Scott were sitting in the kitchen. Dawn could only watch, completely disgusted, as Scott proceeded to eat everything in the fridge and freezer. She shook her head and sighed. Scott dropped his fork and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry… but when I get nervous, I start to eat," he explained. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"You must go through a lot of food given your career choice."

"It's not that that's bothering me," Scott said. "I started thinking about what you said. You're right… I don't think Dani will be able to go after Greg if it comes down to it. That means RPM is down three Rangers now."

"You know I'm more than happy to take her place," Dawn smiled. "And I'm sure Sammy's already taken Hayden's spot."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Scott sighed. "We can't morph. We can't protect ourselves. If we hesitate for one minute…"

"We won't hesitate."

"You and I won't," Scott nodded. "Or… we don't plan on it. But right now our team is made up of Greg's husband and two of his best friends."

"Gem and Gemma are smart. I'm sure they'll figure out how to deal with the Greg situation."

"I'm just… I'm worried."

"Well, now's not the time to worry," Dawn said firmly as she hopped out of her chair. "You're still the leader of the Rangers and Eagle Squad. You have to be strong. If you're worried Dani, Gem and Gemma are going to mess up, they'll start to worry and it'll happen for sure."

"I know. This would just be easier if we had the rest of the team."

"Now that Dani's done with her weapon we probably should head back to the garage," Dawn nodded. She glanced out the window, where she could see Gem and Gemma having the time of their lives blowing stuff up with Dani's weapon. She let out a sigh, "I'll try to rally them up. You can go wake up Dani."

Scott nodded and headed for the garage door. He could hear Dawn screaming over the sound of the explosions, trying to get the attention of the Boom-Twins before they accidentally hit her Centre. He chuckled slightly, shaking his head as he opened the garage door and flicked on the lights.

"Rise and shine Dan... Dani?"

Scott rushed into garage, checking the side of the cars, or even underneath as he avoided the tools that had been scattered everywhere on the floor. He couldn't find Dani anywhere in the room.

He rushed back into the centre, where Dawn seemed to be scolding the twins and confiscating the new weapon from them. Out of breath and panicked, leaned against the wall, breathing deeply as he looked at his friends.

"Did Dani come inside?"

Dawn checked the couches and floor. When she had left Dani, the young girl was tired and needed a nap. She assumed that if Dani wasn't still in the garage, she would be in the main room of the centre, with all the couches and resting areas.

When she saw no sign of Dani ever coming back into the centre from the garage she shook her head. Scott groaned loudly.

"She's gone."

"Gone?" Gemma frowned.

"Where did she go?" Gem asked. Dawn turned to Scott.

"I think I know where," she growled. She pushed through the twins to chase after her friend, but Scott grabbed her arm before she could reach the door and pulled her back inside. He grabbed the new weapon from her.

"Why would Dani leave without this?" he asked.

Dawn shrugged, "Because she's a stupid little piece of shit…"

"Calm down," Scott said. "Think about this. Dani's spent hours working on this. If she planned on leaving the first chance she got, she would have made sure to take her weapon."

"Are you trying to say she was taken?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know what happened," Scott frowned. "She could have been taken, or she could have run off, either back to her place, or back with the others. We just… we need to figure this out."

"Who could have taken her though?" Gem asked, bringing up a good question. "Last we saw, Greg had an army of killer toasters."

Gemma nodded her head in full agreement with her brother, "I don't think a toaster can overpower Dani… no matter the situation."

Scott rubbed his temples. This was already complicated enough without Dani leaving. He let out a long sigh.

"Alright, how about we do it this way? We'll assume that because Dani's stronger than a toaster she took off on her own. We're going to head back to Kaylee and Dustin's place and meet up with the others. If Dani's there, Dawn can beat her senseless."

"Good plan," Dawn nodded.

"If she's not, we'll have backup for when she go to her place and bring her back."

"Sounds good," the twins smiled, nodding their heads. Dawn nodded as well. Scott let out a breath. That was one problem solved.

He turned to Dawn as the four headed out the door, "This would be so much easier if the power wasn't down and we still had communication."

"Yeah," Dawn nodded, "That would mean there was no big bad virus inside the city trying to take over."

"Point…"

-Afterlife-

When Dani opened her eyes, she was staring at her butt. It wasn't always her butt though. It was her butt when she was in her Ranger uniform.

As her mind slowly started to wake up, Daniela began to realise that it wasn't possible. She hadn't morphed before going to sleep. She didn't even have her morpher on her. She had dropped it when she realised what happened with Greg.

She tried to pushed herself up but found her hands were tied behind her back. She growled as she looked up at the person carrying her on her shoulder.

"Who are you?" she asked. She found it odd that she was talking with the Silver Ranger. Normally she was underneath the suit.

The Silver Ranger scoffed, "I am the Silver Ranger."

"No, I'm the Silver Ranger."

"I'm in the suit."

"Technicalities," Daniela frowned. She squirmed slightly, trying to see if she could get her arms free. The Silver Ranger bounced her with her shoulder. Daniela groaned as she felt the Silver Ranger's shoulder digging into her bladder. "I'm going to have to pee."

"Humans and their imperfect bodies," the Silver Ranger said, and Dani felt herself being placed back on her feet. Before she could run, the Silver Ranger grabbed her arm. "Go."

"No, it's supposed to be: ready, set, go! And on go, you let go of my arm and I take off running," Dani joked.

"I meant, do your business."

Daniela looked down at her pants and the ground, then up at the Silver Ranger.

"You're not human, are you?"

"I am my master's creation."

"That doesn't really answer my question."

"Will you do your business?"

"I can't do it when my pants are on!"

"Allow me to…"

When the Silver Ranger grabbed Daniela's pants, Dani brought her knee up, smashing whoever was behind the helmet in the face. The Silver Ranger let go of Daniela's arm for a moment and the red head tried to take off.

Unfortunately, Daniela was soon tripped as the Silver Ranger grabbed her ankle before she could reach super speed. Daniela hit the ground, hard due to her hands being tied behind her back. She whimpered in pain as the Silver Ranger dragged her through the dirt and lifted her by the ankles.

"I don't want to go pee anymore," Daniela whined.

The Silver Ranger didn't technically have any eyes to roll, but at this moment, she wished she did. She dropped Daniela again and grabbed her by the back of the neck, _helping_ her to her feet.

"Walk!" she barked. "The Master is waiting."

-Afterlife-

Engel clung to her mother's leg, screaming loudly, begging Samantha not to leave. Samantha and the other Rangers were ready to track down those who had gone missing, but before they could leave, Samantha needed to explain to Engel why both her parents were leaving.

Engel easily remembered what happened last time her parents and Scott left her and didn't want to see them leave again.

Samantha dropped to her knees, pushing her little girl away from her. She held Engel by the arms and looked down in her eyes.

"I promise you, Angel, mommy and daddy will come back," she said. "And while we're gone, you get to play with Grandpa, Aunt Hayden, Aunt Summer, Aunt Heather, Vanessa and Christian! Won't that be fun?"

"NO!" Engel screamed, throwing herself at Samantha once again.

Mike sighed, "I told you it would be easier to leave if you didn't have the suit on."

"It won't come off," Samantha growled. She turned to the others standing by the door, waiting. "Mike and I will catch up in a minute. You guys get started."

"Are you sure?" Flynn asked. "We don't mind waiting."

"I don't care what's convenient for you," Samantha growled. "Engel's not about to let go until she understands and this could take a while. Scott and the others might not have that time."

Mike nodded to the others, waving them off as they left.

Christian decided to try and help his niece out. He walked over to her and touched her back.

"Engel, wanna play tag with me?" he asked her. "You're it!"

"NO!" Engel screamed, clinging onto her mother. Samantha gasped slightly, pulling her daughter away from her neck.

"Okay…" Christian frowned. "I'll be it."

"NO!"

"Hide and Seek?" he suggested, covering his eyes. "You love this game. One… two… three."

Engel turned around and slapped Christian while screaming loudly, "NO! NO! Go away! I want mommy!"

Dustin picked up his son as Christian started to tear. He knelt down beside Engel and grabbed her arm gently. This time, and this time only, he was going to turn a blind eye to the hitting.

"Engel, guess what grandma made in the kitchen this morning?" he asked, all excited. Engel shook her head as she pulled back into her mother. Dustin continued, "Cookies! Grandma made cookies! And we can eat as many as we want!"

"NO!" Engel screamed.

Mike finally had enough. He and the others had a job to do. It tore him apart to see his little girl so afraid, but he couldn't let her stop him from doing his job. The lives of many people were on the line. He pulled her out of Samantha's arms and carried her over to Hayden. When he placed her in Hayden's arms, she tried to squirm out. Mike grabbed her firmly, but gently, and looked her in the eyes.

"This is enough, Engel," he said. "Me and mommy both promise we're coming back home."

"Said last time!" Engel shouted as she dropped forward, turning herself into a jelly-baby. Hayden held her tight so she wouldn't fall, and Mike held her up.

"I know we said it last time," he said, "but this is very different now. Mommy and daddy don't have a choice. We need to leave."

"Go with you?"

Mike shook his head, "I'm sorry."

"Then no leave!" Engel screamed, hitting her father in the chest. Mike struggled to grab her wrists, but Engel quickly turned around and hit her Aunt in the face. Hayden loosened her grip on the girl for a moment, giving Engel enough wiggle room to fall out of Hayden's arms.

Engel landed on her feet and ran for the door. Samantha thought Engel was running back to her, but the little girl ran right by her.

"Scotty!" Engel screamed, jumping into her step-father's arms, "Tell mommy no leave!"

Samantha got back to her feet and turned around as she heard this. Her jaw dropped as she let out a huge breath of relief. Scott was standing in the doorway with a surprise look on his face. Behind him were Gem, Gemma and Dawn.

"Scott…"

"Mommy leaving me!" Engel screamed, hugging her step-father. Scott hugged her gently with one arm, while he pulled Samantha in with the other.

"You guys made it back," Mike smiled. Scott shook his head slowly as Dawn and the twins walked into the room behind him.

"Is Daniela here?"

"We haven't seen her since she left with Greg," Summer said, walking over to Dawn and giving her best friend a hugged. She had been worried about the brunette for hours now, and was relieved to see her okay.

Samantha pulled away from Scott and looked up slowly, "Dani's not here."

"She used to be with us," Gem explained.

"And then… she wasn't."

"Where's Greg?" Mike asked.

"That's the problem," Scott frowned. "The virus took him when he morphed. Daniela managed to get away."

"So, she's not the Silver Ranger?" Heather asked.

"The Silver Ranger?" Gemma frowned, turning to the others.

"What are you talking about?" Gem asked.

"The Silver Ranger came in here and attacked us," Hayden said. "She took all the morphers except mine and Ben's. That's why Sammy's wearing that."

Scott looked down at his wife. He had noticed she was wearing a little bit of armour but didn't pay much attention. Not with Daniela missing.

"Look, all we know is Dani was in my garage building a weapon for us. When I went to wake her up, she was gone. We think she went after Greg."

"You're saying the virus got him," Kaylee said.

"No…"

"… Greg is the virus," the twins said.

"Fuck," Mike growled, and Christian immediately started to giggle while Engel gasped. Dustin pulled Christian away and Scott nodded at his step-daughter.

"Where are the others?" Dawn asked.

Samantha took Engel from Scott and in one swift movement put her back in Engel's arms. She pulled away quickly, before Engel could whine.

"They went out to find you guys," she said. "We have to warn them!"

Engel's screams pierced the eardrums of everyone who stayed behind as she watched her mother and father leave, without so much as a goodbye. Hayden tried to rock her, to sooth her, but Engel's kicking and screaming started to be too much.

"MOMMY!" Engel scream as she dropped to the ground again and ran to the door, trying to open it on her own. Heather scooped her up, but Engel's screaming persisted. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"

Outside, Samantha could hear her daughter screaming and stopped before she reached the sidewalk. She looked over her shoulder and began to tear.

Scott wrapped his arm around her, "I'll make sure you come home," he whispered.

"I'm never going to be allowed to leave her again."

"You never will."

Samantha heard the front door rattling and had to fight every part of her that wanted to run back and take her baby in her arms. Scott held her closely.

"We have a mission to do. We're protecting her, just like we're protecting everyone else."

"I know… it's just… she doesn't."

Scott sighed, "We need you, Sam. We've already lost Hayden, Summer, Heather and now Dani. I can't afford to…"

Samantha's wings suddenly sprouted from her back and Scott could hear a low growling noise coming from her throat as Engel screamed loudly once again.

"I hope Deleto knows I'm coming," she growled. "No one makes me abandon my daughter."

Scott kissed his wife on the cheek right before she began storming off. Maybe this was for the best. After all, he had seen what a Brooks' mother could do to protect her baby. If Samantha was this pissed off and ready to fight, he might not need a team.

-Afterlife-

The Silver Ranger shoved Daniela forward as they arrived inside Daniela and Greg's living room. Seconds later, the Gold Ranger walked out from his work room with his newest weapon in his hands. He looked at the Silver Ranger, "Good job."

Daniela looked up, "Greg, what are you doing? You can fight this."

The Gold Ranger knelt down beside Dani and whispered into her ear, "Greg can't hear you at the moment, and if this works out, he won't ever be able to hear you."

"Master, now that I have brought her back, will you tell me what that weapon does?"

Daniela looked up, ready to listen. She could only assume the weapon Greg held in his hands was the one he would have created using her textbooks. If she could learn what it would be used for, she could run home and modify her own weapon.

"I'll show you what it does," the Gold Ranger said. The Silver Ranger grabbed Daniela, lifting her up again while the Gold Ranger prepared his weapon. Daniela squirmed.

"Okay… let's just talk about this for a moment," she said. "I mean, I'm pretty sure my clone here would be happy to listen. Demonstration is so overrated, don't you think?"

"Shut up!" the Silver Ranger shouted. "I've been waiting for this."

The Gold Ranger levelled the blaster at Daniela and pulled the trigger. Daniela and the Silver Ranger screamed as they were both thrown backwards. A flash of light blinded the Gold Ranger for a second, but once he could see again he laughed and stepped forward.

On the ground before him, Daniela was gone. Only the Silver Ranger was left standing. She got to her knees and shook her head.

"What have you done to me?" she asked her master.

"Same thing I'm going to do to myself," he said, pointing the blaster at himself, "I'm going to make sure the operators can't interfere with my newest army."

He pulled the trigger and dropped to the ground. The Silver Ranger ran to his side and helped him to his feet. He pushed her away and walked over to his workroom door. He swung it open and an army of Rangers, both RPM and SPD stepped out.

"RPM Silver, met your team," the Gold Ranger said.


	110. Inside the House

"Alright, Kira, we're cutting off communication. Greg won't be able to hack our systems, but he could still pick up our signal," Ben said into his new communicator (the one Kaylee attached to the suit so she and Kira could keep in contact with their teams). He quickly looked around at the others who were taking their positions around Dani and Greg's house.

To make things easier for everyone, both Scott and Bridge agreed that SPD Rangers and RPM Rangers would be two teams. SPD was going to cover all the exits. That meant the front and back door, as well as the windows on the sides.

RPM was going to go inside the house and take down the toasters, screaming monkeys, DVD players, and anything Greg had created. When the coast was clear, and only Greg and the Silver Ranger were left, everyone would enter the house and work on taking down the evil Rangers.

"_If you get into any trouble let us know,"_ Kira instructed her black Ranger. _"We'll be tracking you through the communicator. Rebecca's going to work on analysing the area."_

"_Stay safe, Ben,"_ Heather added. Ben smiled when he heard his wife. He nodded.

"When have I ever done anything to put myself in danger?"

"_If he's anything like Dillon then all the time."_

"I heard that Summer!" Ben frowned.

"_Even I heard that!"_

"_Dillon! Don't grab my wrist like that! You scared me half to death!"_

"_Sorry, Sammy."_

Ben rolled his eyes as he exchanged looks with the rest of his team. Bridge nodded slowly, giving Ben the message that it was time to hang up.

"Senior, turn off the communication. SPD's ready to start."

Ben didn't hear a reply from Samantha Sr., and assumed that meant she turned off her communicator. He turned his off and gave a small nod to Bridge and Z. Z quickly took off around the corner, standing watch at the side of the house. Samantha Junior was already at the front of the house, watching the front doors and windows. Bridge was in charge of the back, while Ben quickly made his way to his side of the house.

Ryan glanced through one of the windows and saw the RPM team entering the house from the front door. He spotted the first robot from there and watched carefully. It was his job to provide back-up to the first person who needed help. Ryan assumed that the best way to figure that out would be to watch the battle going on inside. If the RPM team reached the back of the house, he would go to the back door. If they stayed near the front, he would join them in the front.

He changed windows when he lost sight of the robot, quickly running to follow the microwave. He skidded to a stop suddenly when he ran by a window and noticed the RPM and SPD Rangers standing inside.

"Oh, fuck…"

-Afterlife-

Hayden groaned loudly as she looked down at her little niece. Engel was lying on her stomach, flat on the ground, with her face buried in a pillow. Every time Hayden tried to lift her up, Engel would scream, kick, punch and even bit until her aunt let go.

Summer walked into the room and wrapped her arm around her cousin's shoulder.

"She's just scared," she whispered. "Last time Sammy and Mike left her, they wound up in the hospital."

"I know… she's just never acted this way."

"Her parents have never abandoned her," Summer nodded. She looked down at Engel.

"They didn't abandon her…" Hayden breathed. She grabbed another pillow off the couch and sat down beside Engel. She gently touched her niece's back. "Engel, do you want to know why mommy and daddy left?"

"Hayden," Summer frowned, "That's not your place…"

"She's hurting, Sum," Hayden said. "It's not my place to talk about her parents, but it's my place to make sure she's okay. She's going to hurt herself if she keeps this up."

Hayden lifted Engel up onto her lap. Engel continued to kick, scream and punch, but this time Hayden didn't let go. She wrapped her arms around Engel and held her gently.

"Mommy and daddy are coming back," she whispered. "I promise. They just have to go help fight off a bad guy."

"NO!" Engel screamed.

"Daddy's a superhero," Hayden explained. "He fights bad guys like the superheroes in Christian's movies."

Engel looked up when she heard this, "Like Fatman?"

Hayden chuckled, "Yeah. Daddy's exactly like Fatman."

Engel calmed down at bit. The kicking and screaming stopped, but Engel was still sobbing.

Hayden smirked, "And Scotty's like Fatman too. He fights bad guys like daddy. That's why they left."

"There's a bad guy?" Engel asked. She pulled into her Aunt, "Where?"

"He's not here," Hayden said. "That's why they all left. Mommy, daddy and Scotty are out fighting the bad guys to protect you."

"Bad guy want hurt me?" Engel asked. The tears in her eyes started to form again as she began to panic. Hayden quickly shook her head.

"No, no. No one wants to hurt you. But this bad man, he wants to take over the world. He wants to be a bad guy king, and mommy, daddy and Scotty won't let that happen."

"Save world?"

"Yeah. They are going to save the world. And, Engel, when Fatman saves the world, he always comes home, right?"

"Christian say yes!" Engel nodded. Hayden smirked.

"Exactly. Mommy and daddy are going to come home. And when they do, they are going to take you out to buy the biggest ice cream you can think of."

"Ice cream!" Engel cheered. Summer face palmed. She shook her head as Engel jumped out of her Aunt's lap to tell Vanessa the news.

Summer helped Hayden back to her feet, "You can't promise Engel something like that."

"They left her. If I know my sister, Mike and Scott, they're going to feel so guilty about leaving her. Buying her ice cream won't be an issue."

"What if they don't?"

"Oh, they will," Hayden frowned. "Because Engel's going to get a huge ass ice cream cone, and she won't be able to finish it. Guess who's got a craving."

Summer shook her head, "You manipulative little…"

"Ah, ah, ah, watch your language, Summer. We wouldn't want Christian or Engel to learn that word, would we?"

-Afterlife-

Samantha grabbed the toaster at her feet and flung it across the living room. The sooner she destroyed every appliance in the house, the sooner she could go home and be with her daughter.

Gem sighed deeply as he stepped on the DVD player.

"This was my wedding gift to Dani and Greg," he frowned.

"So you won't mind buying them a new one," Dillon smirked as he held up the monkey by the neck. It was hitting its cymbals together loudly while its eyes shone brighter and brighter. Gem kicked the monkey out of Dillon's hands before the little robot shot Dillon.

Lasers came out from the monkey's eyes just as it left Dillon's hands, and the black Ranger stood in shock. If Gem had missed, or waited a second longer, his head would be gone.

"Thanks, man."

Gem smirked, "It's a personal vendetta."

Scott let out a breath as he checked the room. He kicked the TV one more time to make sure it was broken before attracting the attention of the team.

"Guys, I think that's it."

"Thank god," Ziggy breathed as he fell onto the torn up couch, "That was exhausting."

"You fought the card dealer," Flynn frowned. "All you had to do was turn it off."

"Hey! That thing hurts! Do you know how fast cards come out of it?"

"There were fifty-two cars, Zig," Dillon laughed. "It was either slow and long, or fast and short."

"It was still difficult."

"I'm sure it was," Dawn nodded, holding back her laughter as she walked into the room. She had left the others to search the house, hoping to find Daniela. She knew that with Samantha's rage, the rangers would have no problem holding off a few small appliances, a TV and a computer. Her face suddenly darkened as she turned to Scott and the others, "I looked around the house. Dani's nowhere to be found."

"We didn't see Greg either," Gemma added. "You would think we were loud enough to attract his attention."

"He's smart, we can't forget that," Flynn said. "I'm pretty sure he knew we were coming and set this up."

"Way to look on the bright side," Samantha sighed.

Suddenly, Ryan and the SPD Rangers ran into the house, panicked and out of breath.

"What's going on?" Ziggy asked as Bridge and Ben collapsed on the couch, almost ignoring his existence and knocking him off.

"Have you guys checked the work room?" Ryan asked, pointing to the door leading to Greg's office and Dani's work room. Scott turned to Dawn. She was the one who checked the house.

She shook her head, "That's the one room I avoided. I figured Greg would be hiding in there."

"Oh, he is," Ryan nodded, "him, the Silver Ranger, and every other SPD and RPM Ranger!"

"What?" Mike frowned.

"The morphers the Silver Ranger took… we know why she took them."

"If she even is a she," Ben scoffed.

"Behind those doors is an army of us!" Z said, pointing to the workroom door. "And RPM Gold is briefing them on something, with RPM Silver by his side."

"Did you see Dani in there?"

"Not a sign of her," Samantha Jr. sighed, lowering her head. She was worried deeply about Daniela. Though they hadn't had much of a chance to talk or hang out in the past few years like Hayden and Summer had with Dani, Samantha had still grown up with Daniela as a little cousin. If something happened to her, she would be torn in two. And with Summer and Hayden both unable to protect her, Samantha felt like it was her responsibility to bring the little red head back home to her sister and cousin.

"I'm sure, wherever she is, she's fighting just as hard as we are to bring an end to this," Dillon said, patting his sister in-law on the shoulder. "Right now, it's probably best if we focus on what's behind that door."

Dillon turned to Scott, "What's the plan now?"

Scott shrugged, but Bridge quickly spoke up. He got off the couch, allowing Ziggy to reclaim half of it.

"We know that whatever's under those suits, it's not us. We're all here and no one knows the Ranger suits better than us. When we go into that room, we'll each take our own suits, and we'll take them out."

-Afterlife-

As RPM Gold made sure his army was ready for battle, RPM Silver felt something banging inside her head. She frequently turned to her master to see if maybe he felt the same thing, but he seemed perfectly fine.

RPM Silver also noticed a pattern. The banging in her head would grow stronger every time RPM Gold mentioned taking out the humans and destroying them like he had done to Gregory and Daniela. Not only that, but anytime RPM Gold mentioned Gregory's name, the banging would grow even stronger, and RPM Silver would feel like there was something inside of her, beating at her from the inside out, trying to get out.

Suddenly, RPM Gold pointed to the door, and his army of Rangers turned to face it all at once. RPM Silver looked at him for a moment. Suddenly, he walked over to her and smacked her across the helmet.

"I told you to open the door," he growled. "The Operators are already here."

RPM Silver nodded and approached the door. Little did she know that deep inside the stubborn Daniela was fighting hard and strong to be freed.


	111. Rangers vs Operators Part I

Dawn panted heavily as she got to her feet. She held her right arm with her left hand while she took her breather and glanced at her opponent.

As soon as Scott had given the orders, all the Rangers had rushed into the office and were quickly met with their opponents. Just like Bridge had said, every Ranger took their own suit to fight. Scott, Flynn, Mike, Ziggy and Dillon were currently fighting against RPM Red, Blue, D-Green, L-Green and Black respectively, while Bridge, Z, Samantha Jr. and Ryan were up against SPD Red, Blue, Yellow and Crimson.

With a few Rangers out of action, as well as some missing suits, there had been some improvisation made for Samantha Sr., Ben and Dawn. They had no opponents to fight, so they took over what Ziggy called the leftover colours.

As soon as Ben had seen SPD Nova inside the office he had charged, almost taking her out with one shot. Nova was Heather's colour, and it pissed him off to see anyone, or anything wearing the suit except for her. It also would have angered him to see anyone but him beating up on his wife's colour.

Sammy Sr. didn't hesitate to jump into battle against RPM Yellow. Normally she would have let Dillon or Sam Jr. fight Summer's suit, but they were both occupied with their own Rangers. Sammy felt that it was her responsibility to fight RPM Yellow and to protect Summer while Dillon and Sam couldn't.

That left Dawn to take on RPM Silver. The former Venjix attack-bot glared at the Silver Ranger as she stood up straight. She let go of her arm and growled slightly.

"Where is Dani?"

Over time, Dawn had grown rather close to Dani. Though Summer was her best friend, and nothing was going to change that, Dawn and Dani had a bond that was very special. Dani annoyed Dawn, and Dawn sometimes wanted to murder Dani very painfully. The way Dawn saw it: Dani was the little sister she never wanted, and still didn't want. But if anyone tried to take Dani out except for her, they were going to have to deal with Dawn.

The Silver Ranger got to her feet as well, rubbing her chest slightly.

"That last one actually hurt me."

"Where is Dani?" Dawn shouted again, clenching her fists. "I know she came here!"

"Well then, stupid, she must be somewhere here then."

Dawn growled again, charging forward in her anger and swinging a punch in the Silver Ranger's direction. The Silver Ranger barely had time to defend herself before Dawn's fist connected with her face, sending her sprawling onto the ground.

Over in the shadows, RPM Gold watched his Rangers fighting the humans while he played with his new weapon, waiting for the perfect chance to shot another robot and human to unite them like he had done to Dani and RPM Silver, as well as himself.

He found his chance when RPM Red dropped Scott to the ground and pressed his knee into Scott's chest, holding him in place. RPM Gold chuckled slightly as he approached the RPM Reds and pointed the weapon. Scott noticed the Red Ranger's movements stopped when his master came near, and knew that whatever was going to happen was going to be bad.

Suddenly, he heard glass shattering and the thumping of feet, following quickly by the sound of someone crashing down onto the ground. Scott opened his eyes and saw Gem and Gemma standing over RPM Gold with huge smiles on their faces. In Gem's hands was the weapon Daniela had created.

Gem pointed the weapon at RPM Red and shot. The Red ranger soared into the wall, leaving an impressive dent before hitting the ground and slumping forward. Gem cheered as he helped Scott up.

Scott looked at the twins, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, when you guys left to come here, you forgot to take us with you," Gemma explained.

"So, we went back to Dawn's center, picked up the weapon and came back here!" Gem added while Gemma looked around the room and nodded her head.

"And it looks like you need us."

Scott turned to look over his shoulder as RPM Red slowly got to his feet. He quickly looked back at the twins.

"You guys keep the Gold Ranger busy," he told them. "Make sure we don't find out what that weapon does. We'll deal with these Rangers."

"Got it!" the twins saluted.

-Afterlife-

"Mom, you're going to lose your fingernails again," Summer whispered as she leaned over Kira's shoulder. The former Dino Ranger pulled her hand away from her mouth.

"I'm just nervous… I've never not been able to monitor my team and make sure they were okay." Kira turned to Kaylee, who didn't seem to be panicking as much as she should have. She frowned slightly, "Kayl, aren't you worried?"

Kaylee looked at Kira and shrugged, "Sometimes I freak out when I don't know what's going on and sometimes I'm calm. I just… I don't think about it."

"She's fallen asleep in a few minor battles," Rebecca added.

"So, in a fight against a computer virus threatening to take over the world, you've chosen to stay calm?" Kira asked and Kaylee nodded. Kira shook her head, "You oddball."

"Have you not learned Aunt Kira," Hayden called from the couch as she rocked Engel to sleep, "My mom's the biggest oddball you'll ever meet."

"And it runs in the family," Heather laughed. Hayden frowned at her cousin before realising it was true. And if there was something to be proud of in the Brooks family, it was the fact that they were all oddballs.

"Thank you," Hayden smiled, "That's very nice of you to say."

"You're very welcome," Heather smirked.

On the floor, Christian watched his cousin and sister sitting on the couch and couldn't help but notice they were fat. Heather was already seven months pregnant and her stomach was definitely big and very obvious. Hayden was four and a half months along in her pregnancy and her stomach was popping out.

He folded his arms over his chest, "You guys are fat!" he turned to Summer, already aware she was pregnant as well, "Summer, are you going to get fat too?"

Summer chuckled as she sat down on the floor beside her brother, "I hope so."

"I'm not fat!" Heather frowned, pacing her hands on her stomach and rubbing gently. "I'm pregnant."

"After a while it's the same thing," Hayden smiled. She was happy she was being called fat. At this stage in the pregnancy she wanted people to notice there was something different about her. Hopefully, adults and older kids would realise she wasn't fat, overweight fat, but fat, pregnant fat.

"So, the baby is inside the tummy, right?" Christian asked the girls. They all nodded. He looked down at his stomach for a moment, "How does it get out?"

"The belly button," Summer answered, thinking quickly. "That's why we have belly buttons."

"But boys don't have babies, and we have belly buttons."

"Your belly buttons are different," Heather answered. "When you press it, Summer goes to make me a snack. I'm hungry."

Curious, Christian wanted to test this out and see if Heather was telling the truth. He lifted up his shirt and pressed down on his stomach. He turned to his sister.

"Summer, you have to make her a snack," he whispered, "I pushed the button."

Summer glared at Heather as she got up, "I hate you."

Heather laughed, "Hey, it's not my fault guys are born like that."

-Afterlife-

Dawn still had RPM Silver pinned to the ground as she delivered a harsh and relentless beating. It seemed, at this moment, the Silver Ranger didn't stand a chance against Dawn.

While she could still see, she looked around the room and noticed the other Rangers were doing fairly well against their own humans. Much better than her right now.

Normally, RPM Silver would have been able to push Dawn off her and turn the tables, but her pounding head was a distraction already, never mind now that it was also receiving a pounding from the outside.

"Tell me where she is," Dawn screamed as she continued to punch the Silver Ranger. RPM Silver knew she didn't have long now. Pretty soon her programming was going to give in and shut down. She could already see her vision was starting to fail her. She tried to move her hands, hoping maybe one punch would throw Dawn off her game, but there was no response.

Dawn let out another scream when RPM Silver didn't answer. She was angry. Very angry. Dani had always joked about Dawn's temper. It was very easy to piss her off and get on her last nerve. At this very moment, not only was RPM Silver's silence playing on Dawn's last nerve, it was doing everything it could to make sure it pissed her off to the point where she almost lost control.

"Answer me!" Dawn shouted, grabbing the Silver Ranger's shoulders and pulling her up to her feet. Again, RPM Silver didn't answer. Dawn shoved her against the wall, creating a distance between them momentarily so Dawn could recompose herself. RPM Silver suddenly began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Dawn asked her.

"You," Silver answered. "You think that by destroying me, you'll be able to help your friends."

"There will be one less Ranger to worry about," Dawn nodded.

"And one less human."

Dawn's head snapped up as she heard this, "What are you…"

RPM Silver tapped her helmet, "You want to know where Daniela… ARG!"

The Silver Ranger dropped to her knees as her head started pounding. Dawn quickly launched herself forward, slamming the Silver Ranger into the wall. Furious that the Silver Ranger wasn't giving her answers, she grabbed her helmet and slammed it into the wall with enough strength to crack it.

RPM Silver began to smoke suddenly. Her vision began to glitch as it slowly faded to black. She slumped forward in Dawn's arms. Dawn was about to let her drop when she noticed that the computer pad on her left sparked. Dawn's curiosity distracted her for a moment as she watched.

Suddenly and miraculously, the Silver Ranger powered down, leaving an exhausted but awake Daniela.

Dani chuckled weakly, "Thank God… I thought I was never going to get out…"

Daniela passed out from exhaustion. Dawn held her tight as she looked around the room. She wasn't the only to notice Daniela had been set free. All the Ranger had stopped fighting and pulled away from their humans, closer to the Gold Ranger.

Dawn turned to her team, "Smash the Gold Ranger's head open!"

"No one's getting near our Master!" SPD Blue shouted. She stood in front of her master, along with the others, protectively.

Bridge ran over to a few of his fallen friends. While he helped Mike back to his feet he turned to the others, "Fall back."

"Bridge…"

"We have Daniela back. The best move now would be to fall back!" Bridge said. Scott nodded, realising the red SPD was right. He turned to the others.

"You heard him. Everyone get back."

RPM Gold wasn't about to let the humans get away. He had them right where he wanted them.

"After them!" he shouted to his Rangers.

Sammy Sr. was one of the last out the door. When she heard RPM Gold shouting out his orders, she turned around.

"Don't worry, we'll be back," she smirked, lifting her hand up before her and pointing an open palm at the Rangers. They stopped in their tracks as her hand began to glow a light pink and blue.

The house shook slightly before a big rip was created in the earth, surrounding the house. Samantha's team was already safely out and the rip in the earth was too big for the Rangers to jump over. Unless RPM Gold invented a machine that would allow his Rangers to fly, they were trapped on their little piece of earth.

Samantha spread her wings and flew out of the house, joining her friends as they left back to the Brooks household.

-Afterlife-

It was quiet time for Kira, Dustin, Kaylee, Summer, Rebecca, Heather and Hayden. Christian was entertaining himself with a board game, Engel was fast asleep in Hayden's arm and Vanessa was still upstairs. She had been there for the last couple of hours, choosing to wait for Mike to come home on her own. Only occasionally she came down to check up on Engel or to get herself something to eat.

With no TV or computer to use as a distraction thanks to the Deleto Virus there was nothing for everyone to do. All they could really do to pass the time was talk, but no one really felt like sharing stories at this moment.

Suddenly, Engel jumped out of Hayden's arms, scaring the former pink Ranger. The two year old ran to the window, pulling herself up to see outside.

"Mommy!"

Kaylee walked over beside her granddaughter and knelt down beside her, holding her gently.

"Sweetie, mommy might not be home for a while."

Engel shook her head and pointed, "Look, Gammy! It's mommy! She's coming home."

Kaylee looked out the window and saw that Engel was right. Just down the street, the RPM and SPD Rangers were making their way home. Kaylee quickly counted the number of heads and noticed Dani was coming back home, but Greg was still missing. The battle wasn't over, but it seemed like they finally had the upper hand.

"Kira, Dustin!" Kaylee called. She didn't need to say anything else for the two yellow Rangers to know what to do. Dustin ran to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit, just in case some of the Rangers needed it, while Kira went to join Kaylee by the front door.

Ziggy was the first to walk into the house, carrying Daniela. With his super strength, he was the only one who would be able to handle her dead weight, especially after the long battle. Kaylee and Kira quickly took Dani from him, causing her to wake slightly. They walked her to the kitchen while Ziggy collapsed on the floor against the wall. Rebecca sat down beside him and took his hand. Ziggy kissed her head gently, wrapping his arm around her.

Christian grabbed Engel's hand before she ran into the crowd of people coming in. He knew she was going to run for her mother and didn't want her to accidentally get trampled. Until he saw his sister walking into the living room, he was going to hold onto Engel.

Summer jumped up from the floor when she saw Dillon and rushed into his arms. Hayden noticed Flynn when he walked into the living room and did the same.

"You made it!" she smiled, kissing him. When they pulled away, Flynn nodded.

"It's worse than you think," he said. "We were fighting ourselves. Apparently when the Silver Ranger stole the morphers, she wanted them so Greg could create his own army."

"Some of us were doing better than others," Ben smirked, patting Flynn on the back as he made his way over to the couch so Heather didn't have to get up. He sat down beside her and pulled her into his arms.

Dustin walked in, leading the other Rangers with him into the living as he brought in the first aid kit and a few ice packs. Christian finally saw Samantha and saw Engel had a clear path to her mother. He pointed to Samantha, showing Engel where her mother was exactly before he let go.

"MOMMY!" Engel screamed, jumping into her mother's arms. Samantha caught her daughter and held her tight, bursting into tears suddenly.

"I'm so sorry I left," she whispered. "I'll never do that again. I promise!"

"It okay," Engel nodded, looking at her mother, "Aunt Hayden 'splained it to me. You, daddy and Scotty like Fatman."

"Fatman?" Mike laughed, holding his stomach and shaking his head, "Daddy's not fat. Maybe I gained a few pounds this year. But I'm not fat."

Engel giggled, "Save world like Fatman!"

Hayden smiled as she watched her niece, but turned her attention back to Flynn. What he had told her about Greg starting an army really worried her. While her husband, cousins and sister were gone, she thought they were only going to fight against RPM Silver and Gold, and that worried her enough already. Now, the playing field was evened out: one human Ranger against one robot Ranger.

"Flynn, you said there was an army…"

"We're a little overpowered," Flynn nodded.

"But none of us are dead yet," Bridge smiled, hoping this would help ease the minds of those who stayed at home.

Dawn rolled her eyes, "We know how to save Greg."

"Yeah, mind explaining that to me again," Ryan frowned. "How did you get Dani back? You said smash the head…"

Kira, Kaylee and Dani walked in as Ryan finished and went to find their seats. Kaylee sat with Dustin and Kira went to sit with between her daughters. Dani looked around the room and realised there was nowhere for her. With Greg gone, she had no one to come home to, or no one to take comfort in.

Mike saw this and scooted over on the floor, offering his cousin some room. Daniela sat down beside him and he wrapped his arms around her. Normally, Dani's spot would have been reserved for Vanessa, but Mike learned she was upstairs from Dustin. He wanted to go up there and be with her now that he was home, but he knew it was important to be downstairs with the others and let Kira, Kaylee and Rebecca know what was going on.

Dani turned to Gem and Gemma, "You guys have my weapon…?"

Gem nodded, holding out Dani's weapon, "We wouldn't leave it behind."

"Good," Dani said, "I know the improvements I need to make."

"What happened to you?" Scott asked. "How were you inside the Silver Ranger?"

"She took me and they used Greg's super weapon on me," Daniela explained. "It combines us with our Ranger suits and traps us. It was the Gold Ranger's way of eliminating us."

"So, you're going to make the modifications to your weapon?" Dawn asked.

Daniela nodded, "I want to untrap Greg, without smashing his head," she touched her own head gently, "Because even with the robot head and the helmet protecting me, that still really, really hurt."

Dawn bit her lip and lowered her head, "Sorry…"

Scott nodded, "You go work on your weapon, Dani. Make sure it works before we go back out there."

"Wait, you trust her to build our weapon?" Dillon asked, unsure about Daniela's ability to create her own super weapon. He knew she was good with tools, but only when cars were involved. There was no way she could build something so complicated. "I don't see that happening. You do remember she's the…"

"Daniela's already built everything so far," Scott said. "In case you're forgetting, she's going to be an engineer."

"She's taken one class. And knowing how much she hates school, I'm sure she skipped it," Dillon scoffed. Daniela growled, ready to defend herself until Summer turned to her husband and slapped him in the stomach. Normally, it would hurt, but Dillon wouldn't let it show. However, he was already bruised and tired from the battle. He doubled over in pain, "Ow…"

Dani smiled, "Thanks, Sum."

"Anytime," Summer nodded.

"I know what I'm doing," Dani said as she looked to the others. Though she knew she was ready for the challenge of upgrading her weapon, she understood why the others were a little nervous about letting her be the brains of the operation, "But I might need a little help. Some of the more technical stuff still confuses me."

Gem and Gemma were already bouncing, showing they were ready to help. Rebecca pulled away from Ziggy and stood up.

"I'll help you out," she nodded. "Just let me know what I need to do."


	112. Dani's Intelligence

The blueprints for the upgrade of Dani's device were rather easy. Rebecca, Gem and Gemma had spent their entire lives working on technology, and knew exactly what was needed to get the machine to work the way Dani needed it too.

The hard part was actually upgrading the machine. Rebecca, Gem and Gemma had the easy job, and it was up to Dani to reconstruct her weapon so it would work. With no power and no modern technology, Dani was left to work completely by hand by candlelight.

She sat only on the ground, surrounded by many little pieces and technology as she stared at the blueprints. She had told Gem, Gemma and Rebecca that she needed a weapon that would be able to separate Greg from the Gold Ranger, and hopefully destroy the Gold Ranger in the process. They had done all the calculations and would do all the programming once the weapon was ready, and Daniela trusted them completely.

However, she was on her own for this part, and she was finding it very difficult to upgrade her weapon. She had to improvise with a lot of her parts; using everyday electronics and trying to fit them in and get them to work so her friends could work with them.

Dani held her weapon in her hand and stared at it, hoping an idea would come to her. She was missing the most important part of the upgrade, and that was finding a stronger engine than Dawn's car, that didn't need electricity to be charged or to work.

Dani only had two solutions, and neither were all that great. She could either ask Samantha or Ben to power out of their new Ranger suits and give her their engine cells so she could work with that or she could build another engine, completely from scratch.

Neither seemed logical to Dani. Asking one of the only two Rangers left to give up their powers meant they were going to weaken their team against an army of Rangers. That wasn't an option. With the stakes so high and the fate of the entire planet resting on their shoulders, pulling a Ranger out of battle was one of the stupidest moves Dani could make.

She didn't want to build an engine either. Not because she didn't think she could. Dani had seen so many engines that she could easily come up with an idea for a very simple engine in a matter of seconds. However, she wasn't building or designing a simple engine. She was building probably the most complex and the most powerful engine the world had ever seen. Dani didn't think she could do that.

While everyone else was getting ready for bed, Daniela was wide awake. Her brain was hard at work trying to come up with an idea that would work. Any idea as long as it was possible and wasn't too complicated for her to build. She wasn't a super genius. She was nowhere near that.

-Afterlife-

Just as Kaylee was about to head upstairs to go to bed she heard a knock on her front door. She gave Dustin a kiss on the cheek as she started back down the stairs. She opened the door, a little hesitantly given the situation and found Ronny on the other side. Smiling, she widened the door to let Ronny in.

"What are you doing here so late?" Kaylee asked. Ronny frowned, checking her empty wrist.

"It's late? I can't tell. I don't have a watch, all my clocks have stopped working and the sky is always dark."

Kaylee chuckled, "Good excuse."

Ronny nodded as she reached into her bag, pulling out a few forms.

"I'm just here to talk to you about the race track I'm trying to build."

"The one that'll knock SPEED out of business?"

Ronny nodded, "Yeah. I've got everything worked out, and I've hired a crew to start building, I just need your permission."

Kaylee frowned, "I told you before. You just need to buy the land and it'll be good."

Ronny bit her lip, a habit she picked up from Kaylee and Tori. "Yeah, you see… Corinth City doesn't have the room. All the lands available for me are too small to fit a racing stadium."

"Have you tried NewTech?"

"Again, too small. I've already got a location in mind though… but it's military property…"

"So, you're either going to try to build a track right under the new Command center or…" Kaylee trailed off as she looked over at Ronny, hoping that for once she wouldn't be able to guess what was going through her sister's mind. Ronny nodded slowly.

"In the wastelands."

Kaylee groaned, rubbing her temples, "Ronny, I know Venjix is gone, but the wastelands might not be the best place. There's still some radiation in the air, and with the fumes from the cars… it'll be…"

Ronny quickly shook her head. She had already discussed this idea with a few people before going to Kaylee. She had talked to Shane, the resident Air Ninja in Corinth City about the pollution in the wastelands and he had given her some helpful pointers.

"I know, but the wastelands are clearing up," she smiled. "There is some vegetation out there and it's improving the air quality. You tell that to citizens all the time. We can just find a patch of land like the forest out by the Alphabet Soup ruins and build the stadium there."

Kaylee frowned, "I don't know…"

"C'mon, Kaylee! Think about it at least. If you put a stadium out there people will start going out into the wastes. It'll be a great way to start expanding Corinth city and reclaiming earth."

Kaylee chuckled slightly as she heard Ronny's idea, "I thought you just wanted to race."

"I do," Ronny smiled, nodding her head, "I want to race so bad that I did my research! This'll be the perfect opportunity to open up the domes. We can expand the forest so it reaches Corinth. The more vegetation we have out there, the more land we can claim and the bigger our city can be. That means more room for people, more room for residence, farm lands, industries, parks…"

"Okay, okay," Kaylee said, holding her hand up to interrupt Ronny. "You got me. I'll think about it."

Ronny smiled brightly, clapping her hands together and bouncing slightly in her excitement. She had one more thing to tell Kaylee and hopefully it would push her to agreeing to build a stadium out in the Alphabet Soup Forest.

"And think about this too, Kayl. If you expand Corinth city with this stadium, which will be owned by the Military of Corinth, our city, your city, will be bigger than NewTech and it will have more control."

Kaylee turned to the living room, narrowing her eyes on Kira, who was playing with Engel before sending the toddler off to bed. She smirked wickedly as she turned back to Ronny.

"And then I'll really start to rule the world."

"Whatever you want," Ronny chuckled. She glanced into the living room, hoping to find her daughter. Now that her plans were all set (and Kaylee's want to rule the world pretty much guaranteed that her race track was going to be built), she wanted to ask Dani, officially, if she wanted to be the first stock car racer to join the new team.

She didn't see Dani in the living room and frowned.

"Have you seen my daughter?" she asked Kaylee. "I wanna give her the good news."

Kaylee hissed inwardly as she pointed to her office door, "Dan's in there. She's working on upgrading a weapon…"

"A… what's going on? I thought you had this virus thing under control."

"For the most part, we do," Kaylee nodded. "The Rangers went out there today and saved Dani…"

Kaylee trailed off for a moment when she saw Ronny's muscles tense up. After knowing Ronny for over two decades she knew how protective the Yellow Overdrive Ranger could be when it came to her family, especially her daughter. More than once she had threaten to murder anyone who even joked about hurting her little girl, and more than once she had come close to following through on her promises. Had David not been so calm and reasonable about bullying, a few of Dani's classmates would have lived very short lives.

"She's fine, Ron," Kaylee assured her sister, "Just a few bumps, bruises and a major headache. What's important is that we now know what we're up against and we know what to do to stop it. Samantha's already divided the land around Dani and Greg's house so Greg and his army can't escape and Dani's working on…"

"Wait, slow down. Greg and his army?"

"The virus got to Greg while he was morphed. Dani's working on a weapon right now to separate him from the suit and destroy all the other Rangers."

"Rangers? Our Rangers?"

"Greg's rangers."

"Greg has Rangers?" Ronny asked. Due to the power being down, and all electronic devices being shut down for safety reasons, she wasn't needed in this mission and had been left out of the loop. It gave her the chance to focus on her new race track. She didn't know her daughter had been kidnapped by the Evil Rangers, never mind that the morphers had been stolen to create said Rangers, or that Greg was, unwillingly, the brains behind the entire operation.

Kaylee explained this to Ronny, filing her in about the Rangers and how this entire mission depended on Dani being able to build and upgrade her own weapon to hopefully save Greg. When she was done, she pointed to her office again.

"You can go talk to Dani if you like," she said. "We've all been hearing some frustrated groans and screams from the office. I'm sure she could use a little pick-me-up now that Greg's not here to support her."

Ronny nodded before bolting past Kaylee and heading into the office. She opened the door slowly and stepped in, almost stumbling over various devices, appliances and tools that were scattered all over the floor. In the middle, Dani sat, playing with the weapon in her hand while trying to get a piece to fit.

"Dan…" Ronny called softly, causing her daughter to look up. Ronny noticed the cuts, bruises and scratches on her daughter's face, as well as the stitching on her forehead from where the helmet had cracked against her skull. The Yellow Ranger gasped as she ran over to her daughter. "Dani, are you okay?"

Dani sobbed loudly, throwing her weapon onto the ground, "I can't do it!"

"Do what?" Ronny picked up the weapon and had a good luck. She was very impressed with what her daughter had done so far.

"This!" Daniela pointed to her weapon and Ronny held it tighter. The look in her daughter's eyes told her she wanted to rip the thing apart out of her frustration. Daniela instead grabbed her hair in her fists, pulling tight. "I can't… I can't get the pi-pieces to fit… it's not… I can't…"

Ronny wrapped her free arm around her daughter, pulling her in close, "Dani, this is already amazing! What do you mean you can't do it?"

"It's this piece!" Dani said as she grabbed the final piece to her weapon and held it up. "It goes right in that h-hole and con… connects the engine to… to the g-gun… but it's too… big!"

Ronny shook her head, "I'm sure you can figure it out…"

"No I can't!" Daniela screamed. "I can't do it! I can't build the weapon! I can't save Greg!"

"Why can't you do it?" Ronny asked. Her daughter had already come this far. It didn't make sense for her to suddenly be unable to complete her task. Daniela was stubborn and persistent. If there was a solution, she would figure it out, no matter how long it took.

"I just…" Daniela lowered her head in defeat, dropping the piece from her hand. "I can't do it. I'm not Dad, or Aunt Rose, or Aunt Leah, or Uncle Cam, or Greg…"

"What do they have to…?"

"I'm not smart!" Dani screamed as she pulled away from her mother. "Are you happy? I said it! I'm stupid! Everyone's right! I can't save Greg because I'm a stupid little piece of shit who didn't finish High School! I can't build a weapon, I can't make a proper engine and I'm kidding myself with this engineering degree!"

Ronny looked down at the weapon in her hands then back to her daughter. She had always believed in Daniela, as any mother would. While teachers recommended getting a tutor for Daniela, Ronny knew it wasn't going to make a difference. Daniela's intelligence wasn't the same as every other child. She was different, and therefore required a different education, one that was never offered to her. Ronny and David kept her in school for social reason, and hoping that maybe some things would stick, but they never expected her to do well.

The one thing Ronny did know about Dani's learning method was that she was very hands-on. The only time lessons and teachings stood a chance of sticking was when she could practice them with everyday objects. It was impossible for Daniela to study for some subjects such as language, because there was nothing she could manipulate. She could read a book, or watch the movie, but she wouldn't pick up on things like symbolism or metaphors because she couldn't see or touch them. She did well with mechanics because she could fiddle around with the engine until she got it to work.

Ronny scooted over to her daughter, cupping her face gently, "Dani, I'm going to be honest with you… you'll never be like your father, Rose, Leanne, Cam or Greg. You'll never learn like them, and you'll never be marked as intelligent like them… but that doesn't mean…"

"Yes, yes it does!" Dani said, before her mother could get the words out. Ronny shook her head.

"You're different. You're special… you're…"

Ronny paused for a moment, trying to find the right words that would bring her daughter out of her frustration and anger.

"Your father never finished medical school," she sighed. "We took him from South America before he completed his degree and hired him on the spot. After that, Mr. Hartford paid for him to receive a degree so he could work in a hospital as a thank you for what he did."

Daniela frowned as she glanced up at her mother. Ronny nodded slowly.

"And before Rose was a genius, her classmates and teachers thought she was stupid and a trouble-maker and that she wasn't going to get far in life."

"What's the point?" Daniela asked, wiping away some of her tears. Ronny smiled.

"The point is, just like you, your father and Aunt Rose, and every other genius who has ever walked this earth has had to prove themselves to everyone else. They've all had their time to shine; now it's yours."

Ronny took her daughter's hands in hers and offered her a much needed smile.

"We believe in you. You have a houseful of people who know that somewhere in that head of yours, you have the intelligence and the power to build this machine. The entire city, whether they know it or not, believes in you… I've always believed in you."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Dani's lips as her mother said this. Ronny knew she was going to have to push a little harder.

"And Greg… he's always believed in you. You wouldn't want to let him down, do you?"

Dani shook her head. Her mother was right. Greg had always believed in her, and pushed her to believe in herself. He never once judged her because she didn't finish high school. He knew that intelligence wasn't something that could be measured.

Daniela owed him for his unconditional love and support. She needed to do everything she could to save him from the Gold Ranger and this virus, and she wasn't going to give up because a few childhood bullies decided to judge her.

She took a long, deep breath before looking back at her weapon and the final piece. With her mind finally cleared, she would be able to work better.

Suddenly, a genuine smile appeared on her lips as she reached for her weapon and the final piece.

"I've got it!" she cried before getting to work, disassembling her weapon. Ronny could practically see the gears spinning in her daughter's head. She kissed her on the cheek, trying not to distract Daniela as she worked hard.

Before she left her daughter alone to work, she turned to her.

"Oh, and Dani, when you're done with that there's a spot on my race track waiting for you and your team, and a hell of a lot of work for yours and Flynn's garage."

Daniela turned from her work for a moment and smiled, "Thanks, Mom."


	113. Rangers vs Operators Part II

Daniela smile couldn't be any bigger as she stood in line with the rest of her team, holding her weapon in her hands. Once she had completed it, she had named it the Gregonator. She chose that name because without Greg's confidence she never would have had confidence in herself (well, her mother was the one who gave her confidence again, but she had build the weapon for Greg).

Now that it was ready she, as well as the other Rangers were getting ready to battle the Gold Ranger and his army. Daniela couldn't be prouder of herself until Kaylee turned to face her.

"Dani," she called, snapping the red head out of her thoughts. Dani turned to her, recomposing herself. Kaylee sighed, shaking her head, "You haven't heard a word I said have you?"

Dani chuckled, "Nope, not really. I was just thinking about my Gregonator."

"I know," Kaylee said.

"You might want to change the name there, Dani," Kira suggested.

Dani frowned, "What? Why? I like the name."

Dillon leaned forward so he could see Dani, "You're going to have to shoot Greg with it, remember?"

Dani gasped, clutching her weapon to her chest, "But, that could kill him."

Ben shook her head, "The buses don't go where she lives, do they?"

Dani glared at Ben and Dillon as the two black Rangers chuckled. Kaylee approached her niece, placing her hand on Dani's shoulder.

"I understand, you got a little carried away building this… amazing weapon."

"It's not just amazing, Aunt Kaylee," Daniela said. "It's friggin' fantastic!"

"Dani, remember, you had to build that weapon to separate Greg from the Gold Ranger," Dustin explained. "That means you're going to have to shoot it at him."

"But… but…"

"We knew this was going to be the risk from the start, right Dani?" Dawn said. "We have a better chance of getting Greg back if we take this risk. If not, he's dead."

Daniela grumbled, kicking the ground with her foot, "Dammit. Why is it always me and Greg?"

"You understand what you have to do, kiddo?" Kaylee asked. Daniela looked up glumly and nodded. Kaylee smiled softly, "Good."

She turned to her team of Rangers, making sure everyone who needed to be present was present, and everyone who shouldn't be battling wasn't in the line up. As she glanced over the line, her gaze dropped to two young Rangers. Christian and Engel were standing at the very end, hoping to go by unnoticed. Kaylee tapped Dustin on the chest and pointed to the young soldiers before walking over to them.

Christian immediately saluted his mother and Engel mimicked him, not quite sure. Kaylee saluted in return and chuckled.

"Where do you two think you're going?" Kaylee chuckled.

"Help mommy," Engel stated.

"We want to be Power Rangers too," Christian added. "Why do they get to have all the fun?"

"Because, they're older," Kaylee said. Christian's shoulder slumped.

"Aw, man. Older kids have all the fun!"

"This is dangerous, Christian," Kaylee told her son as she picked up her granddaughter. "You could get hurt. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Sammy's going," Christian pointed to his oldest sister. "How come I can't go?"

Kaylee whispered in his ear, "I love you more. She's expendable."

Christian frowned, "What does expendable mean?"

"MOM!" Samantha shouted. She didn't have to hear what Kaylee said to understand. All she needed to hear was that one word.

Kaylee took her son's hand, "Maybe in a few years, buddy. Maybe you and your father will have created your own morphers by then!"

Kaylee quickly glanced over at Dustin and he picked up on the hint. He reached out to grab his son's hand from Kaylee.

"Why don't we get back to work on that now?" he offered. Christian bounced as he followed his dad down the hallway and into the playroom.

Kaylee looked back at the SPD and RPM teams while Kira finished briefing them on what they needed to do. Just as the former yellow Ranger was about to send them off Engel reached her arms out.

"Need say bye-bye," she told her grandmother. Kaylee nodded, handing her granddaughter over to Samantha. Engel hugged her mother, wrapping her little arms and legs around Samantha tightly.

"Stay safe," she told her mother. "Love you."

"I love you too," Samantha smiled. She kissed her daughter on the cheek before passing her down to Scott. Engel gave him a hug as well as a kiss.

"See you very soon, brat," Scott said.

Mike was last to take her. He wrapped his little girl in his arms and kissed her all over. Engel giggled loudly.

"I love you, squirt," Mike whispered. Engel smiled back.

"Love too. Save world like Fatman, dada!"

Mike chuckled, "I will."

Hayden stepped forward, taking her niece from her cousin while the Rangers waved goodbye and headed off.

Rebecca, Kaylee and Kira immediately got to work, tracking the Rangers' every movement with the little devices Rebecca created at the last minute. Though it was nowhere near as technically advanced as any of the equipment the Rangers used during their Rangering days, it was enough to let Kaylee and Kira know how the battle was going, and enough to put the minds of those left behind at ease.

-Afterlife-

Getting over the giant split in the ground was the easy part for the Rangers. Of course, the fissure was wide enough to keep the Evil Rangers from jumping over, which meant it would also keep the SPD and RPM team from jumping as well. However, with Samantha's angel powers, Scott, Flynn, Sammy, Mike, Ziggy, Dillon, Dawn, Bridge, Z, Sam, Ryan and Ben could fly over to join their enemies.

Daniela was the only one left on the outside. She held her weapon in her hands and kept her eye on the Gold Ranger. He was the only one without an opponent because Dani was supposed to take him down first.

The Gold Ranger watched his army fight the humans and felt proud of his creations. They were holding their own. He couldn't ask for more. While the humans tired themselves out, his army would continue to fight. They wouldn't grow tired or weak. They were incapable of pain.

He too held a weapon in his hands and was looking for the perfect first candidate. Ever since his Silver Ranger lost her Operator, he had been meaning to ensure that the next Operator would be trapped forever inside the suit. Just like Dani, he had upgraded his own weapon.

Daniela took her eyes off the Gold Ranger for a moment and turned to the battles. It seemed the matching RPM and SPD colours had teamed up. Scott and Bridge were fighting together against RPM And SPD red, exchanging opponents every few blows to keep the robots on their feet. Sammy and Sam were doing the same with SPD and RPM yellow, while Flynn and Z worked together against SPD and RPM Blue. Finally, Mike and Ziggy were taking care of their two Green Rangers.

Ryan seemed to be taunting his SPD Crimson Ranger. Constantly daring him to have another go and try to knock him out. Normally it wasn't suggested that a Ranger taunt the enemy, but it seemed to be working for Ryan. SPD Crimson was getting angry, and his moves weren't as thought out, making him sloppy.

Dillon was pounding on RPM Black, but it would never last long. RPM Black was just as strong as Dillon and as soon as he saw an opportunity to get the advantage, he would, turning the tables.

Dawn was enjoying her battle against the Silver Ranger. It wasn't often she got to beat on Dani, and even though Dani was on the other side of the giant crack, it wasn't hard for Dawn to picture her behind the mask of the Silver Ranger. At this point, Dawn was very happy that Daniela had been a thorn in her side, as well as a little sister figure. Only she got to pick on Dani, and the Silver Ranger was going to pay dearly for hurting Daniela.

Finally there was Ben. Like Dillon and Dawn he was beating down on the Nova Ranger, but his reasons were different. SPD Nova was his wife's Ranger suit, and the only reason she was fighting him now was because RPM Silver had attacked his wife and put her, and his child, in danger. Seeing as Dawn was fighting RPM Silver, he was going to settle with beating, or rather, murdering, SPD Nova, and making sure that his wife and child were safe.

Suddenly, something red caught Dani's eyes as Scott was thrown into the air by a surprise attack from SPD Red, leaving Bridge alone momentarily to fight against both Red Rangers. Scott landed on the ground roughly after bouncing a few times. When his body was finally still, he made no efforts to get up.

Bridge, Dani and RPM Gold were the only to notice what had happened. The others were too tied up in their own battles to pay attention to what was going on around them. Though Bridge was aware that Scott was in a terrible position, he couldn't do anything to help. He had to keep both Red Rangers from going after his injured team-mate.

RPM Gold laughed as he turned to Scott's body and pointed his weapon. Daniela rushed over, so she was closer to Scott from the other side of the gap and screamed for him to get up.

Sammy Sr. heard Dani's cries and turned for a moment to see what was going on. She saw her husband lying, motionless on the ground.

"Go!" Sam Jr. called as she flipped SPD Yellow to the ground. She quickly grabbed RPM Yellow and threw her down on top of the other yellow Ranger. "I'll hold them off."

"Are you sure?" Sammy asked. Sam nodded.

"How often do I get to beat up myself and my little sister?" she smirked just before both Yellow Rangers jumped up and grabbed her. While Sam tried to fight them off, she turned to her cousin, "Just get back here soon. I won't be able to do this for long!"

Sammy nodded and rushed to her husband's side, quickly taking down RPM Gold as she did. While he got to his feet, Sammy skidded to a stop beside her husband and dropped down next to him. She leaned over, kissing him softly.

Scott's eyes fluttered open as he gazed up at his wife. He kissed her quickly as a thank you for saving him before they both got back to their feet. RPM Gold watched his and laughed.

"It seems you have a healer on your side."

Scott stood in front of his wife protectively, "Leave her alone, Greg."

"Scott!" Bridge called. He laid on the ground, with both RPM and SPD Red standing over him, "Now that you're back, I could use some help!"

"Sammy!" Samantha Jr. called as well as she struggled to pull herself away from the two yellows.

Ben delivered a harsh, finishing blow to SPD Nova, cracking her helmet to pieces. Before she could hit the ground, he was already charging towards RPM Gold. He grabbed the Gold Ranger by the arm and twisted it painfully, flipping him back onto the ground.

"I've got him," Ben called to the husband and wife, "You guys go help out your teams."

Scott and Samantha both nodded, trusting Ben could take care of RPM Gold.

Ben glared at the Gold Ranger while he got to his feet. RPM Gold chuckled, brushing off the dirt.

"Ouch, my Operator felt that one."

Without taking his eyes off RPM Gold, Ben shouted over to Dani, "Use the weapon!"

Dani clutched her weapon tight. She had been preparing herself for this, but now that the time had come she found she couldn't do it.

"Dani! Use it!" Ben shouted as RPM Gold held up his own weapon. He turned to where SPD Nova was lying, destroy and sighed.

"Tsk, tsk, you've broken one of my toys," he said. "Now there's one operator too many."

He flicked a switch on his weapon and pointed it at Ben, "That means I'll have to destroy you."

"Dani, it's now or never!" Ben called. "Shoot that damned weapon, or your little niece or nephew will be born without a father!"

"I… I can't!"

Ben ducked as the first shot was fired.

"C'mon, we're all counting on you! Greg's counting on you!"

"C'mon," The Gold Ranger taunted while his weapon charged up. He knew there was no way Dani was going to put Greg's life at risk. He was safe. "You know you want to shoot at me."

"Dani, for the love of god, shot him!" Ben screamed.

Dani dropped her weapon and shook her head, holding back the tears. She couldn't risk hurting Greg, even if it was for the best.

Ben heard the weapon hit the dirt and grumbled loudly. This was when he wished he had paid attention all those times Heather had talked about her family. He would have known just how to get Dani to overcome her fear and take the risk.

He did remember one thing.

"Dani, don't you always say no risk, no reward?"

"But I could lose everything!"

Ben groaned loudly. He saw RPM Gold levelling his weapon at him again and knew it was only a matter of time. Panting heavily, he tried to think of something else that would get Dani to shoot.

At the last minute he got an idea. Using all the energy he had left, he bolted over to RPM Gold, kicking the weapon out of his hands and grabbing the Gold Ranger in a choke hold. It wasn't going to hold for long, but it would have to do.

"Dani!" Ben screamed to his cousin in-law. Dani looked over to him. "Shoot him you stupid idiot!"

Dani growled. Though she knew she wasn't stupid (far from it), it still enraged her when someone called her stupid. In her rage, she picked up the Gregonator, and without thinking, shot it right for Ben.

Ben was using RPM Gold as a shield, protecting himself from the shot. Just before it hit, though, he jumped out of the way, letting the Gold Ranger take the brunt of the shot (better safe than sorry).

The entire battle field froze as everyone, human and Ranger, stopped to watch what would happen. RPM Gold let out a loud, ear piercing scream as he dropped to his knees.

Horrified by what she had just done, Dani was frozen in fear as she watched. Ben got to his feet and took a running jump, barely making it over the large gap, joining Dani on the other side. He took the weapon from her and pointed it at the other Rangers while his team-mates watched what was going on with Greg. With everyone distracted, he had an easy shot, and the Rangers all fell, one by one.

When the Rangers were done with, Ben dropped the weapon and grabbed Dani in his arms. Like Dillon, he wasn't very keen on holding anyone but his significant other, but right now Dani needed him. Not only that, but Heather would kill him if she found out that he had done nothing to help her cousin out when she needed it.

"He'll be fine," he whispered, but Dani shook her head. She knew how difficult it was to be separated from the Ranger suit. She had done it.

For everyone, it was like watching a light show as Greg's body was pulled from RPM Gold and the Ranger dropped to the ground. Greg however, remained on his hands and knees, screaming as the separation slowly came to an end.

While Ben figured out how to get Dani to the other side of the fissure, Samantha rushed over, kissing Greg on the cheek to heal up some of the more minor wounds. She knew that if she kissed him on the lips, he would heal completely, but she wasn't going to go that far.

She helped Greg up to his feet, keeping his steady while the others came around to make sure he was okay. Suddenly he was knocked back to the ground, a few feet away. When the others turned to see what had happened, they saw Dani had sped over to him, knocking him over as she jumped into his arms.

"I just healed him…" Sammy pouted while Z placed her hand on the Angel's shoulder.

Dani kissed Greg passionately while she lay on top of him. He welcomed her with open arms, even though his body was screaming in pain. He had seen everything he had done, to her, his friends and the city, while he was the Gold Ranger, and he was relieved that everything was over. When Dani finally did pull away, she looked into his eyes.

"No more creating viruses," she told him firmly. "I don't care if Summer and Dillon's sex in the park can be seen by every man, woman and teenager in the world. You're never, ever never going to scare me like that again."

Greg smiled, "I promise."

Dillon raised his hand slightly, "Do I not get a say in this?" he frowned. "I'm a little uncomfortable with this deal."

"Next time don't have sex where everyone can see you," Dani growled as she helped her husband to his feet.

"On the bright side, maybe now we can order sex in the park drinks," Ryan chuckled, lightening the mood for everyone except Dillon. "You know, a yellow and black cocktail…"

"Shut up, Pink boy," Dillon growled.

"Can we not worry about alcohol?" Dawn asked. "Half of us are still underage… and anyways, we have bigger fish to fry."

She lifted her arm, showing everyone a cut she had obtained in her fight against RPM Silver. Everyone looked at it before turning to their own injuries.

"Maybe we should get back," Flynn nodded.

Scott turned to his wife, "You okay to fly us all over the crack?"

Ziggy nodded, "Yeah, because I don't think I would be able to jump across, like Ben, or run at super speed like Dani."

Samantha pulled out her wings and flapped them once, making sure they were okay to go. She nodded and grabbed two Rangers in her arms, taking them over the gap to join Ben on the other side.

While Dani and Greg waited for their turn, they looked around. The battlefield had been where their old house used to stand. Not only was it gone now, but the property it had been build on was now surrounded by a giant hole in the ground.

"What are we going to do with this dump?" Greg asked his wife. She shrugged.

"We could live with Hayden and Flynn."

"And sleep where?" Flynn frowned, joining the conversation. "Dillon and Summer are already taking up our couch until their house is done."

"We're not giving up the couch," Dillon growled.

Dani nodded slowly, "Well, Flynn and my garage has an extra room in the back. We could stay there until we find somewhere new."

"At a greasy garage?" Greg pouted.

"It's that or I get my dad to check us into the hospital. Not only will you be monitored like a hawk for those injuries, but you'll also have to deal with that yucky, nasty hospital food."

"The garage is it," Greg smiled, kissing his wife. Dani pushed his away for a quick moment and gazed into his eyes.

"I was serious earlier," she whispered. "No more big bad viruses. You're two for two right now, and I don't want to risk losing you again."


	114. Women and Children

Nursing wounds wasn't a problem for Scott and Samantha. While the other Rangers were still recovering from their battle against RPM Gold and his army of Rangers a few weeks before, the Trumans' injuries had long since disappeared thanks to Samantha's kisses and they were able to move on from the incident and go back to their normal lives.

While Engel was sitting at her little table in front of the TV, with paper and crayons, Scott and Samantha were in the kitchen. Samantha continued to glance over at her daughter while Scott made himself a pot of coffee. He always needed coffee before going into work. With the Boom-Twins as his partners, he needed all the energy he could get.

"So, has Hayden said anything to you about the baby?" Scott asked his wife. He was excited about Hayden and Flynn's baby. He was happy to have the chance to be an uncle. He could love and play with a child, just like Engel, but he wasn't responsible for it. Even though Scott was only Engel's step-father, the fact that she lived with him meant he had to play an active role in her life.

Samantha nodded, "She's getting a little nervous now. She's wondering what she's going to do when the baby comes and worried she's not going to have everything ready. Mom's promised to help her with that."

"That's probably not going to ease her nerves, though," Scott chuckled. "I love Kaylee, but the woman's a little…"

"Different?" Samantha smirked. "I know. I remember when she helped me out with Engel. Effective, but weird… kinda makes me glad Engel raised me."

Scott blinked, "I know about the whole reincarnation thing… but… that's one of the weirdest sentences I've ever heard."

"Felt weird saying it," Samantha nodded. "But anyways, I've promised Hayden I would help her out too. Mom's still got Christian and the city to worry about. As much as she would love to, she won't be able to help Hayden out 24/7."

"I hate to be a downer, Sammy, but you've got Engel to worry about as well," Scott pointed out. "She loves you and you promised never to run out on her."

"You make it sound like every time I'll leave to help Hayden I'll be leaving Engel for good," Samantha frowned. "And anyways, Mike and I have already thought about that."

"Whoa, whoa, you and Mike?" Scott asked. Whenever Samantha brought Mike's name into the conversation, he knew they were about to discuss something serious for Engel.

Samantha nodded, "Engel's going to be three pretty soon, and next year she'll be starting school."

"That's a year away," Scott said. "I know we have to plan ahead, but let the kid have her fun."

"You school experience was terrible, wasn't it?" Samantha smirked. Scott grabbed his coffee and stared at his wife.

"My dad was a military man. I moved from city to another. I was lucky if I spent a full year at one school."

"Well, Engel's going to love preschool. It'll be a great way for her to get used to the routine before she really gets started, and she'll make a lot of friends. Not only that, but it'll give me extra time during the day for myself and in a few months I'll be more available to help Hayden out."

"Isn't that Flynn's job?"

"Pregnant women need other women around," Samantha said. "Mom's going to be around, but not as often as any of us would like. Hayden'll need someone when her stomach gets too big to handle."

"Don't you guys have, like, a million Aunts?" Scott asked. "I'm not saying this is a bad idea, or that Engel won't love preschool, but I don't see why you wanna send her off to be with your sister."

"I'm not sending her off," Samantha sighed. "I'm enrolling her in school. She'll have lots of fun with other kids, she'll make friends, and at the end of the day, once Hayden gets this whole baby thing settled and she can handle it on her own, she'll owe us a million favours."

"Your point being…?"

"She can babysit while we have a few nights to ourselves to, you know..." Samantha approached her husband, wrapping her arms around him. "Maybe give you a child to call your own."

"Ooh, I like that," Scott smirked, leaning in to kiss his wife. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down and saw Engel was watching him and Samantha with a strange look on her face.

As Samantha reached down to pick her daughter up, she looked at Scott, "And she won't always be around when we try to have a little fun."

"Where's the signup sheet?" Scott smirked.

"What you doing?" Engel asked her parents. Scott cleared his throat nervously as he poured the rest of his coffee into a thermos. Samantha reached to the kitchen counter and grabbed a paper.

"We were talking about preschool," she told her daughter. "We can get your signed up for next month and you can go, play games make friends and have so much fun!"

Engel grabbed the paper, curious to see what was on it. All the words and lines didn't look like much fun. Everything was black on white. There were no pictures, no colours.

"No look fun."

"That's not preschool," Scott chuckled, grabbing the paper out of her hands. "That's the signup paper."

"No want sign up," Engel pouted, crossing her arms, "Stay home with mommy."

Samantha smiled, tickling her daughter's stomach, "You can't stay home with me forever."

Engel giggled as she grabbed her mother in a hug, holding on tightly, "Yes. Forever. I love you."

Scott smirked. He wasn't going to have to deal with this problem because he was headed off to work. The command center was almost completely rebuilt, and all the systems were back online after the Deleto-Virus scare. It didn't take the computer technicians long to get everything back up and running, especially given the salary they had been offered if the city was back to normal in less than a month.

"Look at that, Sammy," Scott smiled, "She loves you so much, she's never going to leave you. You and Engel will be together forever!"

"Help me show her how fun preschool will be!" Samantha called as Scott headed for the door. He shook his head.

"But it's so cute! Even when she's 35, she'll still be living with you, eating your food, spending your money… and it all starts here."

Scott closed the door before Samantha could get a word in and chuckled to himself. He would help her out later tonight. But right now it was fun to watch Engel's love for her completely backfire.

-Afterlife-

"Okay, I know he refuses to go near computers, but please, please tell me he's working on deleting all the videos again!" Summer begged Dani. After the incident with the Deleto-Virus, Greg had had more than his fair share of nightmares about his next possible failure. He had already played a part in the end of the world, twice, and now he was afraid that he might do something again that would bring destruction.

Dani looked up from her homework and shook her head, "I'm sorry, he…"

"The lad won't even touch the microwave," Flynn said, washing the oil from his hands with a rag. "I doubt he's going to start working on the very thing that nearly killed him and Dani, and destroyed the world."

"Yeah," Dani nodded. "And anyways, we've got bigger things to worry about. Because he won't touch the microwave, or any other cooking appliance for that matter, I have to cook!"

Summer frowned, "What's so bad about that?"

"She burnt my toast," Flynn frowned. "I came in to work today, expecting at least a decent slice of toast, and she burnt it."

"I'm still getting used to the kitchen in here!" Dani said.

"You've been living in the garage for three and a half weeks now," Flynn frowned. "Stop ordering take-out and open a cookbook."

Dani pouted. She wasn't used to cooking, especially in a kitchen so small. At her old home, the kitchen was a decent size, and she had enough microwavable food for when Greg worked late and she had to make meals on her own. Now that she and Greg were living in the garage, and Greg decided to live like the Amish, it was up to her to feed herself and Greg as well as take care of anything else that involved technology, computers or science. To add to it all, her classes had started up a few days ago and she needed to make sure she was on top of everything. Just because she had built a super engine not once, but twice, didn't mean she was going to get any special treatment from her professor. She was still there to learn, and learning came with a lot of work.

Daniela grabbed her papers, stuffed them into her binder and started walking over to the back counter to put her things down. Flynn was done his job with their latest broken down car, now it was her turn to work. Summer rushed around the front counter to follow Dani.

"Please, can you at least talk to him?" she asked. "People are starting to watch the video again, and so many people are asking me if I'm pregnant."

"You are," Dani nodded, gently poking her cousin in the stomach. "Might as well tell them the truth now. You won't be skinny for much longer."

"Look, Summer, this sucks, but the damage is done," Flynn shrugged. He honestly felt bad for Dillon and Summer. He could hear the whispers and less than nice things that people were saying about their night in the park and about the possible pregnancy. Summer still hadn't told the public she was expecting because it was a personal matter, and because she was afraid of what they might say about her baby. Her doctor had already called it a mistake. "People remember that video, and when they notice that you are pregnant, they are going to realise that the baby will be born nine months after that night. Whether the video is taken down or not… it really doesn't matter."

Summer glared at the Scot, "I don't like you much right now."

"Just being honest," Flynn shrugged.

"Why not lie?"

"Everyone's seen the footage, Dani," Summer growled, turning to the red head, "They know that's me and Dillon."

"I mean, why not lie and say the baby was conceived just before, or right after you guys had sex in the park."

"That's not a bad idea," Flynn nodded. "You can say you were already pregnant that night and you were…"

"Celebrating."

"In the park?" Summer frowned. "We were already pregnant, and far enough along so we could tell, and we were celebrating. Now, two months later, I'm still not showing, and we expect the public to believe it?"

"Have you worked in the service industry?" Dani asked. "People are STUPID! They'll believe anything you say so long as it sounds convincing enough and you get someone to back it up!"

Summer blinked as she stared at her two friends. Suddenly, she turned and headed for the backrooms.

"I'm going to talk to Greg."

Dani's eyes widened as she chased after her cousin, "You don't want to do that, Sum! He's in a very fragile and emotional state right now and it's ugly…"

Summer ignored her little cousin and opened the door to Greg and Dani's room. To her surprise she found Greg lying on his bed in nothing but his underwear. From his look and the smell in the room, Summer could tell he hadn't showered in days, and there was food scattered around everywhere. Dani stepped in, just behind Summer.

"At least he's wearing underwear today," she muttered, picking up a discarded bag of chips. Summer stood with her eyes wide open and her jaw hanging. Slowly, Dani pulled her out of the room and closed the door. "Told you it was ugly."

"How do you live like that?" Summer asked, pulling her nose as the smell escaped from under the door. She quickly made her way back to the front room, before the odour triggered her morning sickness.

"She sleeps on the couch," Flynn said, pointing to an old couch in the corner. A pillow and a thin blanket were still resting on top of it.

"I love him, but for the last couple of days he's really started to smell and it's… well… you got a whiff."

Summer nodded, "I'm going to go throw up now."

As Summer bolted for the bathroom, Flynn turned to Dani.

"Well, you know how to get her off your back," he chuckled. "Now you've got to deal with Dillon."

Dani sighed as she leaned against the counter, "Something tells me a half naked man and strong odour isn't going to drive him away like it did Summer."

Flynn shrugged, "I don't know… that is a nasty smell. Tell the lad to wash up or something!"

Dani shook her head, "I've tried."

"And…?"

"Unfortunately he refuses to shower unless we find him a large bucket or a lake. He doesn't want to use the taps because of his paranoia."

Flynn frowned, "If I deal with Dillon, will you get the genius out of his depression?"

Dani nodded as the phone started the ring. She picked it up while Flynn got back to work. It was only a matter of time before Summer went home to talk to Dillon, and the former hybrid came storming in here demanding that Greg man up, get over his fears and figure out a way to remove the humiliating video from existence.

Suddenly the phone was shoved in his face.

"It's for you. Hayden needs you back at home. Apparently there's no ice cream in the freezer and if she doesn't get some in her mouth soon something really bad is going to happen."

Flynn sighed, taking the phone from Dani, "I'm on my way. I love you too."

"This means I'm dealing with Dillon, doesn't it?" Dani said as Flynn grabbed his stuff. The blue Ranger smirked.

"Duty calls."

"In a few months it'll be dodo duty and you're not going to be happy you get to duck out of work," Dani called as he left.

-Afterlife-

Hayden paced through her house, waiting for Flynn to get home while Dawn watched her. Dawn had taken the day off and decided to be with her pregnant cousin while Flynn was at work. Now that Hayden was five months pregnant she was starting to get big, and Dawn already knew that the bigger her cousin got, the crabbier she got.

And until she got her ice-cream, she was going to be the queen of crab.

"So, do you know the sex of the baby yet?" Dawn asked, trying to distract Hayden until Flynn got home. Hayden plopped down on the couch and sighed.

"No. We were offered at the last ultrasound, but I didn't want to know."

"Flynn did?"

Hayden nodded, "He says he wants to be prepared. There are some gender specific things he wants to buy before the baby's born. He's really got his mind set of buying a special little bear, kinda like my Zwop bear."

"That's cute," Dawn smiled. Hayden smiled as well as she thought about it.

"Yeah. He said his dad did the same thing for him. He got a little blue lion when he was born and it never left his side while he was a kid. His dad still has it."

"Did Flynn find out?"

Hayden shrugged, "I'm not sure. He stayed back afterwards to ask the doctor some questions about a father's role during pregnancy and I told him it was okay to find out. As long as I'm not in the same room when he does. His expression might give it away."

"What do you mean?" Dawn frowned. "I thought he would be happy either way."

"He would," Hayden nodded, "As far as I know, I mean. It's just, if the doctor tells him it's a boy, he might get this really proud look on his face. If it's a girl, it might be this soft, gentle smile."

"And you want a surprise."

Hayden grabbed her stomach, "I want it out!"

"You're only five months in," Dawn chuckled, "Brace yourself. The worst is yet to come."

"What do you mean, only?" Hayden frowned. "Five is more than halfway! I'm tired, I have heartburn, I can't poop, I have pain in my pelvis, I get these random nosebleeds which freak Flynn out because I'm not supposed to lose blood and you don't want to know what's happening to my boobs."

Dawn pulled away from her cousin, "Too much information, Hayden. You could have just said I'm uncomfortable."

"Well, now we both are."

"Thanks for that," Dawn grumbled. She shifted in her seat for a moment before turning to Hayden. "Any thoughts on a name?"

"Jeffrey for sure if it's a boy," Hayden said. "Flynn and I really talked about boy names and we both agreed on that one."

"What about a girl?" Dawn asked. She was only curious because of Daniela. The woman was determined to name Hayden and Flynn's firstborn baby girl Adeline, but never gave an explanation why.

"We're actually kinda thinking Adeline," Hayden smirked.

"Really? I thought you would be tired of that name given all the pushing Dani's done."

"Well, we've called the baby Addie a few times, just jokingly, and the name's really starting to stick. We've considered naming it Addison if it's a boy, but we didn't like the name as much as Jeffrey."

"So you might go with Adeline?" Dawn smiled. "That's really cute. Dani'll love it, and the name's not half bad."

"That or we're going to name the girl Victoria," Hayden said. "Aunt Tori's always been there for my mom, and that means a lot to her and to me. The only problem is, Flynn feels if we honour my family by giving one of our children one of their names, we'll have to do the same for his."

"Why don't you?"

"We really want to name our boy Jeffery," Hayden chuckled. "I mean, if this kid is Jeffrey and we have another one, a girl, and name if after my Aunt…"

"I see," Dawn smiled. "Well, it is your baby, you can name it whatever you want. Tori's been a big part of your life."

"And Flynn's father raised him on his own. We're leaning towards Adeline anyways, though, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Dawn shrugged as the front door opened and Flynn walked in with ice cream. As he came to greet his wife she smirked, "Well, if you do get sick of Dani pushing the name and do go with Victoria, you can always just say you gave the baby your middle name because you liked it."

"I could," Hayden nodded.

"Baby names?" Flynn asked.

"Yep," Dawn said. She glanced up at Flynn, "Do you know…"

"The sex?" Flynn finished for her. "Yes…"

He quickly turned to Hayden, "I asked the doctor… you're okay with that, right?"

"As long as I don't find out, it's okay!" she smiled.

"Can I know?" Dawn asked. Flynn nodded and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Hayden leaned back and kicked her leg up, hitting him in the butt.

"If you're going to tell her, take it to another room! I don't want to accidentally find out, remember?"

"Right," Flynn chuckled as he and Dawn started for the kitchen.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hayden called after them, causing Flynn to stop and see what she wanted. "My ice cream?"

Flynn remembered he still had the grocery bag in his hands. He handed it over to Hayden.

"Want me to get you a spoon and a bowl?"

Hayden shook her head as she reached for the coffee table and took the spoon that had been left there. She opened up the lid of the container and dug in.

"I'm good."

"I think Braveheart may have licked that," Flynn frowned. Hayden pulled the spoon out of her mouth and glared at it momentarily before shrugging.

"Baby and I are invincible. We're still good."

"Are you going to eat that whole…?" Flynn trailed off when his wife turned to him with a cold and angry stare. He pointed to the kitchen, "I'll just be… in there."

Hayden nodded as he ran out, "No screaming, Dawn! I don't want to hear any kind of squeal or noise that might give it away!"


	115. Mattie and Marcie

_Author's Note: Okay, before anyone else asks, I know there is a new season of PR coming. I know that you're all fans of the Kaylee series and would love to see Kaylee play a part in that new season. Unfortunately that's not going to happen. She's not going to travel back in time; she's not going to travel to another dimension. Kaylee is in her forties now and hasn't been a Ranger in over 20 years. She's almost a grandmother._

_However, I'm considering doing a spin-off, if you guys are interested. It's not guaranteed yet, especially considering I still have no idea what Saban's going to do with this new season, so this isn't for sure at all. I just wanted to let you guys know because I have been getting a few reviews and PMs asking me what was next._

_I will strongly consider this option, but I want you guys to be honest. I don't want to start writing something that no one is interested in. The Kaylee Series has already been drawn out for a long period of time, and I do realise that after a while, enough is enough. Quit while you're ahead. If you want to see a spin off, let me know. It might help my decision. If you don't, let me know as well._

_Now, after that rant, I'll let you guys start on the chapter. Don't forget to review; I always love to hear your comments!_

-Afterlife-

"C'mon, Engel, school wasn't that bad was it?" Samantha asked as she struggled to get her daughter out of the car. She and Scott had taken Engel to their meeting with Corinth City Preschool and it was obvious that Engel hated every minute of it. When the principal offered to let her play with the toys in the corner, Engel tried to bite his hand off. When he gave Engel and her parents a tour of the school, highlighting all the play equipment and the new jungle gym, Scott had to carry Engel everywhere because her feet _magically _stopped working.

"Hate it!" Engel screamed, flopping back in her car seat. Scott rolled his eyes as he watched from his side of the car.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy," he said.

"But I thought it would be easier than this," Samantha groaned. She finally picked her daughter up and out of the car and started carrying her up to Hayden and Flynn's house.

Flynn had spotted the Trumans pulling up in the car and opened the front door to greet them. As soon as he did Engel squirmed her way out of her mother's arms and bolted for her uncle.

"Help, Fin! Help!" she screamed, running into his legs. Flynn picked her up and looked to her parents. While Samantha groaned loudly and grabbed the rest of Engel's stuff from the car, Scott came to hug his friend.

"We took her to preschool today," he explained to the blue Ranger. "As you can tell, she didn't like it."

"Hate it!" Engel screamed. "Yucky, smelly and poopie!"

"Poopie kid only comes once a week," Scott said. "And Mr. Wain said they had the issue under control."

"Wait, she's not lying about the poopie kid?" Flynn chuckled. He looked at Engel, smiling in support, "I'm with you, lassie. Preschool is for losers."

Samantha glared at her brother in-law as she approached the front door. Flynn shrugged.

"What? I'm the uncle. This is my job."

"And just remember, you're not related by blood," Samantha smirked. "I may be an angel, but I have manipulation skills. At the drop of a hat I could have you removed from this family."

Scott chuckled, exchanging looks with Flynn, "She's got you, dude."

Flynn shook his head, "No way, man," he turned to Samantha, "Your baby sister is having my baby. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Speaking of the baby, any results?" Scott asked, turning to Flynn. "Everything's going smoothly?"

"Perfectly," Flynn nodded. Samantha smiled wildly.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

Flynn hushed her quickly before Hayden could hear. She didn't mind other people knowing just as long as she had no idea what gender the baby was going to be.

"I know, Hayden doesn't," he whispered.

"Are we allowed to know?" Samantha asked. Flynn nodded.

"Don't tell Hayden, but the baby is a…"

"AH!" Scott called, grabbing Engel before they both heard, "If Hayden's not going to know, I don't want to know."

"Party pooper," Samantha giggled as Scott walked away. She quickly turned back to Flynn, "So, the gender: boy or girl?"

-Afterlife-

"AH!" Greg screamed from the bedroom as Braveheart jumped on him and started licking his face. Dani quickly rushed in with his collar and leash and a frantic look on her face.

"Sorry, Greg," she said, grabbing the dog off her husband and getting the collar around his neck.

"What is that dog doing in here?" Greg asked.

"This is Braveheart's home," Daniela pouted. "He stays here almost every night."

"How come I've never seen him?"

"You haven't seen your pants in three weeks," Daniela frowned. "I'm not surprised you haven't notice big, drooly and fluffy."

Greg sat up in his bed, pulling the blankets up over his head as he tried to roll over and get some more sleep, "Just get him out of here, please. I'm not in the mood…"

"Aw, c'mon!" Dani frowned, pulling on the blankets. "You've not been in the mood for three weeks now."

"I ended the world, Daniela! Twice! Excuse me for being in a bit of a slump."

"You're boring when you're in a slump," Daniela pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at her husband, "I don't think I like you anymore."

There was no response from the lump under the blankets. Daniela looked over at Braveheart and rolled her eyes.

"Sick 'em, boy," she commanded. Braveheart jumped back up on the bed and began pulling on the blankets, engaging Greg in a game of tug-o-war. The genius tried to hold onto the blankets but Braveheart was too strong. He ripped the covers right off, leaving Greg exposed for Dani to jump on his and tickle him.

"C'mon, Grego!" she called, smiling; "Get out of your slump! Come help me in the garage! Flynn's got the day off and I'm so very lonely!"

"Dani, no!" Greg frowned, pushing his wife away as she tickled him, "Get off me! Get off! Leave me alone!"

His last push was much more forceful than he intended and it knocked Dani off the bed. As she landed, Braveheart began to growl in Greg's direction, ready to jump, this time not for fun. Dani grabbed his collar, holding him back as she got to her feet. She quickly brushed off the fall.

"Alright… whatever," she said, "Be a slump and a depressive boring old bum. I was going to get you out of bed and invite you to Hayden and Flynn's, but I guess you're too upset."

"Have fun!" Greg called, waving goodbye to his wife without pulling his face out of the pillow.

-Afterlife-

"Guess who just got an update on our house!" Dillon smirked, arriving into the living room from the kitchen. He sat down next to his wife who immediately glared at him at the mention of the house. He sighed, "C'mon, Summer, are you going to give me that look every time."

Summer nodded, "You killed Rex."

"I bought you a new one," Dillon said, quickly glancing around the room for a new toy for Summer. He saw Engel playing with Hayden's Zwop bear and grabbed that from her. "Here, see? Good as new."

"That's not Rex," Summer frowned. "That's Hayden's Zwop bear. You might want to give that back before…"

"MINE!" Engel screamed, punching her uncle in the gut and grabbing the bear back. She clutched it close to her chest as she glared at Dillon. "Me playing first! Wait turn, okay?"

"She's got a strong arm," Dillon groaned.

"Guess who!" Dani called as she arrived with Braveheart, letting the dog go in the house. Engel dropped Zwop as she rushed towards Braveheart, wrapping him in a big hug.

"Hey, where's your other half?" Hayden asked, noticing Dani was alone.

"He's being a party pooper," Dani frowned.

"Greg goes to preschool too?" Scott chuckled. Dani looked at him curiously before he waved it off.

She shrugged, "He's not allowed to come until he gets out of his slump."

"Just give him time," Flynn smiled, "I'm sure he'll come around. This is a big deal."

"I know…"

"Want to cheer up?" Summer offered, holding up two ultrasound pictures. "Hayden and I went to see the doctor."

"A new doctor," Hayden specified as she turned to Summer, "Because someone didn't want to go see out really good doctor."

"He called my child a mistake!" Summer frowned. "Anyways, here. Sorry they're a little wet. Engel got her hands on them and… the rest is need to know basis."

Dani looked at the pictures in total awe before holding them up, "Who is who?"

"That's mine," Hayden pointed to the ultrasound where the baby was a lot clearer. Being further along meant the child was more developed and much easier to see.

"And the peanut is mine," Summer chuckled.

"Any sex?" Dani asked.

"I'm good," Dillon chuckled before Summer smacked him in the stomach.

"I meant the babies!"

"Wouldn't they a little young for you, Dani?" Dillon smirked. "There are laws."

"What gender are the babies!" Dani growled in frustration. Dillon was always making life difficult. He always thought he was hilarious, and sometimes he was, but most times he was just frustrating.

"Well," Hayden started, "The doctor said that it's definitely a boy or a girl."

Dani grumbled, "You guys suck."

"I'm kidding," Hayden chuckled. "Summer and Dillon don't know yet. Everyone else except Scott and I know what my baby is and Flynn's more than happy to tell you, just as long as I never find out."

The doorbell rang and Hayden pulled herself off the couch. She figured it would be easier for her to leave the room so Flynn could tell everyone. Scott was already on his way to the washroom with Engel so he wouldn't hear either. He thought it would be easier for Hayden if there was at least one more person who didn't know the secret, that way he could be there when Hayden wanted to talk about possibilities and excitement.

Hayden answered the door and saw a young man and woman with excited looks on their faces. As soon as the woman saw Hayden she squealed, jumping up and down and flapping her arms like a teenage girl waiting in line for the Twilight movies from 2010.

"Oh my GOD!" she squealed, "It's her! It's so her! We got her Mattie! We so got her."

Hayden took a step back, "Got who?"

"You!" the man, Mattie, smiled happily. "You! You're Hayden!"

"I am!" Hayden grinned nervously, turning to the living room, "Flynn! I need help!"

Flynn walked to the door and smiled at the couple, "How can I help?"

"We've been looking for you guys forever! Can we have your autographs? You guys are legends!" Mattie beamed, holding out a pen and paper.

"Legends?" Flynn smirked, grabbing the pen and pad, "I can't argue with that."

"And you're having a baby!" the woman giggled, reaching out and placing her hands on Hayden's stomach. Hayden's eyes widened as she turned to Flynn, very surprised this strange woman would touch her stomach without asking for permission first. "I just love babies! You guys are so lucky to be having a baby! Oh, I could just rip it out of you right now and take it home!"

Hayden pulled away from the woman, cradling her stomach as she stepped behind Flynn. The Scotsman stood before his wife protectively, "That's a little dark…"

"She means nothing by it, right Marcie?"

"Right Mattie," Marcie nodded.

"Rhyming names?" Hayden whispered into Flynn's ear. "That really freaks me out. Get them off our property please."

Flynn nodded and moved to the door, about to kick the strange couple out when suddenly they rushed in.

"Oh! Mattie, look!" Marcie cried, scooping Engel up in her arms, "What do we have here? Isn't she just adorable? Who's a good baby? You are! Yes, you are! You're such a good baby!"

Engel stared at these strangers with wide eyes before looking around for a familiar face to rescue her.

"Put her down, Marcie," Mattie beamed and Marcie quickly did as she was told. The couple continued to coddle Engel, pinching her cheeks, telling her she was so cute they could eat her (which, quite frankly, scared Engel to death), and tickling her. When Engel began to cry, Flynn had enough. He grabbed Mattie by the shoulder, pulling him back to his feet.

"Get out of my house!" he growled menacingly. Mattie smirked.

"You're such a protective father! And you don't even have an adorable child yet! Oh, you're just so cute!"

Everyone could hear what was going on from the living room and they were in total shock; two, seemingly harmless people were running around, grabbing Engel, Hayden's stomach, talking about the pregnancy. It was both hysterical and very, very creepy.

"I'm… what? Get out!" Flynn shouted, pointing to the door. Mattie continued to grin as he touched Marcie's shoulder.

"C'mon, Marcie, we have to go home and make plans to get our own baby!" he told her. Marcie got to her feet, holding her hands behind her back while Mattie walked beside her. Just as they were about to leave the house, Mattie suddenly began to push Marcie, "Hurry, go, go, go, before they notice."

Flynn slammed the door behind them and locked it both with the lock and with the chain, afraid they might come back. He turned to Hayden, noticing the puzzled look on her face.

"Before we notice what?" she asked.

"They are huge creeps?" Dillon called from the living room. Summer's hand lifted. She was about to smack him, as she normally did when he said something out of line, but stopped.

"No, you're actually right. What the hell was that?"

"Some of the weirdest stalkers I've ever seen," Hayden said, taking back her seat on the couch. "Why do I get the feeling that I'll be seeing them again soon?"

"Let's hope they don't knock on the window while you're giving birth," Dawn chuckled. "Could you imagine how creepy that would be?"

"I would like that part of me to stay private," Hayden frowned.

"Well, from what I got out of those two, that seems like something they would do," Flynn nodded. "When you go into labour, I'm closing all the curtains and every room we go in."

"And I'll have mom arrange a military escort," Hayden added. "For the way to the hospital, in the hospital, and the way back…"

"That's a little over the top, don't you think?" Dani frowned. "I mean, sure, they are creepy and touchy and…"

"_You guys are so lucky to be having a baby! Oh, I could just rip it out of you right now and take it home!_" Dawn mimicked. Dani immediately nodded and turned to Hayden and Flynn.

"Yeah, no, go with the military escort… in fact, I'll help out. Either of them come within ten feet of your hospital room, I will personally kick their ass."

Samantha looked around, wondering where her daughter had gone off too. She figured that after the sudden assault from Mattie and Marcie, Engel would run over to her, scared and needing mommy to make the scary people disappear, but Engel was gone. She wasn't even in the hallway anymore.

Samantha got up from her seat and walked into the hall, looking left and right for her daughter.

"Engel?" she called.

Flynn ran his hand through his hair, "She may have gone into hiding. Those people were really touchy with her."

"Engel? Sweetie it's okay. The scary people are gone," there was still no response.

"Engel, come out, come out wherever you are!" Hayden called. "I'll let you touch my tummy again and you can talk to the baby!"

Still, there was nothing from Engel, causing a huge panic for Samantha. The little Angel loved talking to her Aunt's stomach, and recently she loved putting her hands on Hayden's stomach in hopes that her little baby cousin would kick and she would feel it. She never passed up the opportunity, and sometimes even stole a few chances while Hayden was distracted.

"I'll search the house," Flynn groaned, racing upstairs where Engel loved to play. Scott and Dillon got up as well to search the main floor, checking behind every door, inside every cupboard.

Dawn and Summer even got up to check inside the toy box, behind the curtains and couches and anywhere else they could think of. Dani went in search for Braveheart, thinking maybe the little two year old went back to playing with the lovable dog. Hayden went to her backyard, hoping Engel hadn't escaped, but fount the backdoor was locked.

After a few minutes of searching, everyone returned to the living room.

"I checked everywhere I could think of," Scott frowned. "I didn't find her."

Samantha glanced around once more, "Evangeline Brooks! Get your butt back here right now!"

"Yeah, yell at her," Dawn frowned, "that'll make her come out of hiding."

"Wait, didn't the M-Twins run out of here all… sketchy?" Hayden asked. "They were all, 'run, before they notice'."

"Yeah," Flynn nodded, "And that was after they were smothering Engel and told us they basically wanted to kidnap our unborn baby."

"In a very painful way," Hayden pointed out. "And I don't feel pain half the time."

"I'm starting to think Mattie and Marcie didn't tell us their real names!" Dani said.

"I'm starting to think those psychos just kidnapped my baby!" Samantha screamed, turning to the door. She unlocked it as quickly as she could and bolted out, up into the skies in search of the two creeps who barged into her sister's home.


	116. Always In The Last Place You Look

Samantha soared through the skies, searching everywhere for the mad couple who could have taken off with her daughter. She noticed Scott, Flynn and Dillon had run out of the house as well, doing a ground search for the two year old.

She swooped down so she was flying just above the cars on the road, causing a few little girls who were walking with their parents to point and call out: "Look, a real fairy!"

She didn't stop for cars when they got in her way, choosing instead to fly over or around them, thankful for the agility training Master Engel had made her do when she was still living in the Spirit World. Though nothing was going to stop her from finding her daughter, she knew it would be easier to do without the broken bones that would be a result of getting hit by a car, bus or truck.

Avoiding the main roads, knowing Mattie and Marcie would have to be stupid to drag a kidnapped child through public streets, Samantha quickly turned down one of the most deserted side roads to continue searching. Her cell phone was vibrating in her pocket, but she ignored it. Nothing mattered until she found her daughter.

-Afterlife-

"Hey, I wasn't the one by the door! If you're going to blame anyone, blame Flynn and Hayden," Summer grumbled before hanging up the phone. With Engel missing, she knew she had to call Mike to let him know. The more eyes searching the city, the more likely they were to find her. Not only that, but as Engel's father, he had a right to know when something was wrong. Of course, in his panic, Mike had started accusing Summer, saying she had let it happen. Pregnancy hormones kicked in when she heard she was being accused, and Summer hung up, not wanting to deal with his bullshit.

"He's just panicked," Dawn told Summer when she saw her best friend getting frustrated. Summer nodded.

"Yeah, he can still shove it. We're all worried."

"Well, I phoned mom and Aunt Tori," Hayden announced as she arrived back in the room, with her home phone in her hand. "Dad's out there looking for Engel while mom gets a few men to help search the city. She's going to close down the border between Corinth and SPD, so we don't have to widen the search."

"How are they taking it?" Dani asked. Hayden shrugged.

"Mom seemed pretty cool," she said. "I mean, she's worried sick, but she's not freaking out like Aunt Tori did. I heard her screaming at Uncle Blake to put his pants on and start searching."

"Men and their inability to wear pants," Summer shuttered as she remembered her misfortune when she went to try and talk some sense back into Greg. Dani chuckled as she heard this before an idea struck.

"I should go get Greg!" she called. "You don't really need technology to search for someone! It'll be a great distraction for him, and maybe he'll bounce back from his slump."

"The more eyes, the better," Hayden said, letting Dani leave the house.

"So, what do we do?" Dawn asked. "Should we go out there and look for her too?"

"We should stay around here," Summer said. "If those two freaks did take Engel, they might try to call here. We don't want to do like what Uncle Dustin did and leave the phone before it rings."

"To be fair, Aunt Tori told him to leave," Hayden frowned.

-Afterlife-

Scott, Dillon and Flynn stuck together as they searched the city. While Dillon and Flynn tried to stay calm, Scott was going into a blind panic, running around, almost tripping over everything on the ground and running into people, nearly taking them down. Dillon knew how serious this situation was, and his number one priority was to find Engel, but he couldn't help but chuckle at Scott. The man would have made a great football player, given the right motivation.

"Excuse me," Scott called, finally stopping to garb someone's attention. A middle age man turned to listen, "have you seen a little girl anywhere? She's two and a half years old with hazel eyes, light brown, almost blonde hair. She was wearing a pink t-shirt with a teddy bear on it and a white skirt. She might be with a young couple…"

"Sorry," the man said. "I haven't seen her."

Scott groaned loudly, spinning around to check the streets. Flynn approached the man.

"Have you seen the young couple then?" he asked. "They're about 20 years old. The lad's kinda short and skinny and the lass is just a wee..."

"I just got off work," the man said. "I've only seen my co-workers for the last 8 hours."

"Thanks anyways," Flynn nodded. "If you do see the little girl anywhere please call the police. She's my niece and we can't find her anywhere."

The man nodded before continuing on his way. Scott groaned in frustration and kicked a street light.

"Calm down," Dillon told him, "We'll find her. She's a tough little thing."

"And Samantha's searching the skies," Flynn pointed upwards, where Samantha was soaring back up into the artificial clouds. "These creeps can't go anywhere with Engel without someone spotting her."

-Afterlife-

"Mike, getting worked up about this isn't going to help," Vanessa told her fiancé. Mike slammed the phone down on the receiver, shaking his head.

"She hung up on me! Little miss Ray of Sunshine hung up on me."

"That's what's boring you?" Vanessa frowned. "You told me…"

"My daughter's missing, and my cousin has the nerve to hang up on me! If she wasn't pregnant…"

"Mike, relax," Vanessa said, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sure Summer's just as frustrated as you are. You accusing her didn't help. But we're going to go out there, and we're going to find Engel and bring her back home, sound good."

"You're right," Mike said, jumping out of his chair. "I'm going to find my daughter, bring her home, and then I'm going to give Summer a piece of my mind…"

"Boy, you have your priorities straight," Vanessa muttered. Mike turned to her.

"My baby girl is missing! I'm freaking out! Excuse me for not knowing which way is up right now! Can we just go?"

"Yeah, right," Vanessa nodded, hopping out of her seat and following her fiancé out the door, leaving all the wedding plans behind on the kitchen table.

-Afterlife-

Summer laid on the couch, staring at the phone hoping it would ring. She knew if it did, Mattie and Marcie would be on the other end and Engel would be okay. After all, if they wanted something, they needed her as a bargaining tool.

Dawn came into the living room with a mug of coffee for herself and a glass of milk for Summer. She chuckled lightly when she saw her best friend staring at the phone.

"A watched phone doesn't ring," she told her, only to be proven wrong at that very moment when the sound from the ringtone filled the air. Summer jumped up, reaching for the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, this is Tessa from Beauty and More calling to offer you a…"_

"Dammit, bitch!" Summer screamed before hanging up. Dawn jumped back slightly at her friend's reaction. Summer rolled over on the couch and grabbed a pillow, hugging it close to her chest. She turned to Dawn, "Telemarketer."

"Poor thing had no idea what was coming," Dawn said, shaking her head.

"Who was that?" Hayden asked, rushing into the room once she heard the phone had rung.

"A poor telemarketer who might need counselling after today," Dawn said. "It was nothing."

Hayden's face fell as she walked to the couch, flopping down. "I just want to find her already. It's only been an hour, but I'm freaking out! Even junior's feeling this one! The baby hasn't stopped kicking since Engel disappeared."

Summer chuckled, "He-he. I can see it through your shirt... oh, look."

"Your shirt is a little tight, Hay," Dawn nodded. Hayden glanced down at her stomach and shrugged.

"It's laundry day."

Suddenly, the three women heard a set of keys being stuck inside the lock of the front door. Hopeful that was someone coming home with Engel, they all rushed to the front hall.

"We're back!"

"Oh, no!" Hayden groaned loudly, recognising the annoying voice that belonged to Marcie as she opened the locked door. Mattie was right behind her.

"You bitch," Dawn growled. "Where is Engel?"

"Oh, the little cutie-pie?" Mattie asked. "How would we know?"

"How did you get a key to my house?" Hayden frowned, snatching the key from Marcie's hand.

"We took it, silly," Marcie giggled. "This way we can stop by whenever and we can see how far along you are with your little baby."

Marcie bent over to touch and talk to Hayden stomach, but the angry blonde shoved her away.

"Get away from me, you freak!" she screamed.

"Where is our niece?" Summer asked them. "We know you took her! You ran out of here saying 'go, go, go. Before they notice'!"

"Yeah, because we took our key," Mattie said, flashing the girls a smile. "But you know now, because we let ourselves in, so it's not a secret anymore."

Dawn leaned over to Hayden, "I don't think they have her."

"Of course they have her," Hayden said, loud enough for Mattie and Marcie to hear, "They're psychotic lunatics who should be put down!"

"Why would they come back here right after taking her?" Dawn asked. "It wouldn't make sense."

"Try to fake their innocence," Summer grumbled. "They probably have Engel locked away in a closet or stashed away somewhere secret."

"There are no secrets," Marcie smiled. "We have nothing to hide from Flynn and Hayden McAllistair! Oh, I can't wait to see your precious little baby. Any names."

"Get off my property before I call the cops!"

"Cute," Mattie said, "But it's a little long."

"And very specific. Is that a Gaelic name?" Marcie added.

Dawn crossed her arms, "Yeah, I don't think they took Engel. Together, they don't even have enough brain power to light a candle, even if you were to give them a set of matches and instructions."

"Why would we kidnap a baby when there's one waiting for us right here?" Mattie asked, touching Hayden's stomach. Hayden pulled away and started smacking Mattie over and over, tired of these strangers thinking they could go ahead and touch her stomach without her permission!

While Hayden and Dawn continued to confront the crazy couple, Summer turned around and looked at the house. They had searched everywhere for Engel, but could it be possible that the little two year old was still inside?

She remembered taking care of Engel while Flynn, Hayden and Dillon were at work. One game she never wanted to play again was hide-and-seek because her niece was so good at finding clever hiding spots. Summer nearly had a heart attack the one time they did play and Engel hid inside the Karly's, now useless, carrying case, locked it up and fell asleep.

Thinking she might try that, Summer dashed upstairs to Hayden and Flynn's bedroom and saw the carrying case. She noticed it was closed and locked and assumed that anyone who saw it would figure the door had been locked the entire time, so Engel couldn't get it. She rushed over to it and looked inside.

Karly's little blanket was curled up against the bars, keeping anyone from seeing inside. Summer tried lifting the crate and found it heavy. She unlocked the door, pushed the blanket aside and found Engel, fast asleep.

"Oh my god!" Summer cried, reaching in to pull out her niece. Engel woke up as she was pulled out and was confused when Summer hugged her tight and kissed her endlessly. Finally, her aunt pushed her away, and Engel could see a relieved look on her face. "What were you thinking?" Summer asked.

"Hiding," Engel whispered, placing her finger in front of her mouth, telling her aunt to be quiet. "Scary people want take me home and eat me!"

"Sweetie, we've been looking for you," Summer said. "Didn't you hear us calling for you?"

"Yes," Engel nodded, "No come! Mommy send me to peeschool! I no go so I stay away! Hate her!"

"So you locked yourself in here?"

"Not lock," Engel said. "Door open."

"No," Summer shook her head and closed the door to the crate. She then tried to pull it open to show Engel it wouldn't. "You would have been stuck."

"That stupid," Engel frowned. "Bad made."

Summer nodded and got back to her feet, carrying her niece downstairs to relieve her cousin and best friend. As she started down the stairs, she smiled.

"Look at who was hiding in the cat's case," she said. Hayden and Dawn were more than relieved when they saw Engel. Hayden took her from her cousin and held her tight.

"Where on earth did you go?" she asked. "We've been worried sick."

Engel, however, only noticed the two scary people from earlier. She glared at them and pointed, "No eating me! I no taste yummy!"

Dawn nodded her head as she shoved the couple towards the door, "I think it's time you left."

"But… but, we're here to help with the preg…"

"Come near my family again and I'll remove every limb from your body with a straw and the nickel I found between the cushions!"

Dawn shut the door and locked it, ensuring the chain was back up, just in case the psychos had made themselves an extra key and tried to use it to get back in. She turned around and smiled, relived to see Engel was home and okay. She stole her niece from Hayden and kissed her.

"You never scare Aunt Dawn like that again, okay?" she said. "I was about to do some things that were unforgivable."


	117. Misunderstanding

Samantha had received the phone call that Engel was safe and quickly rushed back to her sister's place. Thankfully for her, the door was still slightly open from when Scott, Dillon and Flynn got home because she didn't stop to open it, bolting right through.

"Engel?" she called, running into the living room. Engel was in Scott's arms, but Samantha quickly grabbed her, hugging her tight.

"Thank goodness," she whispered, squeezing Engel lovingly. "You scared me! I thought something happened to you."

"You'll never guess where Summer found her," Hayden chuckled. Samantha looked down at her daughter.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?"

Engel nodded, "No send to peeschool! Hate it!"

"That's her best excuse," Dawn said. "Take it or leave it. Either way, she's here, safe and sound."

"You might want to discuss preschool with her though," Dillon pointed out.

Samantha nodded, realising that maybe she would need to have a serious conversation with her daughter about starting preschool. So far that had only told her about how fun it was supposed to be and how she would get to play games and colour. They had taken her on the tour, hoping she would maybe warm up.

But one thing always stuck in Engel's mind. Mommy wasn't going to preschool with her. Right now, mommy was her best friend. She didn't want to play a game with a teacher or other kids, she wanted to play games with mommy, and she wanted to colour with mommy, and at nap time, she wanted mommy to tuck her into bed. She didn't want a mat on the floor and a stinky old blanket. She didn't understand why she needed to go to preschool, and why she couldn't just stay home and do everything she would do at preschool with mommy.

The front door flew open again and in ran Mike and Vanessa. Mike stole his daughter away from Samantha, hugging her closely; relieved she was safe and sound. Vanessa chuckled at the whole misunderstanding. She had been worried sick, and laughing was the only thing she could do right now. After all, everyone had been sent into a total panic, worried about where their precious little Angel was, when she had been back at the starting point the whole time. It was kinda funny, in hindsight.

"You wouldn't believe how many rude things came out of his mouth," Vanessa smiled, finally grabbing Engel from Mike and giving her soon-to-be-step-daughter a hug. "He was going on, and on about how stupid you would have to be to lose a two year old."

"Yeah, thanks for that," Summer grumbled. "By the way, I did not lose her. I found her."

Mike nodded to her cousin, "Yeah, sorry about that. I kinda freaked out when you told me and took it out on you."

"Apology accepted," Summer said. "But next time you pin the blame on me for losing her, try to remember what happened at Christmas in the mall."

Mike's eyes widened as he motioned for Summer to keep quiet. Scott, Samantha and Vanessa turned to him curiously.

"What happened in the mall, Mike?" Samantha asked.

"Nothing…"

"Santa's Elves. All I have to say," Summer smirked.

"Santa's… what? Mike, explain."

"There was a temporary missing child alert at the mall. Some idiot parent thought they lost their kid. Turns out, the kid had found a small elf costume and put it on," Mike said while nervously playing with his hands. Samantha shook her head. She didn't believe that was the full story.

Summer grinned, "And we know that parent, right, Michael? In fact, you know him very, very well."

"Is she saying what I think she's saying?" Vanessa asked Scott. The red Ranger shrugged.

"This seems interesting."

"Michael Hunter Bradley. Did you lose Engel at the mall?"

"Not lost… misplaced."

"Just like how you misplaced her two seconds after getting the elf suit on her and we called mall security," Summer smirked.

"Hey, you were there too! You could have kept an eye on her as well."

"First of all, I was the one who told you that one elf looked a little too young to be working in Santa's workshop," Summer frowned. "Second, I was at the ice-cream place getting ice-cream when you took your eye off her, again, and she ran into the candy store."

"Okay, so I'm not going to win the parenting award this year. Big whoop," Mike frowned, finally giving up. "I've lost her before, I'll admit. But she was ridiculously cute when she was dressed up like an elf."

"I have a picture," Summer nodded, grabbing her purse from beside the couch and pulling out a picture to show Samantha. The Angel mother didn't seem very pleased about it though, and Summer nervously tucked the picture back in her bag.

"This is why I don't trust you guys with my baby," Samantha said, stealing Engel back from Vanessa and holding her tight.

"You trust me, right?" Hayden asked, blinking her eyes in a cute fashion. Samantha shrugged.

"Have you ever lost her?"

"Aside from today, no," Hayden said. "And I blame Flynn for that one. I was too creeped out by the freak touching my stomach to pay attention to the little monster."

"Oi, I'm not taking the blame for this," Flynn frowned. "Samantha's her mother and she was here. She's the one who lost Engel."

Scott smirked and wrapped his arm around Vanessa's shoulders. "Well, it seems us step-parents are looking pretty good right now. We haven't lost Engel at all."

"And we don't plan on changing that," Vanessa nodded.

-Afterlife-

Daniela still hadn't heard any news on Engel and rushed back home to see if maybe Greg would pull himself out of bed to help her look for their niece. Of course, when Engel had been found, phoning Daniela to let her know everything was okay was very low priority. Calling Engel's parents and step-parents came first, leaving Dani still in her state of panic.

She rushed into hers and Greg's bedroom and pulled the blankets off her husband. Greg groaned loudly at the sudden chill and rolled over to see Daniela staring down at him.

"What?" he asked. "I'm not in the mood for whatever…"

"Engel's missing," Dani told him quickly, before he could shut her down. "We were at Hayden and Flynn's place when these freaky people showed up. They were going on and on about Hayden and Flynn and the baby, and they saw Engel and totally freaked out! When they left, Engel disappeared.

Greg jumped up in the bed, "What?"

"Samantha thinks they might have taken her," Dani nodded. She pulled on her husband's arm, "C'mon! Help me look!"

Greg shook his head, "I've got a better idea," he told her. He hopped out of bed and ran for his laptop, which had been discarded carelessly on the ground the day he and Dani moved into the garage. He opened it up and turned it on.

Daniela was impressed. Gregory had sworn off technology while he was in his slump and refused to use even the oldest machine in the garage. However, as soon as he had heard that Engel was gone, he quickly jumped for him computer and opened up a tool that would allow him to search the city for an energy reading.

"I'll just specify that we're looking for Engel," he said aloud so Dani could follow as she sat beside him to watch. "I've made sure the computer would be able to identify us as individuals when I created this programme, just in case something like this was to happen. It's accurate up to 3 feet."

"Pretty impressive," Dani nodded.

"Now, we'll just have to wait while the computer searches and… bam! There she is! Her location is… Hayden and Flynn's house?"

Daniela shook her head and frowned, "What!"

Greg slammed his laptop shut and tossed it across the room. Dani was afraid he was going to break it, but Greg's laptop was strong. The genius turned to his wife with a look that told her he wasn't impressed.

"Ha-ha," he growled. "You think this is funny?"

"What? No, I…"

"Oh, poor Greg, he won't even look at computers! Maybe if I tell him Engel's missing he'll cheer up!" Greg said, trying to imitate Dani's voice. "Did you think I wouldn't find out she's safe and sound?"

"No, I swear! We were hanging out at Flynn and Hayden's…"

"Yeah, okay," Greg growled. He crawled back into bed, grabbing the blankets. "I'm really hurting right now, Dani. I could use a little time to just work this whole thing out on my own. I expected the others to do something like this, but I thought my wife would support me!"

"I do, Greg!"

"Apparently not!" Greg shouted, pointing to his laptop. "Not only do you lie about Engel being in trouble, but you use a two year old to try and get me to stop mopping! Seriously, Dani, I thought you were smarter than that."

"Greg!"

"Get out!" Greg screamed, throwing his pillow at Dani. Daniela caught it and looked at her husband for a moment, holding back the tears. She could understand why he was hurting right now, but she didn't like the way he was treating her. Engel was missing! She was sure of it! She had come here because she thought that maybe getting Greg to focus on something else would bring him out of his slump. She didn't want to abuse Engel's situation. She didn't want to hurt him.

Greg couldn't believe Dani would go so low as to lie to him about something so important. He was hurting deeply after what happened with his Deleto-Virus, and he just needed some time to think. He thought Dani, of all people, would be supportive enough and patient enough to wait for him to come out of his depression, but apparently he was wrong.

He saw she was still in the room and growled. "Get out…"

Daniela rushed to the door, choking back tears. She closed it behind her before leaning against it and dropping slowly to the ground. Just then her phone rang. She saw it was Summer and picked up.

"What?"

"_We found Engel. Turns out she was home all along. You can call off the search."_

Dani growled in frustration, clutching the phone so tight, her knuckles began to turn white.

"Dammit, bitch!" she screamed before hanging up. She pushed herself back to her feet and rushed to the front of the garage. To her surprise, there was a man standing in front of the counter, waiting for service.

"Dean?"

"Hey, Dani!" Dean smiled when he saw her coming out. He held up his car keys, "My car's been making a _ka-klunk _ sound when I try to start it. I parked it in the back if you want to take a look…"

"I… uh…" Dani said. She shook her head as it dropped, "I'm kinda…"

Dean noticed Dani didn't seem herself. He had met her a few times and had always known her as the hyper little sister.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. Dani shook her head.

"It's personal issues."

"Well, wanna talk?" Dean offered as he came around the counter. "I've got to pick Emily up from Elena's place, but I'm sure she won't mind if I'm a little late."

"Can you just drive me to Hayden and Flynn's?" Dani asked. Dean nodded.

"Of course. Do you have your car though… mine's making a funny sound…?"

"Yeah… And I'll get that check out as soon as I can."

-Afterlife-

Summer pouted as she hung up the phone, very slowly, confused about what just happened. She had called to tell Dani that everything was okay, when Dani suddenly yelled at her. That was the second time today she had tried to make a call and wound up a victim of someone's rage.

"I don't like the phone anymore," she frowned. "It abuses me."

"Kinda like how you yelled at the telemarketer?" Dawn chuckled.

"Now I know how she feels," Summer said. "Maybe I'll call her back and buy her product… after the phone stops yelling at me."

The phone suddenly rang and Summer stared at it, afraid to pick it up. Dawn chuckled and answered it before the call was missed. She nodded for a moment before holding out the phone for Summer.

"It's for you."

Summer continued to stare at it like it was infected. "DILLON! PHONE!"

Dillon rushed in from the kitchen and grabbed the phone from Dawn, "Hello? Oh, hey! … Yep… seriously? … No, that's perfect! I'll just let my wife know. Thank you."

Dillon hung up and smiled, "You'll never guess who that was."

"Someone very nice who wasn't going to yell at me?" Summer asked.

"Even better," Dillon nodded, "That was the contractor for our house. He said everything went smoothly and he's done the house early! We can move back in as soon as we find furniture!"

Summer jumped up, "Are you kidding? That's great!"

"Yep!" Dillon pulled his wife in for a hug. "Now we can move back home and get everything ready for the baby."

"And I get my living room back," Flynn smirked.

Hayden looked upset, "You're leaving? Already? But… it was just getting fun! I was going to make Dillon jell-o and watch him try to eat it with a fork!"

"And I'll be far away from her!" Dillon smiled.

There was a knock at the front door before it was opened again. Dean led Daniela into the living room.

"Dean?" Dawn frowned, a little surprise at the pairing as she walked over to her boyfriend and hugged him.

"My car was making a funny sound. I went to the garage and found Dani crying. She wanted to come here," Dean explained, kissing her cheek.

"What happened?" Hayden asked her cousin. Dani curled up with a pillow on the couch and frowned.

"Greg's mad at me."

"Why?"

"He thinks I made this all up to get him out of bed," Dani said. "He actually got his laptop out to search for her and he found out she was back here."

"That couldn't have gone well," Scott hissed. Daniela nodded.

"He said I'm not supporting him."

"You were just trying to help," Flynn said.

"I'll go talk to him," Scott announced, grabbing his car keys. "Maybe he'll believe this was all a misunderstanding if he hears it from someone else."

"No," Dani shook her head, "Just leave him. He just wants to sulk. Let him sulk."

"I'm going to talk to him," Scott said. "He can't get mad at you for trying to help. I know he's hurting, but he at least needs to know the truth."

Summer scooted closer to Dani, "I guess that's why you were so mad on the phone."

"You couldn't have called two minutes earlier?" Dani asked. "Would it have killed you to…?"

"No more phone abuse," Summer frowned, pulling away. "I'm tired of this. Dillon, we're not getting any phones in the new house!"

"Whatever you say, Sunshine," Dillon chuckled.


	118. The Nursery

With the evening slowly turning into night, Scott was hanging a hard time making his way to Dani and Flynn's garage. Because Greg was the only resident in the garage at the time, all the lights had been left off. Scott made it to the door, but couldn't find the keyhole to unlock the door. He fiddled around with the key he took from Hayden and Flynn's place for close to ten minutes before he could open the door.

Getting inside was one issue. Moving around inside was another. Scott had been to the garage many times to visit his friends, but he had always remained on the one side of the counter. Once he was past that and in the _employee only_ section, he had to be very careful where he stepped. A few times he had come close to slipping on something that had been left on the floor, and three times he had bumped his foot into a piece of furniture. At one point his shirt got caught on one of the cars that had been left behind, and Scott struggled to free himself.

When he finally did make it to Greg's room he opened the room. The room was still dark as ever, but Scott knew that the light switch in the bedroom was always right next to the door. He reached his hand out and flicked it on. No sooner did the light come on, did Scott hear a loud groan coming from the bed.

"Dani, go away."

"Dani's not here. It's me, Scott. Can we talk?"

"If you're going to try and get me to change, you have another thing coming," Greg grumbled. "Just let me sit here and sulk."

"I just wanted to thank you for helping with Engel," Scott said. "Turns out she never left the house. Samantha went crazy trying to look for her, and Summer's got a telephone-phobia."

"If you're making this up to help Dani I'm seriously going to hurt you," Greg sat up, throwing off the blankets. "It wasn't funny or clever when Dani tried it, and it's not now. Just get out."

"Is this how you treated your wife when she came here to help you?" Scott asked. "She's been supporting you for three weeks now, doing everything she could to give you some time to get over yourself, realise this was just a mistake and move on. She's put up with you in this state, she's fed you, she's worked full-time, and she's put up with that smell! Seriously, man, take a shower!"

"You're really helping me out, here," Greg sighed. "Way to boost my confidence by telling me I stink? What are you going to tell me next? My face looks like an ass?"

"Well, considering you haven't washed or shaved in ages, yes, your face does look like ass!"

"I'm going back to bed," Greg pulled the covers back up and dropped back into his bed but Scott wouldn't have it. After weeks of sympathy and support, he was going to show Greg some tough love. This needed to be clear up now. Scott tore the blankets off the bed and ripped away Greg's pillow.

"I'm sure Dani's tired of putting up with this!" Scott stated firmly. "If this has been your attitude for the last three weeks then you have a fantastic wife! She's cooked for you, she's cleaned for you, sadly she hasn't cleaned you, she's defended you and she's been doing everything she can to help, and you get mad at her for trying?"

"She lied to me about Engel going missing just to get me out of bed and on my laptop again!" Greg shouted. "So yes, excuse me for getting mad at my wife!"

"Engel did disappear! Did you not get that when I came in here to thank you for trying to help? Two freaks came in, Engel went missing, and everyone went crazy trying to find her! We had a search party going in the city, Kaylee hired a few cadets to help out, and we were about to call reporters so they could spread the word…"

"She was home all along," Greg growled. "I can track you guys from my laptop. I saw you guys were all back at Flynn and Hayden's place, and I saw Engel was there with you. Come on, Scott, you're a terrible liar!"

"I'm not lying!" Scott screamed. "Why the hell would I lie about my step-daughter missing? If I wanted to lie, I would tell you Braveheart got hit by a car or aliens from Space have tried to invade the city, but I would never lie about my daughter!"

Scott marched over to the TV and turned it on. He changed the channel to the news and waited for his proof to roll back around. He saw it on the bottom and pointed.

"See, Greg?" he said. "Right here, on the news. _Missing child found by family._"

"That could be any kid…"

"No it can't!" Scott shouted. "We live in a dome! Population: Get your head out of your ass! How many children go missing when there is no escaping the city?"

"Kidnappers can flee to NewTech."

"Big whoops, they go next door," Scott said. "I'm sure smuggling a child across the border is easy to do, especially when the commander of that city is Commander I-Hate-Screaming-Children McKnight!"

"Alright, fine," Greg muttered. "You played hide-and-seek with Engel and couldn't find her. I'll believe that. But if you found her, why did Dani still try and get me out of bed when I'm not ready?"

"We didn't phone her soon enough. When she came to you she still thought Engel was missing. She was just as panicked as everyone. Her first thought, after needing to find Engel, was to help you by helping her niece! She came to you to help, and for help, and you shot her down and yelled at her."

Greg's face fell as he heard this. Scott let out a long sigh before sitting on the bed.

"Look, Greg. I know you're hurting. And I can't relate. I've never ended the world. It must be a terrible feeling when you've ended it twice. It's not something you can just get over and you need time. But you have to realise that sitting in here, sulking and pushing people away isn't going to help."

"I know that," Greg frowned, "But I can't go out there. Everyone's going to know what I've done! I can't show my face!"

"People remember the big technology crisis. I'd be worried if they didn't. But we're all moved on. The command center is almost back up; the city's almost completely restored. All systems are working fine… you might get a few people yelling at you from across the street, but who cares? Your friends know you were trying to help, and we all know this was a freak accident. Isn't that all that matters?"

Greg nodded slowly, "I guess."

"Good," Scott smiled. "Now, I'm getting out of here. Wash up, twice, get something to eat and meet us all at Hayden and Flynn's. I'll try to keep everyone up long enough for you to say hi."

Scott moved towards the door, needing to exit quickly before the smell made him vomit. Just before he reached the door Greg whispered: "Thanks, Scott. I needed that."

"Hey, you don't grow up with Mason Truman as your dad and not learn how to show tough love. Now out of bed and in the shower. Use extra-strength soap if you have it."

-Afterlife-

"So, you've painted the nursery already?" Dean asked as he sat around with the Rangers, trying to enjoy the rest of the night while they waited for Scott to get back. It was getting late, and everyone who wasn't currently living with the McAllistair had considered leaving, but they all wanted to get the news back from Scott before they tried to get a peaceful sleep. It was obvious how upset Dani was when she came back from seeing Greg, but that also showed the Rangers just how hurt Greg still was. As his friends, they cared about him and wanted to help him out.

Flynn turned to his wife and frowned, "No."

"Why not?" Dawn asked. "You'll want to get that done as soon as possible."

"We do," Hayden nodded, "But Flynn wants the nursery to be blue if the baby's a boy, and pink if it's a girl."

"So I can't paint it because then Hayden will find out the sex of the baby," Flynn grumbled. "We can't decorate it either."

"I told him to go with a gender-neutral colour, but he insists the baby take one of our Ranger colour," Hayden said.

"Well, what about a light blue?" Summer offered. "It works for girls and boys."

"But I only want the room to be blue if the baby's going to be a boy," Flynn said. "If it's a girl, I want to use pink."

"Just use green," Mike smiled. "Gender-neutral, it'll be its grandmother's colour and Uncle Mike will be able to buy a lot more green toys."

"Or yellow," Summer said.

Flynn frowned, "I don't know. Yellow's not very gender-neutral. It kinda whispers girl."

"What about black?" Dillon smirked. "I've just solved all your problems right there. Black is the absence of colour, so it couldn't possibly gender specific."

"We want to welcome our child into a warm, inviting home. Not isolate it in a cold, dark room," Hayden said.

Scott came back from the garage at this moment and took a seat beside his wife. He looked around the room, trying to figure out what was the topic of conversation.

"How about you leave the nursery up to me?" Flynn asked. "You pick the furniture, but I'll pick out the colours and designs. It would be a nice surprise for you, right?"

"Baby talk?" Scott asked his wife. Samantha nodded.

"Nursery talk. Pink or Blue."

"But I want to be a part of it," Hayden said. "I want to make you do all the painting and heavy lifting because I can't. I want to tell you something doesn't look right and fuss over it for days. I NEED to do this!"

"Nesting," Dean chuckled. "I went through it with Emily's mother. Just let Hayden do what she wants and you'll survive."

"But it's hard," Flynn groaned. "I know the gender and she doesn't! We can't possibly…"

"Flynn, word of advice," Dean said, patting his friend on the back, "Don't fight it."

"I like the green idea," Hayden smiled. Mike beamed happily before sticking his tongue out at Summer. She reached over, pinching his tongue between her two fingers and waved it around. When she finally let go, Mike pulled his tongue back in and groaned loudly in pain.

"I wonder if Aunt Kira was this hormonal when she was pregnant."

"I wonder if Uncle Blake was this stupid," Summer retorted. The two cousins glared at each other for a moment, creating a silence in the room.

Samantha shook her head, "My poor mother."

"Green?" Flynn groaned. "But that's not… don't you want to pass down the power?"

"I want to help you with this," Hayden said.

Summer turned to Dillon, "We're going with yellow, girl or boy."

"Whatever works for you."

Summer beamed, "Done!"

"Whoodie-doo for you," Flynn grumbled.

Hayden could see he was upset about this. Flynn was very excited at the idea of becoming a father and wanted to help in any way he could. Getting the nursery done was a big part of the pregnancy and one of the only parts he could have an equal share. It really bummed him out that he couldn't get his say because Hayden wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise. He didn't want to spoil the secret for her, but he had an idea in his head that could work perfectly for his child, thanks to knowing the gender, but that wasn't going to happen if Hayden wasn't a little flexible.

Hayden sighed, "If it means this much to you…"

"It does," Flynn nodded. "When the doctor told me what the baby was going to be, the idea for the baby's room came to mind and it was… perfect! Please, Hayden, let me do this."

"But… I want to help too," Hayden said. "I can't sit back and…"

"How about you make a compromise?" Dani suggested. "Flynn decorates the room the way he wants. When he does, he can show Hayden and BAM! Surprise your baby is a…"

"SHH!" the entire room hushed. Dani frowned.

"I wasn't going to say it…"

Flynn turned to Hayden, "How does that sound, lass?" he asked her. "You can wait until you're ready to know the sex, and if you're not happy with something in the room you can change it."

"But then there's no surprise at birth," Hayden frowned. "All that pushing and screaming… and bam, I already know what's happening."

"The reward won't be knowing the sex of your baby," Dean smiled, "it'll be holding it for the first time. Those beautiful little eyes looking up at you; a little, tiny piece of innocence that needs you to protect it from everything. That's what you get after all that hard work, and even if you know the sex of the baby, it's still the most magical moment of your lives."

Dawn turned to her boyfriend, "That was… beautiful… Now I want one."

"Let's wait a while, babe," Dean chuckled.

Hayden smiled, "Okay… okay. If it means this much to you, Flynn… You can tell me."

"I… I can?" Flynn asked.

"I want you to be happy," Hayden nodded, "But there's no way I'm missing out on this. Dean's right, the gender doesn't matter. I want to know."

"Are you sure?" Flynn asked. "I don't want to pressure you or anything. If you want to wait, that's fine. We can do the nursery after the baby's born."

Hayden shook her head, "No, tell me."

"Okay, but… I want it to be a surprise still. Something to keep you waiting so…"

Flynn hopped out of his seat and rushed upstairs just as the front door opened. Showered, shaved and fed, Greg stepped in, very nervous about making his first appearance in front of his friends."

"Is everyone here?" he whispered.

"Engel's in bed. She's going to have a long day tomorrow," Samantha nodded, "But yeah."

"Nice pants," Summer smiled. Greg chuckled very nervously.

"Yeah… uh, thanks."

"How did you get here?" Dani asked her husband. Greg shrugged.

"I walked… I would have driven but you took the car."

"So, you trust technology again?"

"I've always trusted it," Greg nodded. "I just haven't trusted myself with it."

"Good point."

"Look, Dani. I'm sorry I yelled at you," Greg said. "It was out of line. I was frustrated and took it out on you."

"It's okay," Dani smiled. She patted the cushion next to her. "I know you've been having a hard time. And it did look bad. I tell you Engel's missing, but she's right where we left her. I would have been pissed off too."

"So, are we okay?"

"I said my vows," Dani smirked. "I have to be okay with it. In sickness and in health."

Greg sat down on the couch and hugged his wife, "Thanks, Nascar."

"You smell good," Dani laughed. "I can actually sleep with you tonight."

Flynn rushed back down the stairs with a box in his hands. It was wrapped in wrapping baby, hiding the contents inside. He handed it to Hayden and sat next to her.

"I bought this when you weren't looking," he told her. "It's for the baby, so the colour of the toy will tell you what gender baby we're going to have. Open it."

Hayden smiled at her husband and kissed him before tearing off the wrapping paper. She looked at the box and saw that Flynn had bought the baby a little stuffed lion toy. The picture on the box showed the lion in its usual colours, but there were smaller pictures in the corner of two other coloured lions you could purchase. One was a soft blue colour while the other was pink. The pink version of the lion however was different from the blue, or the original, because the lion was obviously female. It, therefore, didn't have the fluffy mane

"I had the cashier put it in the box to keep it safe from Karly and Braveheart," Flynn chuckled. "Open it up."

Hayden carefully opened up the box and pulled out the lion toy. She gasped loudly when she saw it and jumped into Flynn's arms.

"Happy?" he asked her.

Hayden nodded, "I didn't care."


	119. Early Birth

"Ohh, ohh, Flynn, check this out! Look!" Hayden called, trying to keep as still as possible on the couch. On her stomach, she was balancing Dillon's finished beer bottle. Suddenly, the baby kicked, knocking over the bottle and causing Hayden to chuckle. She turned to Flynn but noticed he hadn't turned in time to see it.

He was too busy looking around Summer and Dillon's finished house, trying to help the couple out with room design. Though Summer insisted that was more of a woman's job, Flynn and Dillon wanted at least one room in the house to be a man's room, especially after the babies were going to be born.

The travel to NewTech had been longer than expected, considering Summer and Hayden needed to pee at very different times. Flynn and Dillon had grown tired of making pit stops every two minutes, and in their frustration they named it the "pregnant bladder syndrome". Side effects included: idling cars, long line ups for the bathroom, and frustrated future fathers.

Now that she was actually in NewTech, in her cousin's home, Hayden had nothing to do. Her pregnant bladder syndrome had magically cured itself once she stepped out of the car. Normally she would be helping with furnishing ideas, but her baby brain couldn't focus on the kitchen, or living room, or bedroom, or bathroom. Her mind kept going back to the nursery and what it should look like, making her almost useless.

Now that she knew the gender of her baby, she had a million design ideas floating around, but none of them were as good as the one idea Flynn had.

They were having a baby girl. The nursery needed to be adorable. Flynn had thought of giving the nursery a butterfly theme for his daughter. He wanted a soft pink wall for his daughter with butterfly designs painted in different spots. Over the crib, he wanted a butterfly mobile that would play soft music to lull his daughter to sleep. He had seen, in a few stores, some butterfly wall hangings that would pop out, making it look like they were flying around everywhere.

Of course, it wouldn't be a butterfly theme without a few flowers. Along the bottom of the wall, Flynn wanted to paint a couple huge flowers, where some of the butterflies would be resting. Pink, yellow, purple, light green and white were all the colours he wanted in the room, especially for the butterflies and flowers.

Hayden was in love with this idea and she was very happy she could help out with it. In a few days, Mr. McAllistair was going to drop by to help out with the paint on the walls, the designs, and he and Flynn were going to build some of the furniture together. The rest, Hayden and her parents were going to buy at the store.

Now they needed to choose a name, and they were still torn between Adeline and Victoria?

Suddenly one of the four cell phones on the table started to ring. Hayden moved the beer bottle out of the way and glanced down. None of them seemed to be lit up. She was going to have to guess.

For entertainment purposes (because the baby had fallen asleep and wouldn't kick the bottle off her stomach anymore), Hayden shut her eyes and reached out, grabbing one cell phone at random. She answered it and put it against her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Summer?"_

"Hayden. Summer's occupied. Dillon wants a pool table; Summer's telling him it would never be used. Can I take a message?"

"_Tell her Ben called…"_

"Hi Ben!"

"… _we're having the baby early."_

Hayden nearly dropped the phone. "What?"

"_Yeah! Now, I don't have parents, and her parents are still tied up at the Pai Zhuq! They'll be here ASAP but Heather really wants one of her cousins there, just in case."_

"What about Samantha?"

"_Same place as Kira. Everyone's locked up at work. We knew Summer would be in town. We saw the house was finished…"_

"_GET DOWN HERE NOW!"_

Hayden blinked. There were a few whispers on the other line.

"_Sorry about that."_

"Was that Heather?"

"What about Heather?" Flynn asked. He, Dillon and Summer had come back from one of the other rooms and heard Hayden was on the phone. Hayden shushed him.

"_Yeah, she's not in a good mood right now. Can you guys get here fast?"_

"Yeah. We'll be there soon."

Hayden hung up the phone and turned to her husband, cousin and Dillon.

"Heather's having a baby."

-Afterlife-

Hayden, Flynn, Summer and Dillon rushed into the hospital and quickly found Ben sitting in a chair, waiting for them. As soon as they all crossed eyes he got up and walked over to them.

"So, you're going to be a daddy," Flynn smiled, hugging the very-soon-to-be father. Ben nodded.

"Yeah. I'm freaking out."

"You're freaking out. Imagine how much Heather is freaking out! She's the one who has to push a human being out of her…"

"No mental images, please," Hayden interrupted, placing her hands over her ears. "Remember, I will be here in three months and two weeks!"

"Congratulations," Ben frowned. "But can we focus on this new baby arriving, please?"

"Is anyone else here?" Summer asked. Ben shook his head.

"I've tried calling Lily, Casey, Dani, Kira, Conner… no one's off work."

"Is Aunt Leah at least working today?"

"She's in there with Heather right now trying to calm her down," Ben nodded.

"Boy, Leanne must be feeling old right about now," Flynn chuckled. Leanne had given birth to the entire second generation of Rangers; everyone from Mike all the way down to Elena, with the exception of Madeline, whom she had literally given birth to. Now, it was time for round two. Heather, whom she had helped bring into this world 19 years ago, was now giving birth to her own child.

"Sucks to be her," Hayden chuckled.

Ben grabbed the girls by the wrists, "Can one of you please go in there and help Heather out! Please! She's freaking out and I don't know what to do."

Summer pulled away, "No way am I going in there. I don't want to freak myself out until it's far too late."

"I don't want to go," Hayden frowned. "At least yours is still tiny! Mine is big, and it's a kicker! She'll really hurt me."

"Someone, please!" Ben begged, getting on his knees, "I have no idea what to do. We took the birthing class, but I didn't listen! I didn't think I would be doing anything except telling her to breathe!"

Summer pushed Hayden forward, "You're her big cousin. You go in."

"You're bigger!"

"At this moment, you're bigger," Summer pointed to Hayden's stomach. Ben couldn't wait any longer. Leanne had told him to only take a few minutes away. He settled this argument by grabbing Hayden and pulling her in.

"You'll do, please help!"

They rushed through the door and saw Heather was being pushed into another room. They caught up and Ben took her hand to calm her down. Hayden frowned.

"What's going on?" she asked Leanne. Leanne turned to her.

"She's ready."

"No I'm not!" Heather screamed. "My mom's not here! She promised she would be."

"I just got off the phone with your mother," one of the nurses said. "She's finding a replacement and she's getting down here. You dad is going to be right behind."

Heather growled at him, "That's not good enough."

The nurse nodded, "I'll tell the front desk to let your parents in the moment they get here."

"Right now you have Hayden here with you," Ben told her. They got into the room and while the nurses and doctors set everything up, Hayden and Ben stuck by Heather. Leanne tossed them each a gown.

"Put this on," she told them. "You'll need to wash up."

One at a time, Ben and Hayden went to the sink to wash up. Heather wasn't left alone for a moment. When her two helpers returned, she was ready to push. Leanne sat down at the end of the bed. Hayden looked down nervously.

"So, you're just going to sit there and stare?" she asked.

"Until the baby starts to crown, yes," Leanne nodded. "I'll be here to help it come out."

"I thought it came out on its own and you just had to catch it," Ben frowned. Heather grabbed his hand and glared.

"If that were true, I wouldn't be in this much pain!"

Ben felt the bones in his hand crushing slightly as he tried to pull away, "Drugs. She wants drugs."

"She got the drugs."

"This is with the drugs?" Hayden gasped.

"Alright, Heather," Leanne said. "It's time. I need you to start pushing!"

-Afterlife-

Completely obviously to the birth going in over in NewTech, Samantha and Mike were taking Engel back to the preschool for an orientation day for the parents. Of course, once Engel heard about where they were going, she put up a huge fight, doubling the time it took to get ready and in the car.

Right now she sat on her mother's lap sulking because she didn't want to go to preschool. She saw this one woman standing in the front of the room talking non-stop about all the boring stuff. Every once in a while, this crazy woman would raise her voice slightly and talk to all the other kids in the room. The other kids seemed fascinated when she would talk directly to them. Engel was bored.

She turned to her parents, "Go home now. Stupid."

"It's not stupid, Engel," Mike whispered. "Next year you'll be going to big kid school and you'll have to be ready. This is the first step. You'll come here and play new games; you'll have lots of new friends, all your age. It's going to be so much fun!"

"… And tomorrow, if anyone wants to tag along, the summer day care is taking all the kids on a field trip to the zoo!" the instructor announced, all excited for the kids. "All of you moms, dads and little adventurers are invited to come along! We're going to see lions and tigers and bears!"

"Snakes!" one of the little boys shouted happily.

"Yes, and snakes! There's even a little petting zoo. Who here wants to pet a rabbit? What about a goat?"

All the kids raised their hands in the air. Even Engel seemed slightly interested.

"Tiger?" she asked. The instructor chuckled slightly.

"No you won't pet a tiger. But you will see one."

"Cheetah?" Engel asked again. The instructor nodded.

"All the big cats are at the zoo. Tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, lions…"

"Rhino!" Engel cried happily.

"Yes, big rhino with big horns!

"Wolf?"

"Yes, wolves. Big wolves. They'll be running around, just like all the other animals. We're going to have so much fun!"

Engel began bouncing in her seat when she heard this. She turned to her parents with a big smile on her face.

"Animals!" she cried out. "We're going to see animals in peeschool!"

Samantha nodded, kissing the top of Engel's head as she turned back around to listen to whatever else the instructor had to say. Mike leaned over to his cousin and whispered in her ear.

"I think preschool's unleashing the Great Master inside of her."

"Thank goodness for that," Samantha nodded. "I was afraid I might have to drag her to school on her first day."

Engel started bouncing again, "When we start? I want to go! When, mommy? When? Go now?"

"Soon, sweetie," Samantha laughed, "Soon."

-Afterlife-

Casey and Lily got to the hospital as soon as they could and rushed through the doors, barely noticing that Summer, Flynn and Dillon were sitting in the waiting room, patiently waiting for news on the delivery. Soon after the grandparents rushed in, Hayden came out. Her eyes were wide in terror and she held her stomach. The trio jumped up from their seats when they saw her.

"So, the baby…?"

"Oh, it came out," Hayden nodded. "It came right out of there. There was screaming and blood and crying and sweat and more screaming, more blood, more crying…"

"So?"

"They're checking up on him now," Hayden explained. "He's a little early so they want to make sure everything's okay."

"It's a boy?" Summer squealed. Hayden nodded.

"It's definitely a boy."

Flynn smiled as he pulled his wife into a hug, "Are you okay?"

"Is it too late to consider adoption?"

"Did Casey and Lily make it on time?" Dillon asked.

"They walked in just as the baby came out. They saw the whole thing. Aunt Lily's thrilled, Uncle Casey's scarred."

"Scarred?" Flynn asked. Hayden nodded.

"Yeah. But don't worry, Ben saw it too and he's fine. Once the boy's… thing popped out he got so excited and started cheering Heather on. It sounded like he was coaching a football team."

The doors opened up again and Casey stepped out, "Guys? Wanna come see him?"

Hayden shook her head, "I've seen enough of him, thank you…"

"Oh, come on," Flynn chuckled, pulling her along gently. Casey led the two couples to his daughter's bedroom. Ben and Lily were sitting next to Heather's bed, staring at the newest addition of their family. Heather held her newborn son in her arms, cooing softly to him. He was still wide awake, staring up at his mommy. When the couples and Casey walked in, Heather turned. She held up her son slightly.

"Look. It's my baby!"

"He hasn't fallen asleep since birth," Lily laughed gently, reaching out and touching her grandson's hand. "He must have a lot of energy. Heather fell right to sleep. Barely made a noise."

Flynn and Dillon went to congratulate Ben and Heather, happy there was another boy in the family. They loved Christian, but this was the first time any of them got to see the first two years of a little boy's life. Summer walked over to the bed and looked down at the baby.

"He's so cute!" she squealed. "Dillon, I want one!"

"You're working on it, Sunshine," Dillon laughed.

Heather looked past Summer and saw Hayden standing back with Casey, very nervous. She could understand Hayden's fear. The birth wasn't easy for her, and now Hayden was terrified about her own pregnancy, but she hadn't experienced the reward yet. All the pain Heather felt disappeared the moment her son was handed to her.

"Hayden," she whispered. "You wanna hold him?"

"I uh…" Hayden stammered, but Casey pushed her forward. Hayden walked over to the bed and held her arms out. Heather sat up and carefully handed her son over to his Aunt. Hayden made sure she supported the head and neck as she held the little baby boy. He looked up at her, with his bright blue eyes, and yawned.

Hayden stood, watching the little boy in awe. He was so tiny and adorable. She bounced him very gently and smiled. His eyes were starting to close. He stretched his little hands out and one brushed right by Hayden's mouth. She held him with one hand while she grabbed his little tiny hand with her free one. She planted a kiss right on his fist.

"You're just so cute," she whispered. "There's nothing scary about you. You're just so… What's his name?"

"Joey," Ben smiled. "Joey Thomas."

"Hi, little Joey," Hayden cooed. "You precious little baby. Is it nap time for you? Did you have a long hard day?"

Heather smiled as she watched, but couldn't wait to get her son back. She held her hands out, "You've had him long enough. It's my turn!"

Hayden handed Joey back to his mother. She held her own stomach in her hands, where her little daughter was still growing. She looked down.

"Okay, sweetie, while we're here you might as well come out. I want my own baby."

Flynn tapped her shoulder gently, "I don't think it works like that, lass. Only a few more months and then it'll be our turn."


	120. Scary Situations

"You should have been there, Dani," Flynn smiled, thinking back to the birth of little Joey Thomas. Daniela had to miss the birth of her nephew (technically cousin) because she was working at the garage, covering for Flynn, so she was more than happy to listen to Flynn's stories from the big day. Flynn had even brought her some pictures so she could see the adorable new addition to the family. "He's the smallest little thing I've ever seen."

"Just wait until your daughter is born," Daniela chuckled, "She'll be so tiny."

Flynn nodded, "If you want to go visit him I can cover for you here. I owe you for all the times I've run out on you."

"Are you sure Hayden won't need you?" Daniela asked. "I don't want to steal you away from her."

"Hayden's going to be glued to Summer and Dillon for the next few days, taking advantage of the time she still has with them. I should be good. I'll earn myself a little more money, and if there is a problem at home I'll call to see if Hannah or Kelly can come in."

Daniela put down her wrench, "Do you mind if I go now then?" she asked. "I promised Heather I would do whatever I could to help with the baby when he was born."

Flynn tossed his dirty rag in her face and chuckled, "Go. I should be able to finish up tonight no problem."

"You're the best!" Dani cried.

-Afterlife-

Engel was in awe as she pressed her face against the cold glass to watch the polar bears swim underwater. She had never been to the zoo before and wanted to see everything. Samantha and Mike had a hard time pulling their daughter away from one exhibition to take her to another. She always wanted to see the animal do more.

She also showed her parents and future class-mates that she wasn't afraid of any of the animals. The preschool and day-care class had started their tour of the zoo with a fun show from some of the zookeepers, who brought out snakes, spiders and lizards for the kids to see. While the young girls hid behind their parents, and the young boys watched in awe, Engel wanted to play with, hold, and hug every animal that came out. No matter the size, the number of legs, or the danger, Engel wanted to get up close and personal. She had no problem feeding the snake the dead rat. She loved letting the spiders crawl up her arm, and when the lizards got a little out of control, Engel firmly told it to calm down and play nice.

One of the polar bears spotted Engel through the glass and swan towards her. Engel chuckled, and waved hello to the bear, like it was her friend. The bear pressed itself against the glass and stared at Engel. The two year old giggled loudly and moved her hand so it was pressed against the glass where the bear's paw was.

Mike pointed to his daughter, making Samantha turn and smile when she saw Engel connecting with the bear. The other kids were amazed to see how brave Engel was to play with the bear, even though there was a thick wall of glass separating them.

Engel turned around, "Mommy, bear and I swim together!"

"Oh, no you don't," Samantha said, reaching down to pick up her daughter. "Say bye to the polar bear. I think everyone else is going to go see the lions."

"Bye bye Norman!" Engel called out, waving her hand at the polar bear. "I go visit lions. Play nice with Ella and Teddy!"

-Afterlife-

"What… why… why are you guys packing?" Hayden asked nervously as she watched Summer and Dillon pull out a few suitcases to grab the few items they had and pack them up for the big move. Hayden shook her head, "You guys can't pack up… that means you're moving."

"We are moving," Dillon nodded, "To another city… and with the state of the world right now that might as well be another country."

"We'll still be here for one more day," Summer added. "Dillon and I ordered some furniture online last night and it's all going to be delivered to our house tomorrow."

"You… you ordered furniture? When, where? How?"

"I stole your little handheld computer thingy and did it with that," Dillon pulled Hayden's computer from his pocket and tossed it back to her. "I'm amazed at how fast stores are willing to get their furniture to you when your mother runs the world."

"You stole my computer?" Hayden gasped. "How dare you."

"We don't have a computer yet," Summer said. "Someone blew it up, along with our first house!"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Dillon frowned. "I didn't know there was a gas leak."

"I miss Rex…"

"Not this again…" Dillon groaned, throwing his clothes into the suitcase. "Sunshine, I'll buy you a new Rex."

"Dillon, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hayden asked while motioning to the hallway. Dillon shook his head.

"No."

"Dillon, I need to talk to you," Hayden said, with a bit more power behind her voice. Dillon continued to be ignorant.

"No."

"Dillon, get over here before my pregnant ass kicks yours and your child is born without a father!"

Dillon sighed loudly as he followed Hayden into the hallway. Hayden quickly checked the living room to make sure Summer wasn't eavesdropping, before she offered Dillon twenty dollars.

"The hospital in NewTech sells T-Rex toys that look exactly like Summer's Rex doll," she told him. "If you give me some alone time with my cousin, you can go out and buy her the doll and when you get back, give it to me and I'll pretend like I found it somewhere in here."

"How's that going to work?" Dillon asked. "She knows it was back home."

"She hasn't seen that thing in years," Hayden said. "It won't be too hard to convince her that Engel took it from her place one day and left it here and Flynn and I totally forgot about it because Engel hid it."

"That seems too convenient."

"It's that or you have to deal with a wife who lost her best friend for the rest of your lives. She may be harmless with this right now, but just wait until you two are eighty and she has to walk around with a walker, even though she still has enough strength to lift it up and beat you with it."

"So, NewTech Hospital?" Dillon said, snatching the twenty and heading out.

-Afterlife-

"Want to hear a cool fact about lions, kids?" the tour guide asked the group as they stood in front of the lions' cage and stared inside, making sure to keep their distance though so the lions wouldn't attack suddenly. The kids all nodded as they turned to the tour guide. He smiled and pointed to a group of lions cubs in the corner, "Little baby lions are called cubs, and when they're born, they usually have little spots all over their body, kind of like leopards!"

"Whoa!" the kids breathed, all at once, while the parents smiled. One little boy raised his hand.

"Do lions eat people?" he asked.

"It's not a part of their diet, but sometimes, in the wild, a lion will attack a human. But here in the zoo, you're perfectly safe. These lions are friendly, and the cages protect you, just like they protect them."

"You know, I'm surprised the zoo has grown this fast," Mike whispered to Samantha. "A lot of animals were extinct when Venjix took over."

"Mom made sure some animals made it safely to the domes," Samantha nodded. "And by mom I mean Engel mom."

"I was going to say, Aunt K only came with two animals: Hayden and Karly."

"Very true," Samantha chuckled.

The little boy, who asked the question earlier, stuck his hand in the air again, "Mister Animal Man, can we go into the cage and play with the lions too?"

"No, I'm afraid not," the zookeeper said, shaking his head. "Mommies, daddies and kids must stay on this side of the cages."

"Then why does she get to go inside?" a little girl asked, pointing inside the cage. The zookeeper and all the parents glanced inside.

Engel was sitting with the lions, playing with the cubs while curled up against one of the mothers. The cubs were playing with her, like she was one of them, while the older lions didn't seem to mind her presence.

"Engel!" Samantha screamed. Mike ran to the zookeeper.

"How did she get in there?"

"I don't know…" the zookeeper frowned as he went to check the gate to the lion's cage. He tried pulling it open, but the cage was still locked. He shrugged, "She must have found another way in. You should be watching your children at all times."

"Get my daughter out of that cage or I'll throw you in and feed you to the lions," Mike shouted. The zookeeper grabbed the set of keys on his belt and started fiddling his was through, trying to find the right one.

Samantha groaned, "This will take too long," she said, crossing the safety line. With her Angel powers, she managed to bend the bars enough so there was a big enough gap for her to slip through. She got inside the cage, alerting the lions. The males go to their feet and all turned to face Samantha.

Engel got up as well and ran over, "Mommy!"

She took her mother's hand and pulled her in, "You come play with lions, okay? They be gentle, right?"

The lions dropped their offensive stance and went back to relaxing. Samantha looked down at her daughter curiously.

The zookeeper turned to Mike, "How did she do that? It takes our staff a few minutes to calm the animals down before we're safe to go in."

Mike shrugged, "My daughter is special?"

"Your daughter has a death wish," one of the parents stated, holding her son close so he wouldn't run into the lion's cage.

"My daughter already died thank you very much," Mike said. He ran over to the opening in the cage, where Samantha was taking Engel. He grabbed his daughter so Samantha could squeeze out and fix the bars so none of the lions could escape.

Engel wasn't happy to leave the lion's cage.

"Was having fun," she pouted.

-Afterlife-

Dillon didn't want to rush home after he picked up a new Rex doll for Summer. Hayden had been kind enough to help him out of his misery, so he decided to be nice and give her a little while longer with Summer.

He drove down the streets, just cruising along, when he saw Tori on the sidewalk. He pulled over next to her and honked the horn. Tori jumped and turned.

"Dillon? What the hell, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Dillon smirked as he got out of the car.

"Is it working?" he asked. Tori frowned and smacked him in the arm. As he rubbed his shoulder he looked at her, "So, what are you doing on the streets alone?"

"I've been feeling kinda weird lately," Tori said, "and I had to get out of the house. Kids were driving me crazy again with all their fighting. I figure some fresh air and some time alone could help."

"Has it?" Dillon asked. Tori shook her head.

"Not really."

"So, is this a family crisis issue, or you're physically not feeling well?"

Tori looked at the young man curiously, "Why do you care?"

"Hayden paid me twenty bucks to stay out of the house," Dillon shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

"Glad to know you only care about me when money's involved."

"Hey, I care about you," Dillon said. "If you die, is Summer going to get any inheritance money or anything?"

"She's not my daughter, why would she?"

"Then I guess I don't care," Dillon smirked. He walked back to his car, only jokingly. When he pulled out his keys to unlock the doors, he saw Tori rubbing her chest, with a pained look on her face, from the reflection in the window. He turned around, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just chest pains again," Tori frowned.

"Are you sure?" Dillon asked as Tori moved to lean against the wall of the building. "You don't look like it."

"I feel like I just ran a marathon," Tori admitted, "But I'm sure it's nothing."

"Okay, if you're…" before he could finish, Dillon saw Tori's legs give out as she dropped to the ground. He quickly dropped with her, catching her before she hit her head and added to whatever was going on with her. "Tori? Tori, what happened?"

Tori continued to rub her chest. Dillon was no expert in first aid, but she wasn't looking good, and chest pains usually weren't something to ignore. He laid her down on the ground very gently before running to the car, yelling at the people on the streets to call 911 while he went to get Rex. It was the only thing he could think of to use as a pillow for Tori's head aside from his shirt. Sadly, today was the one day he didn't take his jacket with him, and he doubted Tori would be comfortable if her niece's husband pulled his shirt off while he stuck by her.

While Dillon stuck the new Rex under Tori's head, he noticed a few people on their cell phones, asking for an ambulance. With that out of the way, he could focus on keeping Tori calm.

"Okay, you just relax," he told her. "Someone's coming to help and in the meantime I'll take care of everything."


	121. Tori's Heart Attack

It was the second time in two days Dillon was in the hospital, but this time he wasn't happy to be here. The paramedics arrived at the street corner after only a few moments of waiting and he and Tori got into the ambulance. The paramedics quickly found out Tori was having a heart attack and began treatment on her before they even made it to the hospital. Dillon was told that Tori's chances of survival were great, because of her health and Dillon's quick response, but the Black Ranger found that couldn't reassure him.

He had called Tori's family: her husband, her sister and Mike, and told them the news. Now he was just waiting for one of them to arrive. The doctors had told him it would be a while before anyone could see her, but Dillon needed someone else to be there so he could talk and apologize.

He did feel a little guilty about what happened. He had scared Tori when he honked his horn at her, and she had joked about having a heart attack. He knew that stress was one of the causes of a heart attack, and the stress from being scared could have been the straw that broke the horse's back. On top of that, seconds before she had her heart attack Dillon had made a joke about her dying.

Dillon didn't show much love, but he did care about all of his friends. Though he claimed he only had a heart for Summer, the truth was he loved each and every member of Summer's big family… of his family. He didn't have parents, or Aunts, or Uncles. He didn't have a brother or a sister. All he had was his Ranger team. His Ranger family; and if anything threatened his family, it was threatening him.

He'd been in the hospital before, and his friends had been in the hospital before, but this time seemed different. Very different. All the other times he had been in the hospital, the injuries were Ranger-related. They were, in many ways, preventable, and part of the job. If someone got hurt, it really was no big surprise, but more of a shock.

All at once, Tori's family came rushing in: Blake, Jason, Elena, Kaylee, Dustin, Christian, Samantha, Mike, Engel and Hayden. While Dustin, Hayden and Samantha led the younger kids over to Dillon, Blake, Mike and Kaylee ran to the front desk.

Dustin placed his hand on Dillon's shoulder, "How is she?" he asked. Dillon shook his head.

"I don't know. The doctors haven't told me anything since I got in here. Whenever I ask, they tell me they're working on it."

"Is mommy going to be okay?" Elena asked. Hayden sat down in her seat and pulled her cousin onto her lap.

"I'm sure she'll be okay," she whispered. "Your mommy is very strong."

"What is a heart attack?" Christian asked. "Is something attacking her heart?"

"Kinda," Dustin told his son. "It's a problem with the heart."

"Grandma live?" Engel asked. Samantha bounced her gently.

"We hope so."

Kaylee, Mike and Blake returned from the front counter, all looking very defeated.

"She's not ready yet," Blake said. "They can't tell me anything."

"Welcome to my world," Dillon sighed. "I don't even know how long I've been in here."

"How could this happen?" Mike asked, burying his face in his hands. "Moms don't get heart attacks! Fat, lazy uncles get them! Dads get them. Moms just grow old and die."

"Mommy's not going to die," Elena spat.

"She is going to die," Jason grumbled, dropping into a chair. Mike turned to his little brother and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Don't tell her that!"

"What? I'm trying to keep her from getting disappointed."

"Only thing I know is that her chances of recovery are good," Dillon said. "She got help very quickly…"

"Yeah, lucky you were out of the house, huh?" Hayden smiled very softly. Dillon nodded, reaching down beside the chair to pick up Rex.

"Here," he told her. "I don't think Summer's going to want it when she finds out her Aunt had a heart attack on it."

"She had the heart attack on a dinosaur?" Christian asked, taking the toy before Hayden could. "COOL!"

"Not cool!" Elena shouted. "Heart attacks aren't cool."

"He didn't mean it, Elle," Dustin said. "He's still a little too young to understand."

"It's not hard to understand. My mommy's sick! That's not cool!"

"He's just a kid!" Jason yelled. "Lay off him, Elle."

"Stop yelling at me!" Elena screamed back.

Jason jumped out of his chair, "I'll yell if I want to," he said before pushing her. Elena frowned as she hopped off Hayden's lap and swung her arms around in Jason's direction, following the sound of his breathing, hoping to hit him.

"Don't hit me!"

"Don't hit me!"

"GUYS!" Mike shouted, grabbing both his siblings and pulling them apart. He held them by their arms rather tightly to keep them under control. "If you guys fight like this all the time, no wonder mom had a heart attack! Can't you guys learn to just piss off every once in a while."

"Michael!" Blake growled. Mike turned to his father.

"What? It's true? They never get along! Every time I visit these guys are always fighting and mom's always trying to play ref! Seriously, you two, knock it off."

Elena ran over to her father and burst into tears while Jason glared at his older brother. He and Elena had just been accused of putting their mother in the hospital and giving her a heart attack. Because they were both still young, Jason and Elena had nothing else to believe.

The young boy's eyes started to water. He kicked Mike in the shins before running off. Mike growled, ready to chase after him in his frustration, but Dustin got up.

"You sit down," he frowned. "You've done enough. I'll go find him."

Mike dropped back in his seat and crossed his arms. He hadn't intended for his words to come out the way they did, but he did believe them. Stress was a big factor when someone had a heart attack. He knew being a parent was stressful, and he only had one child. He couldn't imagine all the work his parents went through with the three of them, especially with Elena being blind and needing special care.

Jason and Elena weren't making things very easy for their mother and Mike knew it. If they would just learn to agree, life would be so much easier.

As Blake tried to calm his daughter down, he glared at his eldest son, "Is there anything you want to say to your sister?" he asked. Mike scoffed.

"Yeah, thanks. Now mom might die."

"Michael!" Blake shouted again. Engel walked over to her youngest Aunt and glared.

"You killed grandma!" she shouted. Samantha quickly picked her up again. She couldn't really blame Engel for doing that. She was just doing like her father was doing.

Samantha turned to Engel's father, "Mike! Come on, grow up a little!"

"My mother's in the hospital. I'm a little pissed off right now," Mike said.

"We're all a little pissed off," Hayden frowned. "But that's no excuse for yelling at Elena and Jason."

"Whatever," Mike said. He pushed himself out of his seat, "I'm going to see if I can find a freaking coffee machine anywhere. No one follow me."

Christian turned to his sisters, "Did Elena and Jason really give Aunt Tori a heart attack?"

Dillon shook his head, "No, they didn't. I did."

"What are you talking about, Dillon?" Hayden asked. "You're the one who saved her. If you hadn't of been with her, who knows what could have happened."

"She told me she wasn't feeling well. I honked my horn at her and scared her. Two minutes later she collapses and we're being rushed here in an ambulance."

"Did you know she wasn't feeling well when you honked the horn?" Samantha asked. She knew Dillon could be mean, but he would never intentionally hurt someone. Most he would do if he knew someone wasn't feeling well was try to get them to throw up.

"No… but if I hadn't of…"

"If she was having symptoms before you honked, then she was going to have the heart attack sooner or later."

"I'm just glad someone was there," Blake said. "We owe you big time, Dillon."

"No, you don't…"

"We don't blame you," Blake assured the Black Ranger. "I don't care what you did before the heart attack started. If you weren't there, she might not be here."

"Thanks but… I'm going to go clear my head," Dillon sighed. "Let me know if you find out anything."

Hayden turned as he left, "Dil, can you call Flynn and tell him I won't be home for dinner tonight."

"Yeah," Dillon nodded. "I'll call Summer while I'm at it."

Engel groaned loudly, "Mommy, bored!"

"I know, sweetie," Samantha nodded, hugging her. Dillon turned back.

"I'll take the kids home if you want," he said, gesturing to Engel, as well as Christian. Samantha sighed in relief.

"Could you please? I don't want to have to deal with her right now. I want to focus on this."

"Yeah," Dillon nodded. "It'll be easier to tell Summer face to face. And I'll stop by the garage on the way."

Samantha handed Engel over, "Thanks, Dillon."

Christian turned to his mother, "Mommy, do I have to go?"

Kaylee snapped out of whatever trance she had been in since she heard her sister had a heart attack and looked around.

"Whatever your father says," she answered, not too sure what was going on. Christian frowned.

"Daddy's not here."

"Oh," Kaylee said. She looked around again, noticing that Dustin had disappeared. She waved off her son. "Whatever he or she or whoever said."

"Go with him, Chris," Samantha ordered her little brother. Clearly her mother wasn't coping very well. Christian groaned loudly as he followed Dillon out of the hospital.

"Why doesn't Elena have to go?" he asked, though his question went unanswered.

Samantha and Hayden both sat down near their mother. They knew how upsetting this could be for her. Tori and Kaylee had always been very close, and their relationship had only gotten stronger after their parents had passed away. Samantha took her mother's hand.

"Are you okay, mom?" she asked. Kaylee shook her head.

"No…"

"She'll be fine," Hayden smiled. "Sometimes I think Aunt Tori's stronger than you."

Blake turned around in his seat, letting go of Elena slightly. The little girl felt her father pulling away and she ran over to her cousin Hayden, burying herself in Hayden's arms.

Kaylee was sitting in the seat directly behind Blake, making it easier for him to lean over and wrap his arm around her shoulder.

"Kayl, it's going to be okay," he whispered gently to her. "She's going to be okay, you know she will."

Kaylee didn't say anything. Instead she just pulled him Blake, burying her face in the spot between his neck and shoulder as she began to cry. Blake wrapped both his arms around her and kissed her cheek, trying to hold back his own tears.

Elena wasn't comforted by this at all. She knew her Aunt Kaylee and her father didn't get along. She knew that if they were, there was something serious happening. She could hear her Aunt crying, and her father whispering comforting words, trying to mask his own fears, and it made her panic.

A doctor stepped into the room and noticed the upset family in the waiting room. Samantha noticed him as well and ran over to him. Even if he wasn't the doctor treating her Aunt, she wanted to know if he could tell her anything.

The doctor and the Angel met up halfway and Samantha stopped him from going any further. If he had any bad news, she didn't want her family to hear it from him. They were already upset and hurt.

"Are you here for Victoria Bradley?" the doctor asked. Samantha nodded.

"I'm her niece."

The doctor smiled, "Well, if that's your family over there, you can tell them to stop crying, Victoria will be okay."

"Thank goodness," Samantha breathed a huge sigh of relief and hugged the doctor. "Thank you."

"She'll stay in CCU for a little while longer, just so we can monitor her, and we'll see how she goes from there."

"Doc," Samantha said, "Is there anything I can do that'll help. My sister and I are healers and…"

The doctor shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I don't think there will be anything you can do. Your Aunt is very healthy and in peek condition, aside from the heart attack, of course. Even if you were to magically heal her heart, there is a chance that this could happen again. I believe it's best for her to live with this naturally."

"How can she be in peek condition if she had a heart attack? Doesn't that mean something's wrong."

The doctor shook his head, "You believe the stereotype, don't you?" he asked. "Obesity, smoking, pre-existing conditions… those are the people who you think have a heart attack, right?"

Samantha nodded, "Yeah, duh."

"Well, unfortunately that's true, but it's not unusual for a perfectly healthy individual to suffer a heart attack as well. From now on, she'll have to be careful with some of the choices she makes. She should continue to eat right and exercise, but I recommend she keep her stress levels down."

Samantha sighed, "You don't know my family, doc."

"Then your family is going to have to change their ways if you don't want your Aunt to wind up back here."

"Alright, I'll tell her blind daughter, her angry sons, her pregnant, hormonal nieces, the talking cat, all her students, and her grandmother/granddaughter to behave for the next forty years."

"If you could," the doctor nodded. Samantha groaned, hitting her forehead with her hand. He had completely missed the point.

"Your Aunt needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle from now on, and she'll need to make sure that everything's running smoothly inside of her. We've already explained all of this to her, so she knows the deal."

"Thanks, doctor," Samantha nodded. He smiled.

"If you have any more questions I'll be happy to answer them," he said.

"Yeah, any chance we could see her? I think it would really help if everyone saw she was okay instead of just heard it."

"Room 2371," the doctor nodded. "But not too many at a time, like I said, she needs to relax."

Samantha ran back to her family, "Uncle Blake, Elle, Aunt Tori's ready for you guys. Room 2371."

Blake made sure Kaylee was okay before taking Elena's hand and leading her down the hallway. As he crossed Samantha, she told him that Tori was okay.

Hayden looked to her sister, "The verdict?"

"She'll be fine," Samantha nodded, sitting next to her mother. "The doctor said not too many at a time. When Uncle Blake and Elena get back, do you want to go in alone, mom?"

Kaylee shook her head, "No, you girls can go in first. Hayden should go home and get some sleep…"

"I'm not going home tonight, mom," Hayden said. "I'll stay here, or I'll stay with you."

"Aunt Tori's fine, Hayden," Samantha assured her sister. "It's probably best if you do go home and just relax."

"I'll be fine," Hayden said. "Dillon's going to tell Flynn I'm not coming home, and I want to be here, with everyone. If I go home I'll just worry."

"I'm going home," Kaylee said, grabbing her jacket. Both girls turned to their mother.

"You're not going to see Aunt Tori?"

"Why would I?" Kaylee asked. "She's probably hooked up to some machine that'll just keep beeping in my ear when I go in there."

"Oh, yeah, those machines telling you the heart is still beating properly drive me crazy too, especially after that person's had a heart attack," Samantha said sarcastically.

"I'm not going in, girls," Kaylee snapped. "That's clear."

"Where are you going, then?" Hayden asked.

"Work. I'm sure Colonel Truman and Vasquez will be happy I'm back."

Hayden sulked in her chair as her mother walked away. She held her stomach and looked down at his.

"First your great-aunt has a heart attack, and now your grandma's trying to have one," she whispered. "Welcome to the world, baby girl."

Samantha sighed, "Something's bugging mom."

"Yeah," Hayden nodded, "Aunt Tori just had a heart attack."

"Aside from that," Samantha said. "Don't you think she would be happy to hear that Aunt Tori was okay? I half expected her to rush back Uncle Blake so she could be first to go yell at Aunt Tori for scaring her."

Hayden frowned, "You have a point."

Samantha turned to her sister, "Hey, hypothetical situation."

"Bring it," Hayden nodded.

"Say mom and dad died a long time ago," Samantha started. Hayden continued to nod and listen, "Say, when they died, it was just you and me. No Chris, no Mike, or Sam or Summer."

"Okay."

"And let's say I became your legal guardian so we wouldn't be separated."

"So, like what mom and Aunt Tori went through when they were about our age."

"Yeah," Samantha nodded. "Now, I have a heart attack. How would you feel?"

Hayden shrugged, "Probably like I feel right now."

"Okay, but imagine if it were me in the hospital, and not our Aunt. Pretend like we're the only family we have left."

"Oh, and what are we?" Hayden asked, pointing to herself and Samantha.

"Hayden, you know what I mean. How would you feel if you just learned that the last remaining member of your original family just suffered a heart attack?"

"How would you react?" Hayden asked.

"Scared," Samantha shrugged, "but it's gotta be more than that..."

"Girls," Blake called, coming back from Tori's room, "You want to go see your Aunt?"

Hayden and Samantha both nodded, "Yeah. We'll go."


	122. Another Attack

Vasquez stared at her commander as Kaylee walked into the just finished Commander center. The systems still needed to be set up and there was still furniture that needed to be placed, but many of the soldiers could return to work.

As Kaylee walked by and took her spot at her temporary desk, Vasquez run over to Colonel Truman, who had been called in to replace Kaylee when she had to leave because of Tori's heart attack.

Vasquez saluted, "Um, Colonel… I thought you gave Kaylee the day off."

The Colonel glanced up and spotted Kaylee. He shrugged, "I guess she decided to come back. That's good news, I guess."

"She's only been gone a few hours," Vasquez said. "I thought she would be staying with her sister for a little longer."

Colonel looked to Vasquez, "What Kaylee does on her own time is none of our concern. If she's here, she's obviously got a reason for it. Now, Corporal, don't you have a week's worth of weather to plan?"

"Actually, Colonel…" Vasquez started, but trailed off when Truman glared. She pointed over her shoulder, "I'll be over there…"

The Colonel nodded and waited for her to leave before he grabbed a stack of papers and placed them by his new computer. He needed to copy all the information from the papers, onto the computers manually, before he could even think about getting half the systems in the command center up and running again.

Just as he was about to begin his work, he shifted his gaze over to Kaylee. She too was busy copying information onto her new computer but Truman noticed something different about her. She was slamming her fingers down on the keys instead of tapping lightly. She seemed to be making many mistakes as well, because she kept hitting the backspace button, over and over again, and groaning loudly.

The Colonel was never really one to pry personal information from someone, but it did seem like Kaylee needed someone to talk to. He grabbed his papers, making sure it looked like he was going over to the commander with a question, and not for a personal chat.

He set the papers down at her desk, "Do you have a minute, Commander?"

Kaylee snapped, "Do you think I have a minute? I have a stack of papers that need to get into the computer and only a few hours to do it!"

"This is important, Commander," Truman said. Kaylee looked up.

"What?"

"Well, I've arrived at the absence policy and it states here that anyone, cadet all the way up to commander, is allowed a maximum of two week paid sick leave due to close family emergency such as personal sickness or sickness in the immediate family."

"What's the problem?" Kaylee asked. Colonel Truman checked his watch.

"You still have 13 days and 22 hours of sick leave," Truman said, "Approximately."

Kaylee turned back to her computer, "I'm not sick, Colonel."

"Yes, but your sister just had a heart attack."

Kaylee jumped from her seat and gasped loudly, "What? She did? Oh my god! I have to go see her!"

Kaylee rushed around her desk before stopping suddenly and turning back to the Colonel, "Oh, wait… I already did!"

The Commander scoffed as she returned to her desk. Colonel Truman shook his head.

"You're not coping, Kaylee," he said. "Take the next two weeks off, spend some time with your sister and come back when you're feeling better."

Kaylee glared, "I am coping, Colonel. My sister's okay so I'm back here at work. Thankfully I am here, because it seems like the man replacing me isn't doing his job!"

"No, you're not coping," Colonel Truman said. "I've worked with you for eight years now. I know that when you get moody and sarcastic, there's something bothering you."

Colonel Truman walked up behind Kaylee and pulled on her chair. It rolled, taking her away from the computer with it.

"Colonel!" Kaylee shouted, trying to hop out of the chair. The Colonel placed his hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down. He rolled the door all the way to the elevator and pushed the button. When the elevator dinged, and the doors opened up, Truman pushed the chair, and Kaylee in. he hit the button that would take her all the way down and out of the command center and left her inside.

Just before the doors shut, he told her, "Don't come back for two weeks. I'll take care of everything."

-Afterlife-

Hayden and Samantha knocked on their Aunt's room before walking in. They found holding the remote up to the television while changing the channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. When she noticed her nieces were in her room she turned off the TV and smiled.

"Hey, girls."

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Hayden asked while Samantha grabbed two chairs from beside the wall and pulled them over to the bed so she and her sister could sit down.

Tori groaned, dropping her head back into her pillow, "I feel so old! I just had a heart attack!"

"Yeah, and don't do it again," Samantha said. "You had us all freaking out. We thought you were going to die!"

"Yeah, Elena told me," Tori nodded. "She ran into hear screaming, asking if I was going to die."

"So, how did this happen?" Hayden asked. "I never thought you would have a heart attack."

Tori sighed, "Apparently I have high blood pressure and that, mixed with all the stress I've been under, is what caused the heart attack."

"Stress?" Samantha frowned. She couldn't imagine what kind of stress her Aunt would be under. Of course there was the stress that came along with raising kids, as well as the stress of teaching at the Wind Ninja Academy, but many people were able to balance teaching and parenting without ever having a heart attack. "How do you get stressed out? I thought when you went to the beach you were relaxed."

Tori looked at her two nieces before shaking her head, "I don't think I should talk to you guys about this…"

"Did you talk to Uncle Blake?" Hayden asked quickly. She cared a lot about her Aunt and desperately wanted Tori to get better and stay better.

"I did. He's going to talk to the kids… but I was hoping I could talk with your mother. You know, sister talk."

Hayden and Samantha exchanged looks.

"Uh, about that…" Hayden started.

"Mom ran off," Samantha said. "She didn't want to come in. We think she's worried about something."

"Or scared," Hayden nodded. "We just don't know what."

Tori started to push herself out of bed. Quickly the girls jumped up, pushing her back down.

"Where are you going?" they asked.

"To find my sister."

"No," Samantha said and Hayden agreed.

"We'll go get mom."

"You stay here."

"Girls," Tori sighed. "She's probably not going to come while I'm still here. I'll be fine; it was only a heart attack."

"Yeah, one of the most vital parts of your body stopped working for a few minutes!" Samantha said.

"We'll get her here," Hayden assured her Aunt. "We promise."

"You stay in bed, do as the doctors say," Samantha nodded. Tori groaned loudly.

"But they're all idiots! I'm fine and I feel fine!"

"Stay!" Hayden ordered as she and Samantha got up. "We'll go, and you better be in this bed when we come back!"

"With mom!"

-Afterlife-

Hicks carried a stack of papers in his hands containing incident reports from the prison while the power was done. He and his staff had worked their butts off trying to make sure that no one escaped while the power was down. A few in-mates had succeeded in getting out of their cells, thus the incident reports, but at this point in time they were all accounted for.

He was taking the papers to the new Command center. One of his duties as Prison supervisor was to keep the Command center up-to-date on what was going on inside the prison. At least once a week he, or someone he trusted, would either deliver the forms or send out an official e-mail.

He was about to get into the elevator that would let him up to the Command when the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Inside he saw Kaylee, sitting on an old desk chair. He pulled her out and frowned.

"I thought you were claustrophobic," he said. "You always take the stairs."

"Colonel Truman put me in here," Kaylee frowned, getting up from her seat.

Hicks chuckled, "That's a bit of a mean prank… but at least we know the man has a sense of humour."

"This wasn't a joke," Kaylee growled, kicking the desk chair back into the elevator just as the doors began to close. "He wants me to go to the hospital."

"Are you okay?" Hicks rushed out, worried there was something wrong with the Commander.

Kaylee shook her head, "Not me. You haven't heard? I thought all of Corinth would have by now."

"No… what?"

"My sister's in the hospital. She had a heart-attack."

"Wow," Hicks gasped. "Which one?"

"My real sister… Tori."

"Oh…" Hicks' heart fell. He knew Tori and Kaylee were very close. This news must have been affecting her greatly. He was surprised she wasn't already at the hospital trying to nurse her sister back to health. If any of his friends or family were in the hospital, for any reason, he would skip work, permission or no, to be by their side. "Do you need a ride?"

"I'm not going," Kaylee said. "The doctor said she was fine. What difference will it make if I go and see her while she's in the hospital or not?"

"You know, positive attitude can really help a person's recovery," Hicks told Kaylee. "I'm sure just your presence will help speed up Tori's recovery, never mind how much it'll help her if you actually take interest and show your concern."

"I'm not going to see her!" Kaylee screamed. She shoved right past Hicks and ran off. Hicks turned watching her leave. He contemplated following her, but decided against it. Kaylee had a big family. Odds are someone was looking for her. But just in case, he made a mental note to himself to check in on her later. Last thing Corinth needed was a Command who was mentally unstable.

-Afterlife-

Summer held her hand over her mouth, trying to remind herself to breath as Dillon passed on the news about Tori's heart attack. Flynn, who had been eating a snack when he heard the news, dropped his bag of chips and they all scattered on the floor.

"Oh my god!" Summer finally managed to say. Dillon nodded as he set Engel down and let go of Christian's hand. The two kids ran for the chips on the floor and began eating. "How is she?"

"I didn't hear anything before I left," Dillon said. "I'm sure a doctor would have come out to tell the others by now… but it wasn't looking good..."

Dillon's pause made Summer tear up. He realised his mistake and quickly finished.

"For the Bradleys!" he said. "Mike's not in a good state and he's pinning the blame on Jason and Elena. The doctor told me Tori's chances were really good."

"Don't scare me like that!" Summer shouted, smacking her husband in the arm as he came over.

Flynn sighed, "It's a good thing you were with Tori… why were you out anyways? I thought you and Summer were packing…"

"Hayden wanted some alone time with Summer," Dillon said. "She gave me twenty bucks to go buy Summer a new Rex toy."

"You didn't get it, did you?" Summer asked him.

"I did… but when Tori collapsed I needed a pillow for her. Rex Jr. was the only thing available."

"Where were you when Hayden left then?" Flynn asked Summer. If Hayden had paid Dillon to stay out of the house, that meant that Summer had been with Hayden when the pink Ranger received the call, yet when Dillon came home to tell them both, she was just as surprise, if not more surprised, than he was.

"She ran out of saltines while I was packing and started feeling a little nauseous so she went out to get some… I thought she had just stopped by a few other places to run errands. I didn't know she paid Dillon to get out of the house to spend time with me."

"Well, she'll be out at least until tomorrow," Dillon said. "She's going to stick with her family for tonight. Not sure if it's at the hospital or if she'll head back to Kaylee and Dustin's place."

"I'll give her a call later to ask how everything is," Flynn nodded. He looked down at the kids still munching away on his chips, "I guess we have them for the night to make up for Hayden missing."

"Yeah," Dillon said. "I offered to take them. Engel was getting bored, Dustin took off with Jason when he ran away and Kaylee was off on some other planet so it was best for Christian to come here."

-Afterlife-

Though Tori was waiting for a visit from her sister, she was thrilled when the door to her room opened up and both her sons walked in with Dustin. The former yellow led the boys to the chairs Hayden and Samantha had been occupying almost an hour ago and sat them down before talking to Tori. He kissed her on the cheek.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her. Tori shrugged.

"Like I'm an eighty year old fat man. Of course, the reality is I'm half the age and weight… so confused."

"Well, Jason and I had a talk, but you might want to talk to him as well. He thinks you're had a heart attack because of him and Elena…"

"What?" Tori asked, turning to her youngest son, "No, no, Jason. You're not to blame. You'll have to change your behaviour a bit... but you're not the cause of this."

Jason didn't say anything. He just sat in silence. His Uncle had told him this, and now his mother was telling him, but he still felt very guilty. He and Elena had been fighting a lot. They always fought a lot. He knew that that was the reason his mother was so stressed and the reason she had a heart attack. No one could change his mind just because they said so.

Dustin pointed to Mike, "And the reason he believes that is because this one put all the blame on his younger siblings. I found him drinking coffee outside."

Tori glared at her oldest son, "Michael! Seriously? You know better than that!"

"Well, it's true!" Mike barked. "He and Elena are always at each other's throats! I'm surprised you and dad haven't tossed them out on the streets or traded them away for good kids."

"Hey!" Jason shouted, grabbing his brother, "We are good kids!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're right. Elena's a good kid. You're just the little demon trouble-maker! If you would just stop picking on her for two seconds, maybe mom and dad would have some peace and quiet!"

"You always think I'm picking on her!" Jason yelled. "You don't know the half of it! She's the monster!"

"She's a little girl! You're a fourteen year old boy. Take it like a man and deal with it!"

"Just shut up you idiot!" Jason yelled, getting his hands on Mike and punching him. Dustin looked at Tori for a moment, rolling his eyes before the two of them pulled the boys apart. Tori reached over and grabbed Mike's arms while Dustin lifted Jason out of his seat and pulled him back.

Tori had had it with their fighting. She knew they were boys and that brothers did fight a lot, but she figured they would tone it down and ban together while she was in the hospital. She had hoped that Mike would be mature enough to take care of his siblings in this very scary situation.

"Are you guys serious!" she shouted. "Both of you, shut up!"

Jason and Mike turned to their mother, "Sorry…"

Tori growled, "Jason, touch your brother one more time and I'm going to have Dustin take you back to his place and ground you until the world is completely rebuild! And Michael… for the love of god… I don't know where to start with you! All of you kids have really, really disappoint…"

Tori paused and clutched her chest. The heart monitor, that had been beeping a little more rapidly than usual while her sons were fighting, suddenly started going out of control.

Mike and Jason turned to their mother fearfully, "Mom, are you okay?"

Dustin pointed to the door, "Both of you find a doctor, now!" he shouted.

"What's happening?" Jason asked worriedly while Mike pulled him to the door. He struggled in his brother's grip and pulled away, running to his mother's side. "Mom?"

"She's having another heart attack!" Mike yelled at him, grabbing him again, "Help me find someone!"


	123. Kaylee Visits

News of Tori's heart attack spread quickly through the city of Corinth, and even reached a few people in NewTech city. While calls were being made to Tori's family and friends, a few citizens overheard and caught keys words. Maybe Corinth citizens were already aware of Tori's first heart attack, due to it happening in public, and had been keeping up, as well as they could, with news on her recovery as well. News stations were getting as much information from the hospitals as they could, and they were interviewing people on the streets who had been witness to Tori's first heart attack.

It wasn't long before Kaylee caught wind of her sister's news and it tore the younger Hanson apart. After running away from Hicks, Kaylee found herself close to Corinth City dump. She leaned against the fence as the news finally sunk in. While she dropped to the ground, curled up in a ball, she could feel the world crashing around her.

Hayden and Samantha found their mother only a few moments after she broke down near the dump and ran over to her. Kaylee could hear their footsteps in the distance and wiped her eyes, hoping no one would know she was crying.

The two Brooks girls had heard from their father that their Aunt suffered another heart attack, putting her health in jeopardy, and were desperate to find their mother. Tori had been clear that she wanted, no, needed Kaylee, and they weren't about to let her down.

They grabbed their mother, each taking on hand, and pulled her up. They didn't give her the time, or the chance, to protest before dragging her back to the hospital.

Kaylee was kicking and screaming as they shoved her through the hospital doors but the girls didn't stop. They handed their mother over to Dustin, who then took over. He knew Tori needed to see her sister. Right now everyone else was the cause of her heart attacks. If Tori was going to relax, unwind and recover, Kaylee needed to show up.

Hayden and Samantha took a spot with their cousins. Mike and Jason were sitting as far apart as possible, glaring at each other. They hated the other, and themselves, for what happened to their mother.

Elena was sitting in the middle, trying to hide away from the world. She was still so angry with her brothers: Mike for accusing her of making her mother sick, and Jason just because she hated him in general.

Blake sat as far away from his kids as he could at this point. He knew what it was that was causing Tori all this stress. His kids weren't easy to deal with. He loved them to death, and he knew Tori did too, but with Mike being a father on his own, taking classes at the Corinth City College and being away most of the time, while Jason was the angry middle child who was still looking for the perfect balance of responsibility and fun.

Elena was no easy task. She was blind. She needed help. Corinth city was not build for the handicap and she was still very dependent on other people. After the whole incident with Jason, Tori and Blake did realise that Elena needed to learn to function on her own, and they also learned not to rely so much on Jason, which only added onto the stress for the parents. To add to it all, Elena still had yet to apologize to her brother for taking advantage of him when he was going out of his way to help her out, even when he had better and more important things to do. She was very ungrateful towards Jason because she thought she deserved special treatment.

Blake was trying to find a way to talk to him kids. He needed to choose his words carefully so Mike, Jason and Elena would understand that they did, in fact, play a role in Tori's sickness, but that it wasn't their fault it happened. He was never very good with words but after what happened between Mike and Jason when they went to visit Tori, Blake knew he had to have this talk before he could ever allow his kids to see their mother again.

Over near Tori's room, Dustin and Kaylee were standing outside. Dustin wanted Kaylee to visit her sister, but he understood how stressful it could be for Kaylee. It was also going to be stressful for Tori if Kaylee went in kicking and screaming like her entrance into the hospital.

He stood before his wife as Kaylee leaned against the wall, trying to look away. He took her hand in his gently.

"Kayl, I know you don't want to do this."

"Duh," Kaylee frowned. "I can't see her like this, Dustin…"

"I know… but… for her sake, can you please just go? Hayden and Sammy say she's been asking for you, and after her last heart attack she did nothing but beg Blake and I to get you to visit."

"I…" Kaylee turned away and shook her head. Dustin knew he was going to have to play with her emotions if he was going to get her inside the room. He grabbed her arms.

"Kayl, your big sister needs you right now," he said. "You're the only one she's asking for. She's always been there for you, whether you were sick, hurt, upset… can you please step up to the plate and be her hero this time?"

Kaylee shook her head again, "I can't, Dustin…"

"It's hard, but if you don't go see her now you'll regret this forever. If Tori does get better, you'll have to live everyday knowing you ran away from her when she needed you the most. And… in the off chance that she does die… it'll be the same deal, but Tori won't be around anymore, and you'll never get the chance to make it up to her or apologize… C'mon, Kayl, do this for her… for yourself?"

A nurse walked by Dustin and Kaylee, stopping when she saw the couple standing in front of Tori's room.

"Are you two here for Victoria Bradley?" she asked.

Dustin nodded, "My wife is."

"I'm afraid she's sleeping right now," the nurse said. "We've given her her medication and now it's important that she take it easy. The doctor suggested immediate rest and that no one bother her."

Dustin turned to the nurse, "You don't get it. Kaylee is her sister," he said. "Tori's been waiting for her since she first got here."

"Kaylee… as in commander Kaylee?" the nurse asked. Kaylee nodded slowly. The nurse took a deep breath before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, that doesn't change anything. You'll need to let Tori rest."

"She will. She'll just sit and wait," Dustin turned back to his wife, "right, Kayl? You'll go in and wait for her to wake up on her own?"

Kaylee nodded, "Yeah… I'll keep her perfectly relaxed, I promise. I don't want to do anything that would put her at risk for another heart attack."

"Alright," the nurse said, "You can go in. But only you. No one else is permitted inside Victoria's bedroom until the doctor has said otherwise, is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Dustin nodded. "I'll go wait in the waiting room."

Before he left he gave Kaylee a kiss, happy she decided to finally visit her sister.

-Afterlife-

"_How is she holding up?"_

Hayden took a deep breath, running her hand through her hair as he held the phone to her ear. Just as Flynn had said, he decided to phone her after dinner to get some updates on Tori.

"She had a second heart attack," Hayden said. She heard a gasp in the backroom and frowned. "Flynn, am I on speaker?"

"_I want updates too!" _Summer cried on the other end. _"Is Aunt Tor okay?"_

"I don't know. No one's told me she's dead yet, so I assume she's breathing and her heart's still beating. I just have no idea at what pace."

"_Well, the doctors know what they're doing," _Summer said.

"_And I got a call from David. He said he was going to be at work tomorrow. He promised to check up on Tori for you," _Flynn added. _"He might have mentioned getting a few Corinth nurses to head over to NewTech for the day so Leanne could come in as well. She's not supposed to be in town tomorrow, but giving the circumstances."_

"That might help," Hayden nodded. "Having a few familiar doctors around could help Aunt Tori stay a little more relaxed."

"_What was the cause of the second heart attack?" _Dillon asked. Hayden wasn't surprised her was interested, unlike the many other times she was discussing family matters with her cousin and husband.

Hayden glared at her three cousins from her spot.

"Still stress."

"_Speaking of stress, how are you dealing?" _Flynn asked. _"Too much stress is bad for you too, Hayden, and bad for the baby."_

"I know, Flynn," Hayden chuckled. "But right now I think I would be more stressed if I came home. And don't worry, Sammy's looking after me. She's staring at me right now because Dad just got back and he wants to head home so we can all get some sleep."

Hayden looked up at her sister and father, quickly indicating she would only be another minute. Samantha scoffed and rolled her eyes while Dustin took this one minute to go talk with Blake.

"_Alright, I trust you," _Flynn said.

"_I'm going before this gets disgustingly cute,"_ Dillon grumbled.

"_I'll head off too," _Summer said. _"Good night, Hayden."_

"Goodnight, Summer."

"_I love you," _Flynn whispered into the speaker so Dillon wouldn't have to hear him. Hayden smiled.

"I love you too. I'll be home soon. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know how everything is going."

"_Call me at work. I'll be going in. Dani's surely heard by now and we'll both need a distraction. Rest up, Hayden."_

Hayden hung up the phone and turned to her sister and father. Dustin hugged Blake goodbye, wishing him luck while he stayed overnight in the hospital with his kids.

-Afterlife-

Just as the nurse had said, Tori was fast asleep with Kaylee walked in. Carefully, the little sister pulled one of the chairs closer to the bed and sat down. She took Tori's hand in hers and kissed it.

"You wanted me here," she whispered. "I'm here."

Tori started to stir and her eyes fluttered open. Kaylee had just been about to rest her head on the side of the bed when she noticed this. She stood up, still holding her sister's hand.

Tori removed the oxygen mask, feeling she could breathe without it. She didn't care about doctor's orders. She had a heart attack, not lung failure.

"I'll be honest, I thought it would take longer for you to actually show up," Tori smiled.

Kaylee looked down at her, "How are you feeling?"

"I've never felt this weak and pathetic before," Tori sighed. "I think I'm the first Ranger ever to suffer a heart attack."

"Just don't be the first to die of one and it won't bother me as much," Kaylee said. "You really scared me."

"I know. I kind of figured when the girls told me you ran away. I'm not leaving you, Kayl."

"I always believed that until today," Kaylee breathed. She dropped in her seat, running both hands through her hair before leaning down with her elbows on the bed and her head propped up with her hands.

Tori reached over, rubbing her sister's back, "Hey, Kayl, this was just a random accident. I'll be okay… never perfect, but I still have a long time before I go."

"I've never had a wake-up call this big though," Kaylee said. "I mean… I knew you were going to die one day… but I guess I just always believed that day would come when you and I were in our 80s. We would be playing bingo together at the old people home and you would get a bingo. Just before you called it out you would die suddenly and I would steal your card and win the prize."

"You planned that?"

"I get bored," Kaylee shrugged.

"Listen to me, Kayl-Whale; you don't have to worry about me dying. It's not going to happen…"

"You're still saying that, and yet you're lying in here after suffering two heart attacks in one day!" Kaylee shouted. "Face it, Tor, we're not getting any younger. Mom and dad were around this age when they died. It could happen any time. Maybe not today… but tomorrow's always a possibility."

Tori sat up and scooted over in her bed, patting the space beside her, inviting her sister up. Kaylee crawled on and rested beside her sister, letting Tori wrap her arms around her.

"You can't think like that, brat," Tori whispered. "I'll be okay, I promise. I just need you to be here with me for a little bit. We'll talk and we'll discuss some of the changes that need to be made when I get out of here. I'm not going to like slowing down, but I also don't like the thought of me dying. For your sake, my kids' sake and my husband's sake, I'll try my best to stick to my new routine."

"What'll that be?" Kaylee asked.

"I've got to talk to Cam about getting fewer classes at the Academy," Tori said. "But I'm sure he'll be okay with that. Shane and Dustin can pick up a few extra, right?"

"Christian's starting school. Dustin will have time to get back to teaching," Kaylee nodded.

"You and I can go hang out at the beach a lot more often," Tori smiled. "I'll get the okay from the doctor to go surfing again, and we'll make it a weekly sister-date-night."

Kaylee smiled, "I like that."

"And… something will have to be done about my kids," Tori sighed. "I love them to bits, but they've been out of control lately. Blake and I are trying to discipline them but… Jason and Elena… Elena and Jason… throw Mike into the mix and they're worse than that time Thrax teamed up with the Overdrive baddies."

"Do they know this?" Kaylee asked.

"Blake knows. He'll talk to the kids… but maybe you can help?" Tori suggested. "Maybe they'll listen to their favourite Aunt Kaylee. You do get really convincing and scary when you're trying to prove a point, and I would like to think you haven't lost that protective instinct you've always had for me."

"You want me to yell at them and make them feel guilty while giving them a little bit of hope for a long and happy life with a mother by their side?" Kaylee asked. Tori chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, if you could. Let them know I love them to bits, and I would do anything for them… but if they want me around longer, they'll have to learn to tone everything down."

Kaylee nodded, "Alright. I'll do that later. Right now I have another job to do."

"Command Center?"

"Nope," Kaylee shook her head and nestled into her sister's arms. She looked up at Tori, placing her hand over her sister's eyes. "I've got to make sure you get better. Now, Doctor's orders: close your eyes, relax, and take a nice, peaceful nap."

"You know," Tori asked, keeping her eyes shut. She knew if she disobeyed the doctor's orders, Kaylee would yell at her, "I always thought that when I did have my first heart attack I would be old, and Blake would be the one resting beside me. I never thought I would share a bed with you while he took care of my 21 year old, my 14 year old and my 11 year old."

"Shh!" Kaylee hushed. "Nap time. Think of the ocean and the waves hitting the sand. Imagine the cool wind blowing gently and the sounds of the birds flying in the sky. You're sitting on your beach towel, still wet from the amazing surf you just had and you're letting the warmth from the sun dry you off."

Kaylee kissed her sister's cheek, "If not, I'll kill you myself. If you're going to die, I might as well control it."

Tori chuckled, still keeping her eyes closed, "Kayl! I'm supposed to relax, not panic."

"Laughter is the best medicine," Kaylee giggled. "Laugh and sleep, laugh and sleep. It's not that hard."

Kaylee then tried to laugh and snore at the same time. Tori couldn't see her sister's struggles, but she could hear it. She laughed, shaking her head while shoving her sister.

"You're still the weirdest little sister in the world," she said. "Now shut up and let me sleep while I'm in my peaceful place."


	124. Mattie, Marcie, Milly

Tori had been told to stay in the hospital for a few more days so the doctors could monitor her. After suffering two heart attacks in such a short period of time, no one wanted to take any chances.

The only people who were allowed to stay with Tori were Blake and the Bradley kids. The Brooks were asked to leave for a couple of hours to give Tori a little time off. Before Kaylee left though, she had a long sit down with her niece and nephews and told them to shut up and get along. She would have a longer talk with them later.

Dustin was in the kitchen, making his family breakfast that morning. It had been a long time since everyone had been home together and he wanted to sit down with his wife, daughters and son and enjoy this family moment.

Samantha was sitting on a barstool by the counter, watching her father. She trusted his cooking, in fact, he was excellent, but his head was anywhere but in the kitchen this morning.

"Eggs… where are eggs…"

"We can't have eggs… and that's the toaster dad. Please tell me you didn't put them in there."

Dustin chuckled nervously, "Right… fridge," he opened the fridge and reached in before turning to Samantha, "We can't have eggs?"

"Hayden's over her morning sickness… except when you introduce eggs," Samantha explained, "I learned that the hard way yesterday when I made her and Chris eggs for breakfast and she threw up on me."

"Something tells me this new baby might not like her Aunty Sammy," Dustin smirked, putting the eggs back in the fridge. Samantha scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away from her father.

"The baby will totally like me! I'll be fun Aunt Sammy!" Samantha turned back to the stove, where her father was cooking bacon. She watched him pull his hand away as some of the grease splashed up and hit him in the arm. She rolled her eyes and rushed over, pulling the pan off the burner. "I think they're done, dad. Hayden doesn't like them too crispy and yesterday Chris told me he doesn't even like bacon."

"He… he loves bacon," Dustin frowned.

Samantha shrugged, "Sorry, dad, not anymore. I kinda burned them yesterday."

"Burnt bacon and eggs, no wonder your sister threw up _on_ you."

"That's not funny," Samantha frowned. She pointed to the microwave, "Now, get it before it beeps again and drives me up the wall."

"Boy, you're demanding," Dustin grumbled. He opened the microwave and pulled out the bread. Samantha's jaw dropped.

"Warm bread is good, dad, but I prefer toast in the morning."

Dustin groaned, setting the plate of warm bread on the counter, "I forgot how hard it was cooking for five. It's easier when it's just me, your mom and your brother."

"Well, it might help if you cooked everything properly," Samantha chuckled. "The bacon's still good, and you just have to stick the bread in the toaster."

Dustin nodded, "Right, and there's a fruit bowl in the fridge. Do you want to pull that out for me, Angel?"

"Are you sure it's in the fridge?"

"_Are you sure it's in the fridge?_" Dustin said in a mocking tone as he glared at his daughter. "Yes, I'm sure. I put it in there before I lost my mind."

"Is it the heart attack, thing?" Samantha asked. "We're all a little crazy because of it."

"I just miss having you guys all here," Dustin smiled. "It's not often it happens. It's not often your mother's home in time. I'm just thinking way too far ahead, that's all."

"Whatever you say," Samantha chuckled. "I'll go call the others."

-Afterlife-

Scott never realised how hard it was being a single parent. He had picked up Engel from Flynn, Summer and Dillon's care the day before and had been taking care of her by himself since then. He had to give her a bath, get her in her pyjamas, read her a bedtime story, get her in bed… then back into bed when she got up, then back again when she got up a second time.

Thankfully, because of his job, Scott was up early in the morning, earlier than Engel sometimes, and today he had a few minutes peace before his step-daughter ran downstairs demanding to be fed. He had to make her a quick, easy breakfast, get her dress, get her teeth brushed, find her special hat, and get her out the door for her first day of preschool.

Scott had a new respect for his father. Raising two children on his own must not have been easy, especially considering the job he had. Scott was barely getting by on his own with one little girl, and this was only for a day.

Engel, however, wasn't helping. She wanted to go to preschool, and had been looking forward to it since the trip to the zoo, but she refused to go unless mommy drove her. The easy solution here would have been to call Samantha and ask her to pick up Engel to take her to school, but Scott didn't have the time to wait for Samantha to drive all the way home and pick up her daughter. He was already going to be late to work, and his father wasn't going to be happy about it. He would understand, but Scott knew he was going to get a lecture on being responsible and getting your priorities straight, even when the unexpected happens.

Not only that, but when Scott's co-workers were going to hear that he was late at work because he couldn't get a two year old girl into a car he would be the laughing stock at the command center.

"C'mon, kiddo," Scott begged. He was already on his knees, but only because he had to get Engel to put on her jacket, "Mommy will pick you up from school, I promise. Just please, please put on your jacket and get in the car."

Engel grabbed her special first-day-of-preschool hat and threw it to the ground, "I said no!"

"Engel, you are not the boss here…"

"Mommy is!" Engel screamed, "And mommy said she drive me to peeschool! Not going 'less she does!"

Scott groaned and picked her up, but Engel screamed and bit his arm. Scott put her back down. At least he had been able to get her two feet closer to the door. At this rate he would only be two hours late to work.

"Engel, mommy is with her mommy and daddy right now. But mommy told me that she wanted me to drive you to school."

Engel crossed her arms and glared, "Poove it, Scotty."

Scott groaned, "I don't have to prove anything… I am the parent and you are the child."

Engel shook her little head, "Not good enough. Going to my room until mommy home."

Scott grabbed Engel's arm before she walked off and picked her up again, "No you're not. You're going to school and I'm taking you there. You'll have lots of fun and mommy will pick you up when you're done."

-Afterlife-

"And then, they put baking soda inside the volcano and everything exploded! It was so cool!" Christian exclaimed, throwing his hands up as he told his family about the science experiment he saw on TV before breakfast. Samantha, Hayden and Kaylee were nodding while Dustin checked the clock.

"Shoot, bud, you need to get dressed!" he hopped out of his seat and grabbed his son's plate. "Your first day of kindergarten starts in twenty minutes."

Samantha's head suddenly dropped on the table, "Preschool…" she muttered.

Hayden turned to her, "I'm sure Scott's driving her."

"Something tells me there's going to be more dragging than driving," Kaylee chuckled as she finished clearing the plates. "The stubborn gene started with Engel ten thousand years ago, and still hasn't stopped."

"That means you're just as doomed as I am once junior comes along," Samantha smirked, poking her sister wither fork before Kaylee took it away. Hayden frowned.

"Maybe the stubborn gene will end with Engel," she said.

"Please, you were the most stubborn of all," Kaylee laughed. "You were two weeks late and when you finally did choose to come out, you still refused to come. Leanne practically had to pull you out."

Hayden frowned, "How…"

"We'll save that story for another day," Kaylee frowned. "Maybe after you've had had your first child."

"Before mom accidentally lets it slip how about we get ready to go, Hay," Samantha said. "The stores are going to open up soon, and I want to take you out and buy you the very best toy for my little niece. I will be the fun Aunt if it kills me."

Hayden nodded, "Fine, but we're stopping by the garage on the way home. I want to say hi to Flynn."

"Phones were invented for that reason."

"Two against one, sorry fun aunt, this baby wants to see her daddy."

Samantha grumbled as she headed for the stairs, "Sometimes I wish I was pregnant."

"Don't shop for too long," Kaylee called after her daughters while Dustin and Christian rushed down the stairs and out the door, "Christian's only got a half day of school and then we're all going for ice cream to celebrate his first day at school and my future granddaughter!"

Kaylee hugged her son and wished him luck on his first day before turning to Dustin, "I never thought I would have that kind of celebration…"

"Hey, in four years we'll be going out for ice cream again!" Dustin smirked. "I can't wait!"

"C'mon, daddy! I don't want to be late!" Christian called, pulling on his father's hand. Dustin chuckled, kissing Kaylee before running out the door with his son.

-Afterlife-

"Look at how cute this is!" Samantha cooed, holding up a small pink dress she thought would be perfect for her niece. Hayden looked at it and frowned.

"She'll get a lot of dresses… and clothes… do you really think she'll need more?"

"She'll star like as a baby, Hay. You never know what might happen to their clothes. I remember Engel threw up on all her dresses and shirts."

"I guess you're right," Hayden nodded. "I just think that if we keep getting clothes, she'll have one of everything before she's born. We might as well start picking out her prom dress."

Samantha chuckled, putting the pink dress in her basket, "Don't be silly, Hayden. We'll have to wait at least until April before we can start shopping for her prom dress. Anyways, shopping for baby clothes is cute. Look at those tiny shoes!"

As Samantha rushed over to the shoes, Hayden rolled her eyes. She loved shopping for her baby when she was with Flynn. Shopping with Samantha was another story entirely. It was the first time Samantha was going to be an Aunt to a baby girl and she wanted to go all out.

"You go pick up two pairs of shoes, max," Hayden said. "I'm going to see if I can find a bathroom anywhere in this mall. Someone's got to tell this kid that my bladder is not a toy."

"I'll be right here when you get back," Samantha said, waving her sister off as she looked at the many teeny, tiny shoes on display and thought about the tiny little baby feet that would fit inside.

Hayden left the store to find a washroom. She knew there were some located by the food court, she just hoped she would make it on time. She rushed up the escalator and followed the smell of food, very thankful her sense of smell was heightened thanks to the pregnancy.

There was a long hallway leading to the washrooms and Hayden rushed as quickly as she could. As she turned a corner, she stopped to figure out which washroom was hers, and which was the men's. That's when she heard a toilet flushing and a man walking out of the washroom to join up with his girlfriend who was waiting for him just outside the washroom. Hayden was about to walk right by them when the woman grabbed her arm.

"Hey, look who it is! Mattie, isn't this just a nice little surprise."

Hayden groaned, "Oh, no… seriously? Now, guys? I have to pee."

"I heard about your aunt," Mattie said while Marcie let go of Hayden's arm. Hayden thought it futile to try running into the bathroom. Marcie wouldn't have a problem following her, and she had an odd feeling Mattie would ignore the _girls only_ rule and would march right in. She leaned against the wall and placed her hands over her stomach, hoping that would keep the creepy couple from touching her again. Mattie leaned in closer to her, "I heard she had a heart attack. The poor woman must have been terrified."

Hayden frowned, "Thanks for the concern, but what happens to my aunt is personal. I don't like people snooping around in my family's business."

"You know, now heart attacks are present in your family," Marcie pointed out. "You could be at risk of having one."

"Or your baby," Mattie added. Hayden frowned.

"My baby will be perfectly fine… I'll be perfectly fine. I'm a healer. The chances of me, or my daughter, getting a heart attack are very slim."

"It's a girl?" Marcie squealed, grabbing Mattie's hand, "Oh, I've always wanted a girl! I've thought of so many names already."

"Good for you," Hayden frowned. "Go have your own."

"We can't," Mattie sighed. "We're infertile. We'll never have our own child."

"So there is a god," Hayden muttered.

"So, how far along are you now?"

Hayden glared suspiciously at the couple, "Six months."

"You're getting so big!" Marcie giggled, touching Hayden's stomach. "Have you seen the doctor lately? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Hayden grumbled. "Geez, will you two get off my back? I don't even know you!"

"Are you sure everything's okay? When was the last time you went to the doctor?" Mattie asked.

Hayden pushed the two away, "Leave me alone."

"We just want to make sure the baby's going to be born healthy," Marcie said. "We wouldn't want to take care of a little sickly baby."

"You won't be taking care of anyone," Hayden shouted, pushing the couple away as they approached her again. Mattie grabbed her wrists and pushed her into the washroom while Marcie grabbed a sign from the nearby janitor's closet and set it down in front of the door.

_Washroom closed for maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience._

-Afterlife-

Tori was finding the hospital to be full of bullshit. First, they kicked Kaylee, Dustin and the girls out because there were too many visitors and they thought Tori needed rest, and now they were telling her that her husband and children weren't allowed to visit for the next few days to keep her stress levels down.

Her kids did stress her out, but not as much as the hospital was right now. If she didn't get a chance to see them again soon, she might fake her own death just to get out of here.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Tori rolled over in her bed, afraid it might be one of the nurses coming in the check her blood pressure, again. There was a reason it kept going up. The nurses and doctors, David and Leanne included, were pissing her off. If they left her alone, let her see her family, and maybe fed her some decent food that didn't look like something someone spit up, maybe it would go back to normal.

"The nurse said we could come in," Tori heard a familiar voice say. She looked up from her pillow and noticed Lily, Casey and a little baby. Tori furrowed her brow.

"I thought I wasn't allowed guests."

"Apparently only family isn't allowed," Casey smirked. "We're not family."

Tori rolled over, "Alright, I'll take it. Who is this little guy, then?"

Lily handed her grandson over to Tori, "This is Joey. He was born right before you had your heart attack."

"Attack_s_," Casey corrected. Lily elbowed him in the ribs.

"He's so cute," Tori cooed, bouncing him slightly. "Hey, little guy. What brings you back to the hospital so early? Can't stay away?"

"The doctors thought he might help with your blood pressure," Casey said. "A little stress relief, considering he's not yours and he's as quiet as can be."

"Where's Heather?"

"In the car with Fran and Dom," Lily chuckled. "She fell asleep and Joey was wide awake. This little guy is going to keep everyone on their toes when he starts moving around."

"Fran and Dom are here?" Tori frowned. "How many people did you bring?"

"Just them. When we heard what happened to you we carpooled together from NewTech. They were already visiting the new baby when we heard. And, Kira wants to know how you're doing and wanted to tell you she wished she could be here but she's got work to do."

"Tell Kira I'm doing fine," Tori smiled. "And tell Heather she's not getting her baby back. He's a lot quieter than my kids."

"Where are they?" Casey asked. "I thought we might run into them outside, but they're nowhere to be found."

"Apparently Kaylee's got the house to herself at the moment, so when the doctors kicked everyone out, Blake decided to take them all there. Mike, Jase and Elle are going to get an earful from their Aunt," Tori explained. Just then, little Joey started to cry. Tori immediately handed him back to his grandmother (one thing she loved about kids that weren't hers was that she could always give them back when she didn't want to deal with their crying or whining). Lily sighed.

"He's probably hungry. C'mon, Case, we'll take him back to the car. Fran and Dom must be dying to see you anyways, Tor."

Tori smiled, "Tell them not to stay too long or the stress police might come in and kick them out like they've done to everyone else."

"You just focus on getting better," Casey laughed. "You'll be out of here in no time."

-Afterlife-

Hayden woke up and found herself lying in the bathroom stall on the dirty floor. She looked around for Mattie and Marcie but didn't see them. She pushed herself up, holding her stomach carefully, and walked out of the stall. She looked around again. The bathroom was empty except for a string of toilet paper stuck to one of the mirrors. Hayden ripped it off and saw a message had been written on it in lipstick.

_Well, so far everything's okay with the baby. We'll be back in a few days to check up on her again. You know how unpredictable mutant babies can be, and a healthy baby is a happy baby!_

_Mattie and Marcie._

_PS: We like the name Milly. We'll put it on her birth certificate when she's born. Whatever name you and Flynn were thinking of can be her middle name. That way she'll always remember who her birth parents were._

Hayden felt a sick feeling in her stomach. She rushed out of the bathroom, tripping over the maintenance sign as she did and ran across the mall to find her sister.

Mattie and Marcie wanted her baby.


	125. Changes

Hayden sat, shivering in her seat, as the doctor finished looking her over. She couldn't believe what happened with Mattie and Marcie. She had woken up, terrified, on the bathroom floor and discover a note that they left, claiming they were going to take her daughter. They had done something to her to check the baby's health, and though Hayden was a healer, she couldn't trust Mattie and Marcie as far as she could throw them. She had rushed to Samantha and told her older sister the full story. Samantha didn't hesitate to get her sister to a doctor, any doctor, so long as they had a real degree.

The doctor pulled away from Hayden, placing her stethoscope back around her neck. She grabbed her notes and the chart and walked out of the room, without saying a word. Hayden turned to her older sister.

Samantha got up from her seat and walked over to Hayden. She climbed up on the medical bench and sat beside her sister, holding her close.

"If you want, you and Flynn can move in with Scott and I, just until the baby is born," she said.

Hayden shook her head, "I don't want to hide."

"Does it matter what you want?" Samantha asked. "You need to think about Adeline or Victoria or whatever you're going to call the baby girl. I know you're going to hate to hear this, but your daughter is already in danger."

"Can you and Scott move in with me?" Hayden shifted in her sister's arms so she was looking up at Samantha with pleading eyes. Samantha squeezed her sister and shook her head.

"Sorry, kiddo, I can't make a move like that. I have to think about Engel. Inviting you into our home is one thing; bringing my daughter into your home is another."

"You let her stay with us when you were in the hospital," Hayden said.

"But then you weren't being attacked by the loony couple."

"You don't want to help?"

Samantha sighed, "Of course I do… it's one of the reasons I put Engel in school. I'll visit you every day if I have to and I'll keep you safe, I promise, but I'm not putting my daughter into a position where she'll have to face Mattie and Marcie again."

"Okay…" Hayden breathed sadly as the doctor returned.

-Afterlife-

"I don't know why we have to be here," Elena grumbled as she sat on her Aunt's couch. Her father had taken her and her brothers to visit their Aunt Kaylee once the hospital told them to leave. Blake had told his kids that their Aunt wanted to talk with them about their mother's condition.

They had already gotten a bit of a talk, and all three kids thought that was the end of it. But the tension in the room made them change their minds as soon as they walked in. They could see that Kaylee wasn't happy.

Truth be told, Kaylee wasn't unhappy. But since her daughters had left for the mall, and Dustin was driving Christian to school, she had time to think about what she was going to tell her niece and nephews. She had researched some causes of a heart attack, focusing mostly on stress and high blood pressure. She knew from the doctor they had been two of the main causes of Tori's heart attack.

The high blood pressure was something Tori was going to have to learn to keep under control on her own, but managing her stress was something she needed help with. The whole family had to be in on this if they wanted Tori to live a long and happy life.

After her research, Kaylee began to think about Tori's life. She realised the stress she put on her sister, especially after her parents passed away, and made a promise to herself to pull away a little. She knew there were still some areas of her life where she was dependant on Tori and Kaylee wanted to break away from that as soon as possible. Kaylee could learn to live on her own, but she could never learn to live without Tori.

Blake was also going to have to change his lifestyle. He spent many hours at the track, either riding with his old team, or coaching his team of future stars. He usually got home rather late, leaving Tori to do most of the housework and take care of the kids. The load had been a little lighter since Mike moved out, but that also meant there was one less person around to help with everything that still needed to be done. Kaylee had talked with Blake when he first arrived, and he agreed whole heartedly that things needed to change.

When Kaylee was done with herself and Blake, she focused on the bigger part of Tori's life. Her three kids. Mike had moved out, but still came home frequently to visit his parents and his siblings. Like all brothers, Mike and Jason fought a lot, and about everything, but they also got along really well. There was really only one area where the two boys could never agree, and that was Elena.

Mike was protective of his youngest sibling; he was protective of everyone in his family. But Elena was a different story. She was blind, and it was because of him. He felt it was his duty to make sure that despite her handicap, she live a normal life. He was always more than happy to help her out with whatever she needed when she was home, and he couldn't understand why Jason complained and whined about it all the time. He couldn't stand Jason's negative attitude around their baby sister and it drove him crazy. When Jason decided to pick on, or tease, or irritate Elena, Mike always saw it as him being mean simply for the sake of being mean and ran to his sister's defence, throwing back the insults and belittling his little brother until Jason ran away.

Jason was an angry little soul, but not because he wanted to be. His big brother was a hero; his little sister was an Angel. He had talked about this with his parents, and they had made huge changes for him. He was happy with them, and very happy his parents were able to bend backwards, even a little bit for them. However, Elena had yet to apologize for her behaviour, and she refused to do so. While Mike, and the rest of the world saw Elena as an innocent angel, Jason saw her as an ungrateful, spoiled little princess who believed she was a privilege to the world, and she deserved to have someone serving her at all times because she was blind and couldn't help herself. Jason found she was playing the blind card too often and was tired of it. She needed to learn to live on her own, and she was never going to get that if he continued to baby her. So he pulled away, but that didn't make things better. He tried treating her like a regular little sister. He picked on her constantly. Unfortunately, neither Elena, nor Mike would have it. Jason would get yelled at and scolded by his siblings when he was just trying to do the right thing.

Kaylee had to admit, at first she didn't think Elena was a major cause of stress for Tori, aside from the blindness which couldn't be helped. But Kaylee continued to investigate. She felt mean for doing it, but she wanted to find something bad about all three kids; something they all needed to change. Mike has his attitude and Jason picked on Elena whenever he had the chance. Kaylee needed to find something wrong with Elena.

When she looked over the information she collected herself on Mike and Jason, she noticed the common factor was Elena. Already that could be something Kaylee could bring up, but it wasn't enough. Kaylee looked into her findings a little more and discovered something she found disturbing.

Elena was playing two sides, and her brothers were falling for it.

It was a trait she must have inherited from Kaylee. Being the youngest, she loved to watch her older siblings squirm. Kaylee did it with Tori, Kira, Kelly and Leanne. It was fun watching her sisters bicker on for hours. Kaylee would stretch the truth, or make up a full on lie, and watch as two, three, or all four of her older sisters tried to fight out their non-existent problems until they linked everything back to Kaylee.

Though Kaylee had been a sneak and mean at times, she had never been hurtful. She never lied about anything that would tear her sisters apart, or would cause them to fight for hours. She would lie about Kira hiding Tori's wetsuit, when really, she was the one who did it, or she would tell Leanne that Kelly smashed her Thunder Ninja graduate trophy when she had simply hidden in it Tori's bedroom. Eventually Kaylee would come out with the truth, and her sisters would laugh (sometimes eventually took a little longer than Kaylee hoped, but it always happened).

Elena was hurting someone. Kaylee knew it wasn't Mike. Mike had his own life; his own family. He had a beautiful daughter, a promising future, good grades in his college classes and soon he would have a beautiful wife.

That left Jason. It was the obvious answer after Jason brought up the subject not too long ago. He felt he didn't have a life. Things had changed between Jason and his parents, but they only got worse between Jason and Elena. She had been so mad that he tried to change her life she started leaning on him more and more to make sure he wasn't going to leave. It had gone unnoticed by everyone, until right now.

Kaylee glared at her niece, making everyone in the room uncomfortable. Even Elena, who couldn't see the evil eyes, was afraid of what might happen next.

"You, missy, are going to sit down, shut up and listen," she growled. Elena gulped and moved back farther into the couch.

"Are we in trouble?" Jason asked.

Blake shrugged his shoulders, "Not really trouble… but we do want to have a long talk with the three of you."

"It's about mom, isn't it?" Mike said. "You're going to tell these two the truth, aren't you?"

"Michael…" Blake warned, but Kaylee hushed him.

"No, the kid has a point. I am going to tell Jase, Elle _and_ Mike the truth," Kaylee pointed her look at her niece and nephews again. "The truth is: this family is killing your mother."

"I knew it!" Mike shouted, jumping up from the couch and pointing to his siblings. "I told you. You guys seriously need to chill out… Jason."

"It's not my fault!" Jason screamed. Kaylee shook her head and grabbed Mike's shoulder, squeezing it tight. She pulled him over to a chair on the other side of the room and threw him in it before leaning over.

"You're going to sit down, shut up and listen, got it?" she whispered so no one else would hear. "You are as much to blame as everyone else in this room."

"What did we do?" Elena asked. Blake turned to Kaylee. She had been the one to figure this all out, and, quite frankly, he was positive his kids would listen to her a lot better than they would him. Kaylee could be very persuasive and scary when she was trying to get her point across.

Kaylee began by pointing to herself, "I'm going to stop calling Tori every time I have a problem I can't fix right away. She's my sister, and she'll always be around to help me, but I'm forty-three years old! It's about time I learn to take care of myself or lean on the man I married, instead of Tori."

Kaylee turned to Blake. He took a deep breath, "I'm half retiring. I'm not going to spend all my time at the track. I'm going to hire someone to pick up where I'm going to leave off when I'm not around, that way Factory Blue can still continue on, but I can be home more often with you kids and your mother."

"Okay… so what's the point?" Mike asked, crossing his arms.

"The point is: we're all going to make sacrifices, big sacrifices. Your father is giving up his dream and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm going to pull away from your mother, which really scares me. You kids are giving something up as well."

"Not my dolls!" Elena cried, hugging the doll she had with her.

"They won't take your stupid dolls," Jason groaned. Elena shoved him, very unhappy. Jason, never one to back down from a challenge, shoved her right back. Elena gave in and let out a loud scream.

Mike hopped out of his seat, "Jason, for the love of god, quit it! She's just a kid!"

"What?" Jason gasped, his jaw dropping to the ground, "She… she started…"

"ENOUGH!" Kaylee screamed, pushing Mike back into his seat, pulling Jason away from Elena and ripping away Elena's doll all at the same time. She looked at her sister's kids. "Kids, I love you but… Mike, get out."

"What?" Mike frowned. "Why do I have to leave?"

"You're getting out of here and you're not coming back until you learn to behave like a good older brother, to both your siblings. No more choosing sides just because Elena's blind. Jason's already got one father to yell at him, he doesn't need his older brother to do it too."

"You're taking his side?" Mike frowned. "Seriously? The kid's a monster!"

"Out!" Kaylee shouted. Mike crossed his arms, turning to his gaze to his father. Surely Blake wasn't going to force him to leave.

However, it seemed there was going to be a blue moon tonight. Blake nodded, agreeing with Kaylee, as he pointed to the door. Mike got out of his seat, defeated.

"We're not kicking you away, Mike," Blake said to his oldest son before he walked away, "We're separating you from the others. Until you learn to control yourself, not to blame your brother and baby your sister, you're not going to be here to make things worse. I love you, son, but things need to change and fast."

"Whatever," Mike scoffed, slamming the door behind him as he left.

"One down," Jason muttered. He knew he was next. Everything always went in birth order in this family.

Kaylee turned to him, "You," she said, "From now on there will be no picking on your sister. No teasing, taunting, torturing, ignoring or anything! Yes, she's your little sister, and I get she's a pain in your ass, but all this nonsense has got to stop. From now on you'll behave properly around her, and when she asks for your help, you are going to listen and you are going to do your best to help her out, no matter what, understood."

"What?" Jason gasped, jumping up, much like his brother had. "But we already talked about this! She's sucking the life out of me, Aunt Kaylee! I want… I need to grow up and hang with my…"

"We get it, Jason," Blake said, "drop the pity party. Yes, you are your own person, but your little sister is still blind. She will always need your help and it sucks, but you will always be putting your life on hold to help her."

"Are you kidding me?" Jason grumbled. "This is so stupid."

Elena turned to her brother, "Ha-ha!"

Kaylee placed her hand on Elena's shoulders, "I wouldn't laugh, missy. You have the biggest change of all."

"I can take it," Elena smirked. "I'm not a wimp like my brothers."

Kaylee tucked Elena's hair behind her ears, "Good, because you are a beautiful, smart, resourceful, clever, strong and very independent young lady," Elena was beaming brightly at her Aunt's compliments, until suddenly she felt her Aunt smack her gently, but firmly over the head, "So start acting like it!" she yelled.

Elena pulled away, "Ow…"

Blake stepped in, "What your aunt is trying to say is that you've got to learn to grow up. Jason's your older brother, but he's not your servant, and Mike's not your body guard. They aren't going anywhere and they will always help you, but you have to learn to treat them both with respect."

"Stop playing them against each other. Don't get Jason all riled up against you and then run off to Mike to protection. Brothers fight enough, they don't need you helping them," Kaylee added.

"So, until you realise that you can live a normal life, without help, you're not going to get any. From now on, until I say otherwise, neither Jason, nor Mike, nor Aunt Kaylee, nor I are going to help you."

"But I could hurt myself!" Elena shouted.

"Fall down, bleed, cry, get lost… that's life, princess," Kaylee said, trying not to sound too mean. After all, no eleven year old should be expected to learn to live on their own at this speed, especially given the circumstances surrounding Elena. "When it's all over, you'll learn you don't need your parents, Mike or Jason as much as you thought you did. Everyone will be happier."

"This sucks," Elena pouted. "Why should we all agree to do this?"

"It's called tough love," Blake said. "And if you kids want your mother to be around, you're going to try your best to make life for her, and everyone else, much easier."

-Afterlife-

"What do you mean they want our baby?" Flynn asked, putting down his toolbox. Samantha had dropped Hayden off at the garage before leaving to pick Engel up from preschool and Hayden had just told Flynn everything. From Mattie and Marcie wanting her baby, to her trip to the doctor's, she left nothing out.

"They told me they were infertile," Hayden said, tugging at her sleeves nervously. "They want a kid… but they can't have one."

"It's called adoption," Dani said. "Look it up."

"I don't think an agency would consider the psychos as adoptive parents. Engel was terrified before she knew they were bad news. I would suicide if they were my parents," Hayden whispered.

Flynn walked around the counter and pulled his wife in his arms. He touched her stomach, keeping their daughter safe in his arms as well.

"No one's getting her," he whispered. "I'll make sure of it."

"I know," Hayden said, nestling into his arms. "Samantha's offered for us to hide out at her place until the baby's born."

"Anything you want to do," Flynn nodded. "I want you to feel safe. If you don't feel safe, I don't feel safe."

"I said no," Hayden told him. "I want to finish the nursery, and I want the baby's first home to be our home, not her Aunt Sammy's… and I don't want her to be born in hiding."

"Sam, Scott and Engel can move in," Flynn smiled. "Dillon and Summer just left, so it's not like we're have to adjust to having guests."

"Sammy doesn't want to put Engel in danger," Hayden sighed. "I told her I understood."

"I'd offer to move in with you guys," Dani said, "But Greg's happy here. I don't want to move him around again."

"He's a husband, not a kid," Hayden chuckled very softly, "You don't have to give a damn about how he feels."

"Thanks, lass," Flynn frowned. Hayden looked up at him.

"I mean… in their situation. I obviously care a lot about how you feel."

"You're lucky that's my child growing in there," Flynn said, touching Hayden's stomach again. Hayden bit her lower lip. Flynn chuckled, kissing her cheek before turning back to Dani, "Anyways, thanks for the offer, but Hayden's right. I don't want my daughter to be born in hiding, or over protected."

Flynn wrapped his arms around Hayden, "Tell you what," he whispered to her, thought made sure it was loud enough for Dani to hear, "We're going to live our lives like we normally would: at home, as man, wife and future-child. But we will be safe."

"Take Braveheart," Dani suggested. "The dog's as loyal and protective as Mike. If Mattie and Marcie try anything, you know Braveheart's going to do anything he can to stop them. He may be a playful, friendly dog, but you should have seen how hard he tried to protect me when Greg couldn't find his way out of the blankets and started chasing after me…"

"Dani's right," Flynn said. "We'll take the dog home. Whenever you go out, you can take him with you… and he can sleep in our room with us, if it helps. I know I would feel safer."

Hayden nodded, "That's a good idea."

"And the dog is smart," Flynn added. "The moment he finds out you're pregnant, he'll want to protect you and follow you everywhere, especially when I can't be there."

"Great!" Dani chirped, rushing to the back to get the dog. As she brought him out to the front, she smiled, "I love him as much as anything, but he and Greg don't get along. Not since Braveheart jumped him when he was naked. Talk about awkward."

Dani put Braveheart's leash in Hayden's hands. Braveheart, curious as to who was holding him, looked up. He wagged his tail happily when he noticed it was Hayden. She hadn't held his leash and taken him out a long time and prepared to jump.

Suddenly, he stopped. He noticed there was something different about her. He put his two front paws back on the ground and stood beside her loyally.

Flynn smiled, "I don't know about you, lass, but I feel like our daughter is safer already."

Hayden touched her stomach; "Yeah…" she knelt down to scratch Braveheart behind the ears: "You're a good dog, aren't you? You're not going to let anything happen to the baby, are you?"

Braveheart sat down before his master obediently as his eyes looked around the room. He was in charge of protecting his pack.


	126. Bradley Boys

_Author's Note: Just wanted to thank Neo Aguni for helping me out with this chapter and for the idea involving Jason._

To say Fran and Dom were relieved to see Tori was healthy was an understatement. When they first heard the news that their friend had suffered not one, but two heart attacks, both the Hargans believed they were going to go into shock.

Fran had become friends with Tori back in 2008, when Tori and Kira started helping out at Jungle Karma Pizza as part time employees. Both former Rangers were really worried about Kaylee and wanted to keep an eye on her. However, because they were both pregnant, Kaylee wasn't going to let them take part in any battles, so the two girls remained on the sidelines and bonded with Fran. Before Fran knew the Ranger secret, she strongly believed that Tori and Kira were her only true friends. They never ran off in the middle of work like Casey, Theo and Lily did, and they never abandoned her. There were the few exceptions, but Fran never counted those because she believed that Tori and Kira were having pregnancy problems.

Dominic and Tori had the chance to bond at the wedding. Because Fran had been such good friends with Tori she invited the surfer to her wedding. Dominic wanted to get to know Fran's friends a lot better, namely because she knew the few friends he had before meeting her. Both the Rhino and the Water Ninja got to talking about their academies and the differences between Pai Zhuq and Ninja schools, and they found they hit it off pretty well for two people who had practically been strangers before the wedding.

By now they had covered all the questions they wanted to ask Tori about her health. _"What did the doctor say? How are you feeling? When are they going to discharge you? Enjoying the hospital food?"_ Fran and Dom knew they only had a few minutes left before the nurses kicked them out, though they didn't want to leave. Whenever they would hear footsteps in the hall, all three of them would quiet down and stop moving in hopes that the nurse would think the room was empty save for Tori, and walk away.

The footsteps continued down the hall and Dom let out his breath, "Alright, girls, this game is fun, but do we really have to play? Sooner or later we're going to get kicked out."

"Stupid nurses," Tori grumbled. "They're so freaking strict about my double heart attack. I swear, Kaylee paid them to give me special care…"

"I doubt she did that," Fran chuckled. "She's not even allowed to visit you. The front desk has a list of people who have already come to see you."

"We had to sign in on two forms," Dom told Tori. "A sign-in sheet _and_ a sheet for the nurses so they can keep track of who's been in here."

"I can't wait until they let me out of here," Tori said, dropping her head back into her pillow. "I am never coming back. Even if I have another heart attack, they'll treat me at home."

"Was it painful?" Fran asked. She wanted to know. She had never falling ill before, at least, not enough to get into the hospital. It freaked her out to see Tori in bed like this. The blonde wasn't much older than she was, and she was at least twice as athletic and healthy. Fran would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about the tables turning and her being in the bed, or even Dominic. It scared her to death to imagine herself in this situation.

"It really did hurt," Tori nodded. "I kinda felt like I was going to die."

"Thank God for Dillon, then," Dom smiled. "We heard he was the one who brought you here?"

"We met up on the streets when I had my heart attack," Tori said. "Let me tell you, I've never loved a nephew in-law more than I love Dillon right now."

"I'm sure Flynn, Greg and Scott will be pleased to hear that," Fran chuckled. Tori gave her a look.

"Hey, when they save my life, they can be my favourites," she said. "But right now I'm team Dillon."

"What happened to Edward?" Fran chuckled. Tori stuck her tongue out and Dominic cringed. Fran had read the _Twilight _books when they were popular and she loved them. Dominic had to sit through all her rants and all the movies. It was the first time in his life he wished that Fran's love of books would disappear.

Tori pointed her fingers to her head, like a gun, and pretended to shoot. Fran smirked.

"They weren't that bad," she said. "You didn't even read them."

"Anyways!" Dom called loudly, wanting to change the subject, "The paint in here is a beautiful colour? What shade of beige is this?"

-Afterlife-

Reality couldn't have hit Jason any harder than it had during his father and Aunt's tough love speech. He thought he had settled the argument with Elena's blindness a while back, but it had come up again and he felt like he was back to square one. To make matters worse, once the talk had been done, Blake and Kaylee had walked away and Elena turned on him. She started yelling at him because this was his fault. If he hadn't started complaining about helping her, she wouldn't be forced to depend on herself.

This irked Jason in two ways. First of all, Elena was blaming him for her treating him like a seeing-eye dog, and second, Elena was so self-centered. Their mother was in the hospital and all Elena could think about was herself and how hard this was going to be for her. He hadn't taken the time or effort to fight back. He had had enough. Before Kaylee or Blake could rush back in and start yelling, Jason was out the door and wandering the streets again, fuming.

-Afterlife-

Braveheart loved being taken on walks. He loved pulling his master along and smelling everything possible.

Today, however, he didn't want to do anything except walk at his master's side and look around, making sure no one would jump his master.

Hayden was taking him for a walk home from the Garage while Flynn drove beside them in the car. Flynn thought it was important for Hayden to start walking Braveheart as soon as possible so he could adapt to his master being pregnant. Braveheart had quickly taken the role of guard dog and had taken it seriously. At one point, he even gave Flynn and Hayden a quick chuckle when a squirrel got to close to Hayden and he chased it away.

Flynn finally needed to turn left at the light, but it was red. Hayden and Braveheart were already walking on the left side of the sidewalk, so they had an easy turn to make. Hayden was going to wait for the light to change for Flynn, but he waved them off. They weren't far from home, and Flynn could watch them for quite a while still as he waited for the light.

As Hayden and Braveheart turned the corner, the dog suddenly started to growl. Hayden thought maybe Mattie and Marcie were coming closer, so she held on tighter to the leash. Her heart began to race until Mike stepped around the corner. Braveheart starting barking, but didn't jump. He knew Michael's scent and knew he could trust Mike, he was just warning the older boy that Hayden was off limits.

"Braveheart, calm," Hayden told him, pulling on his leash slightly before looking up at Mike. She noticed the look of frustration on his face and frowned. "Hey, what's up? Is Aunt Tori okay?"

Mike looked at his cousin before shaking his head, "What? Yeah… it's not that."

"Are you okay?"

"Your mother just kicked me out of my own family!" Mike shouted. Braveheart began barking again so Hayden pulled on his leash, telling him to quiet down. Mike was okay, even when he did get aggressive.

"She kicked you out of the family?" Hayden frowned.

"No, not _the _family, as in our full blood family, but _my_ family! Mom, dad, Jason, Elena and me, family. The one she doesn't even belong to!"

"She can do that?"

"Dad agreed with her!"

"Why did they do that?" Hayden frowned. "What did you do that deserved being shunned from your own little family by an outsider?"

"I'm a bad older brother," Mike said. "I pick sides and I pick on my brother and sister."

Mike looked back at Hayden, waiting for her to defend him, but she furrowed her brow and shrugged. His eyes widened.

"No, Hay! Are you seriously going to take their side?"

"You have been picking on Jason a lot lately," Hayden said. "And you did blame them for your mom's heart attack. When I first heard about it, I thought you would be in the waiting room with Elena on your lap and you would be talking to Jason, telling him everything would be okay."

Mike scoffed, "Yeah, whatever Hayden."

"Seriously, Mike!" Hayden nodded. "I don't blame you for getting mad, and I think kicking you out was a little much, but I was very surprised by your behaviour. I've never seen you and your family so broken up before."

"We're not broken up."

"Not like other families, but Aunt Tori's heart attack did something to you guys," Hayden said. Flynn pulled up on the street and parked right beside the two cousins. He stepped out of his car and walked over.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Your wife, my cousin, thinks I'm a terrible human being."

"I never said that, Michael!" Hayden frowned. "I said something's changed. The heart attack brought something to light."

"Yeah, that I'm really a monster," Mike growled. He gave Hayden the finger before brushing past her, purposely bumping into her as he walked away, "Fuck you, Hayden."

Hayden let out a frustrated groan as she turned to watch him leave. Braveheart looked up at her, almost begging she unclip his leash and let him run after Mike. Hayden shook her head and Braveheart took a seat, watching as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Stupid Bradleys," she grumbled. "Stupid heart attack. Stupid rage. Stupid stupid stuff."

-Afterlife-

Jason groaned loudly as he collapsed on a park bench and starting pounding his fist against his forehead, trying to make sense of everything. He wished his mother never had the heart attack, and he wished his sister had never been blind. He even wished Mike had never been a Power Ranger and that Venjix never took over the world. Times were simpler when he was simply the middle child.

Just when Jason was about to act like he was hanging himself, he noticed someone taking a seat next to him. He turned to face that person but was suddenly caught in a bear hug.

"I'm so sorry," he heard someone say. Looking down, he noticed a mass of red hair. He pulled the person away and looked at her.

"What are you doing here, Maddie?" he asked. Madeline glanced up.

"First day of High School," she told him. "Classes are all boring and easy. I decided to skip the afternoon. I guess you're not in school for a good reason."

"Mom just had a heart attack," Jason nodded. "The teachers can screw themselves if they think I'm coming in."

"Yeah, I heard," Maddie sighed. "Don't worry; I'm in all your classes. This morning I told the teachers what was going on."

"You're in my classes?" Jason asked. He was a little surprised. He and Maddie lived in two different cities. She was in NewTech, he lived in Corinth. Surely NewTech had their own High School she could attend.

"Yeah," Maddie nodded. "Ever since Heather graduated, there hasn't been anyone school aged in NewTech. Hannah, you, Elena and Christian are all here, and you all get to spend time together, so I begged mom and dad to sign me up in Corinth High. They fell for it. No one here knows me, so whenever class gets too boring and easy, I can skip."

"You remember your mom works here part-time, right?" Jason frowned. Maddie nodded.

"Yeah. When classes end I'm going to stop by and say hi to her. Tell her about my day. I think she'll like that," Maddie smiled. She looked Jason in the eye sympathetically as she asked the next question, "How is your mother doing? My mom told me she had two heart attacks."

Jason shrugged, "She'll live."

"Oh," Maddie expected more of a response from Jason. If she learned her mother survived two heart attacks she would have given more emotion than a simple shrug. She leaned in closer to Jason, "Are _you_ okay?"

"No."

"Want to talk about it?" she asked. "I know boys don't talk about their feelings, but you have to trust a girl on this, it really helps you feel better."

"No."

"Oh," Maddie breathed. She pulled away and sat beside Jason awkwardly for a few moments. Suddenly, she glanced at her watch. It was almost 2:30 and classes were almost done. She could start heading towards the hospital. She looked back at Jason, "I'm going to visit my mom now, want to come with me?"

"I'm not allowed in the hospital," Jason said. "The doctors think my presence is bad for my mom, like I'm going to kill her or something."

"Okay… well, we don't have to go," Maddie said. "We can just visit my mom. I think she's working in the maternity ward today. We can stop by the baby museum section and laugh at the funny looking babies."

Jason turned to her, "That's mean."

"But funny," Maddie giggled. "And they're just babies, they don't care. Mom tells me all babies are born a little ugly. It takes a few weeks before they really hit the adorable stage. If you've seen Joey, you'll believe me. I don't get why everyone thinks he's cute as can be."

"Can we stop for ice-cream on the way?" Jason asked, pulling out his wallet and flashing Kaylee's credit card. "I took it when I left my house. She deserves it after the way she yelled at me."

Maddie chuckled, "Okay, but we can't tell my mom. She'll make me do the right thing."

"And that disgusts you?"

"Do you have the money to pay for ice-cream?" Maddie asked, pulling out her pockets to show Jason they were empty. He reached into his own pockets and shook his head.

"No."

"Then shh," Maddie chuckled. She grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him along, "C'mon, it'll be fun!"


	127. Braveheart's Duty

Madeline knew exactly where her mother's office was located and easily found her way through the maze off hallways and rooms, after only visiting the hospital once. She had memorized it instantly, without really trying and though it had been a while, she remembered every detail of the walk from the front door to her mother's office.

She knocked on the door, hoping for a response. This was normally where her mother hung out when she wasn't in surgery or dealing with a patient.

"It's open!"

Maddie looked at Jason and smiled, "She's here."

"I heard," Jason nodded. He opened the door for Madeline and followed her inside. Leanne looked up and turned to the clock when she noticed her son and nephew were here.

"It's 2:30," she said. "You should be getting out of class right about now, not in my office."

"We got out a little early," Maddie shrugged, sitting in one of the chairs in front of her mother's desk. Jason looked at Leanne.

"I didn't go to school," he told her honestly. "I'm not going until my mom's feeling better."

"If that's the case you can go tomorrow," Leanne smiled. "As long as she rests she should be back home in no time."

Maddie looked to Jason, tapping his arm, "You hear that, your mom's going to be okay!"

"Yeah, fantastic," Jason grumbled, flopping down in the second chair beside Maddie. "That solves all my problems."

"Something tells me you're not happy," Leanne frowned, leaning forward on her desk. "Is everything okay at home, Jase? Heart attacks can shake up a family sometimes."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"He gave me the same speech, mom," Maddie sighed. "I tried to get him to talk, but he's just in a grumpy mood. I think he just needs a friend."

"Yes," Leanne nodded, "a friend who doesn't skip her entire afternoon," Madeline's jaw dropped. "Where were you today, missy?"

"How did you…?"

"Great thing about High School is that the office calls when students don't show up to class," Leanne said, holding up a sticky note to show her daughter. Madeline could see that the office had gotten in contact with her mother and Leanne had written the note to show Cam when she got home. Madeline groaned loudly.

Leanne pointed to Jason, "Consider yourself lucky for now, Madeline. I'm off work at 6:00. Until then you and Jason can do whatever you want. But I want you back here, in my office at 6:00, and when we get home, your father and I are going to have a _long_ talk about skipping classes."

"But mom…"

"No buts," Leanne frowned. "Now go, have fun."

Jason chuckled slightly as he got out of his seat, "Guess your mom wasn't all that happy to hear about your day."

"You're not funny," Maddie growled.

-Afterlife-

Tori was getting lonely. After Fran and Dom left, no one had come to see her. There was nothing on TV and nothing to do. If she didn't get out of this hospital soon, she might as well kill herself.

She thought it was torture that she couldn't see her family. Though they stressed her out, they also kept her calm. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to see her three kids and her husband. She wanted to hold Elena in her arms and talk to Jason about starting high school. She wanted to discuss Engel with Mike, and the joys of being a parent, and she wanted to roll her eyes with Blake every time her kids started to fight.

A nurse walked in with a tray of food and Tori pulled away. The food was horrendous here. She looked at the nurse.

"How much longer?" she asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Do I get a parole or do I have to complete the life sentence?"

The nurse laughed, "Hopefully they'll let you go soon. I'm sure your family would be devastated if this stay turned into a life sentence."

Tori glared at the food, "Well, it feels like that's what it's going to be. What is this?"

"Macaroni and cheese and a few vegetables on the side."

Tori poked her food with her fork, "No it's not."

"That's what I was told," the nurse said. Tori gave her a stern look.

"Well, nurse, someone lied to you. This is what my granddaughter threw up when she was eight months old. I swear I disposed of it…"

"Just eat it," the nurse laughed. "It's good for you."

"All disgusting foods are," Tori picked up a forkful and held it close to her mouth. She suddenly got a whiff of the food and dropped the fork. She pushed the table and tray away. "Not eating."

"I'll be back in an hour," the nurse said. "Eat it."

Tori glared at the nurse as she watched her leave. Just before the door closed she muttered: "bitch." She glanced back down at her food. There was no way she was going to eat this.

She pulled herself out of bed and picked up her tray. She thought about dumping it in her toilet and trying to flush it, but she was afraid of what that might do to the plumbing. She could simply toss it in the garbage, but the nurse might discover it was there.

She decided to toss it out the window. Just as she finished scraping off the last of her meal she spotted her son Jason in the corner of her eye. He was too far to call out to, but Tori could watch him for a few moments. After all, it was better than nothing.

She noticed he was sitting on a bench, with a girl, and upon closer inspection Tori could see the girl was Madeline. She smiled; happy Jason could get some time on his own.

-Afterlife-

Hormones had definitely hit Hayden. Flynn was aware of it, Braveheart was aware of it, even Mr. McAllistair was aware of it.

When the expecting couple returned home from the garage, Flynn and Hayden were surprised to find Mr. McAllistair was waiting for them. He had offered a while back to help Flynn with the baby's nursery, and had decided to surprise his son today. Flynn had been happy to get started with his father, especially when it meant taking his mind off Mattie and Marcie. The two Scots quickly got to work designing, and Hayden sat on the sidelines, offering up her own ideas while cuddling with the lion toy Flynn had bought for their daughter.

As always, small talk was allowed during the process of designing the room, and Mr. McAllistair had asked Hayden if the pregnancy had been going smoothly. Hayden answered yes, aside from the Mattie and Marcie deal. So Mr. McAllistair then went on to ask about Tori. He heard from the news that she had a heart attack, and he had been genuinely concerned. Hayden was in only daughter in-law, so her family was his family.

That had set off the waterworks. Hayden began rambling about her recent encounter with Mike, and how he yelled at her and told her to fuck off. Normally Hayden could shrug off her cousin's crazy behaviour and wait for him to calm down, but, hormones were hormones, and they made everything difficult.

"And then," Hayden sobbed, "he just told me to fuck off! And he walked away!" She wiped her eyes and nose with the sleeve of her sweater. "He yelled at me and put words in my mouth! I didn't want to go against him, but he didn't let me explain."

Flynn looked at his father, "What did you do…?"

"I'm sorry," Mr. McAllistair shrugged. "I didn't realise she had a rough day."

"She's pregnant," Flynn groaned. "She's constantly having rough days."

"And, it's not like he's the only one suffering!" Hayden continued. "It's not my mom, but it's my Aunt. I love my Aunt. She always used to make cookies and made me promise not to tell my mom when she gave me the extra cookie… she's like a second mom!"

"Hayden," Flynn said gently as he helped her up, "I think the dog might be getting hungry. Why don't you feed it dinner?"

Hayden nodded, "Good idea."

Flynn led her to the door, "There you go," he said. "Now, just take it easy. Breathe deeply. Everything will be fine."

Hayden made her way downstairs and picked up Braveheart's food bowl. Braveheart saw her doing this and jumped up from his bed, rushing over to her. He jumped around her as she prepared the food. Hayden wiped her eyes again and chuckled. Dogs were always funny when they were hungry.

She dumped his food in his bowl and watched him eat. Suddenly, Flynn and his father raced down the stairs.

"We'll be back," Flynn called to her as he threw his jacket on. "Dad just found this beautiful mobile online and there's only one left in the store."

"You're both going?" Hayden asked nervously. Flynn stopped what he was doing and turned back to her.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked. "Do you think Mattie and Marcie are going to come back already?"

"They said a few days…"

"It hasn't even been one," Flynn said before shaking his head. If his wife was hesitant he would stay. "Do you want me to stay?"

"I don't mind going alone," Mr. McAllistair nodded.

Hayden waved the boys off, "No, I think I'm just being paranoid. You'll only be a few minutes, right?"

"Not long, I promise," Flynn said. He looked at Braveheart, "You'll protect her, right?"

Braveheart finished eating and stared at Flynn. He sat down, to show his master he understood. Flynn smiled.

"Good. You're the Alpha Male right now. Protect the pack," he said to the dog before looked back at Hayden, "I'll be back soon. I love you."

"Love you too," Hayden smiled. The front door closed and she turned to the dog. "It's just you and me, boy. What do you want to do first?"

Braveheart rushed into the living room and came back with a ball in his mouth. Hayden pulled it out and frowned.

"Indoor game," she specified. Braveheart began to whine. Hayden rolled her eyes. "Fine, but no telling Flynn. He'd kill me."

Braveheart rushed to the backdoor. Hayden tilted her head.

"Or we could play in the backyard," she nodded. "But it's kinda cold."

Braveheart began whining again. Hayden laughed.

"You're right, you have fur, you don't care. I'll just get a sweater and I'll be on my way."

-Afterlife-

Tori barely noticed the afternoon had changed to evening when suddenly Jason and Madeline got up and started walking back inside the hospital. Tori had been watching them for hours, happy she could see even just one member of her family. She hadn't even noticed when her nurse came back to collect the dinner tray.

When her son was out of sight, Tori sighed and crawled back into bed. She made herself comfortable as she got ready to sleep. There was nothing else to do anymore, and it was easier to sleep when she was calm. Before she closed her eyes, though, she checked her monitors. She smiled to herself when she saw her blood pressure had dropped back to normal.

"And the doctors think my kids are the problem," she whispered to herself.

-Afterlife-

While Hayden left to get herself one of Flynn's sweaters, seeing as hers didn't fit anymore, Braveheart had been looking out the glass door leading to the backyard. If he was going to take his master outside, he wanted to make sure the coast was clear.

He spotted something moving around in the yard, something he couldn't trust. He started to growl at the object came in closer. He could make out the outline of a person. It was hard to tell who it was based on sight alone, because the sun had begun to set and it was getting rather dark out.

Hayden walked back and Braveheart suddenly turned, barking at her. Hayden was taken aback and tried to scold him, but Braveheart wouldn't let her near him. Anytime she tried getting close, he would bark and snap. Anything to keep her away from the back door.

"Braveheart!" Hayden shouted, trying to regain control of her dog. "That's enough! Calm!"

Braveheart didn't calm. He jumped forward, pushing Hayden back. He ran over to her and began pushing on her legs. Hayden thought he was trying to trip her or knock her over. She grabbed hold of his collar and started pulling him into the living room, where Flynn had set up his cage.

"Bad, dog," Hayden scolded him as she tried to push him in. Braveheart didn't want to go inside. He knew there was something lurking around the house. As long as Hayden remained inside she would be safe, but there was the off chance that this person could break in. Last Braveheart had seen, the figure had been walking towards the house.

Braveheart snapped again, barely missing Hayden's hand, but he managed to knock her onto her butt. He jumped on top of her, careful not to be too aggressive, but he had to make sure Hayden didn't leave his sight.

Hayden panicked when Braveheart jumped her. He was no longer a puppy. He was a big dog, and rather heavy.

Suddenly, Braveheart stopped his barking and perked up. Hayden knew that stance. He had heard something. She pushed him off and got to her feet. As she took a step forward, Braveheart jumped in front of her, standing protectively. Hayden knelt down.

"Phone, boy," she whispered in his ear. Braveheart knew that command. When he was living in the garage with Dani, she made him get the phone all the time. He rushed to the phone and picked it up in his mouth before running back to Hayden. She took it from him and dialled Flynn's number.

As she spoke with her husband, Braveheart started pushing her towards the couches, away from the windows and the front door. Now there was at least a room and a wall between Hayden and the back door, and Braveheart could easily protect her if someone came in from the front door or the window. He forced her down on the couch before jumping up beside her and cuddling close, growling softly.


	128. Family Matters

Hayden had been off the phone for a few minutes and was cuddling close with Braveheart, trying to keep quiet so she could hear if something was going on. She wasn't too sure why Braveheart was acting up, but she could tell that he had been trying to warn her of something. She figured he must have seen something suspicious in the backyard and had only been trying to protect her. Hayden didn't want to leave anything up to chance so she had called Flynn and her father in-law and asked them to come home right away.

The front door opened and Braveheart jumped off the couch. He ran over to the door, barking loudly. Hayden got up as well. If this was a robber or an attacker she still knew how to defend herself, and she was sure she could take him with Braveheart on her team. She dropped her guard, however, when she heard a thick Scottish accent telling Braveheart to calm down.

Mr. McAllistair had walked into the house and opened the door with the spare key his son had given him the day they moved into their new house nine months before. Hayden let out a deep breath as she approached her father in-law.

"Thank god!" she said, grabbing the dog's collar and pulling him away from Mr. McAllistair. "I thought you were someone trying to break in."

"Just me, lass," Mr. McAllistair nodded. "Flynn's checking around the house for anyone. He sent me inside to check up on you."

"I'm just a little nervous," Hayden told her father in-law as he walked her back to the couches. "Braveheart was barking at me and even jumped me at one point. I had no idea why."

Mr. McAllistair reached out and patted Braveheart on the head. The dog had realised he wasn't a threat and enjoyed the praise from the older man. Mr. McAllistair chuckled.

"Well, he certainly is a protective dog," he said. "Has he left your side?"

"Not since he started barking," Hayden smiled. She patted the spot on the couch right next to her, inviting the large dog to jump up beside her. Braveheart did without a second thought and curled up next to his pregnant master, keeping an eye on the door.

Flynn walked into the house carrying a pacifier in his hands. He had found it while searching the backyard. He knew it didn't belong to him because he and Hayden had yet to buy one for their daughter, and it couldn't have belonged to any of the neighbours because all the kids on their street were too old to still have pacifiers.

"Someone was definitely here," Flynn said, placing the item down on the coffee table. Braveheart hopped off the couch and walked over, sniffing it out of curiosity. He suddenly began to growl. There was a scent on the pacifier that he barely recognised. He remembered it only once from the time two strangers walked into his house and left that same odour, but he hadn't smelt it since.

Hayden heard the growl and looked up at Flynn, "Mattie and Marcie?"

"Maybe," he nodded.

"I think it's probably best if I stay here tonight," Mr. McAllistair suggested. "If those two psychos do come back, they won't be expecting a third person. You kids don't mind, do ya?"

Hayden shook her head, "Not at all! There's a guest bedroom upstairs. It's still a little messy from when Engel and Christian stayed here but…"

"It'll do," Mr. McAllistair chuckled. He picked up the phone, "I'll just phone JoAnna and let her know I won't be coming home tonight."

Flynn nodded, "Tell her we say hi."

JoAnna was Mr. McAllistair's fiancée. He had proposed to her a little over a year ago after having known each other for two years. She had been the first woman he had fallen in love with since the passing of his wife and he couldn't imagine life without her. During the engagement he had hit a rough patch in the relationship and for a while the engagement had been called off. But a little while later, Mr. McAllistair and JoAnna had patched things up and they were looking forward to planning a wedding. They still didn't have a date set because they didn't want to rush into things, but Mr. McAllistair was hoping to settle down soon. He already knew he had Flynn's blessing and that was all he needed.

Hayden pushed herself up from the couch, "I'll go see if I can set up the bedroom for your father," she told Flynn. He shook his head and placed his hand on her shoulders, pushing her back down.

"You relax," he said. He pulled out a blanket from a basket beside the couch and grabbed one of the throw pillows. He handed them to his wife. "My dad can take care of himself. Do you need anything to relax?"

Hayden smiled and pulled her husband down beside her on the couch. She curled up in his arms, under the blanket.

-Afterlife-

For the first time in a while Jason woke up happy. He never understood how talking to someone could really help take the stress off until now. He and Maddie had spent all their time simply talking about what he was going through and she listened to everything he had to say. She listened when he talked to her about his mother's heart attack, she listened when he told her how he hated Elena's blindness and she listened when he talked about the family troubles arising.

Not once did she judge or try to offer advice. She just listened and told him what she thought would make him feel better. A few words like: "that's terrible! How does that make you feel?" or "I couldn't imagine going through that" really made Jason feel like there was someone out there who cared for him.

When he and Maddie had to part, he felt much better about his situation. So much so, that when he noticed Elena struggling to find her favourite cereal in the morning he put his own bowl down and helped her out. He grabbed the box for her and a bowl from the top shelf and set it down on the counter. He even grabbed the milk and poured the cereal for her and prepared it just the way she liked it. When he handed her the bowl he could see a look of confusion on his sister's face.

"I'm not supposed to get any help," she whispered. "Aunt Kaylee said…"

"Well, Aunt Kaylee told me I have to help you," Jason interrupted her. "And anyways I wanted to do this. I know it's not easy being blind, especially when all the cereal boxes feel the same and you don't want to accidentally eat those nasty fibre filled ones."

"Oh," Elena breathed. She took her bowl to the table, feeling a little awkward. Normally Jason helped her out because she demanded it. It felt different when he did it because he actually wanted to help her. She felt like she had an older brother again who was looking out for her and it made her feel special. She flashed him a smile, "Thank you, Jase."

Jason smiled back. It was the first time in a long time his sister had thanked him for helping her. He hadn't expected it when he helped her out. He had just wanted to do a good deed for her and help her out of her misery. The good deed was enough, but being thanked for it was the icing on the cake.

"No problem, Elle," he said sweetly, knowing she couldn't see his smile. He handed her a spoon as he got back to his cereal. "You know, helping you is a lot nicer when you're not being a brat about it."

Elena's head dropped forward in shame, "I know. I'm sorry."

Jason nearly choked on his breakfast when he heard those words coming out of his sister's mouth. He looked at her.

"What?"

"Yesterday I was on my own all afternoon and until I went to bed and it wasn't easy," Elena explained. "I stubbed my toe on the tables and couches eighteen times; I lost all my stuff whenever I moved it and had a hard time finding everything I needed for bed."

"But you managed to do it, right?" Jason asked her. Elena nodded.

"Yeah. It took a lot of time, but I did it."

"You don't need me or mom or dad to do everything for you anymore, right?"

Elena lowered her head again, "No… I guess not."

Jason noted the sad look on her face. It was genuine, he could tell.

"Shouldn't you be happy?" he asked. "You're independent. A lot of blind people don't get to feel that way at your age! Some are never completely independent."

"Yeah… but I didn't like being on my own," Elena frowned. She lifted her head and faced her brother, using the sound of his voice to locate his position. "Does that mean I'm still a brat?"

"No one wants to be alone," Jason told her.

"I don't want you, mom or dad to stop helping me," Elena said. "I managed to take care of myself last night… but just barely. I put something on my toothbrush that wasn't toothpaste, and didn't realise until I put it in my mouth… I had my pyjamas on backwards for half the night and didn't realise until I decided to check what was tickling my chest and stomach. I lost Worthington eight times and you know I can't sleep without him!"

Jason chuckled, "I know."

"It wasn't fun," Elena pouted. "I still don't know where Worthington is! I think he fell between my bed and the wall, but I can't check or reach and the bed's too heavy for me to move!"

Jason grabbed his bowl as he finished eating and placed it in the sink before collecting Elena's bowl and spoon. He put it away for her before taking her hand.

"C'mon, Elle," he smiled. "I'll help you look."

"But you're not allowed," she told him. "I need to do this on my own."

Jason turned to her and grabbed her gently by the arms. He looked straight into her blind eyes while rubbing her arms with his fingers so she would feel comforted.

"Telling someone to help you is different from being offered help," he told her. "You're my baby sister and no matter what, I'm going to help you. Just don't be a brat about it, okay?"

Elena nodded. Though it had been less than a day, Elena had learned her lesson. She knew she could function in this world despite her handicap and though it would take her longer to accomplish her tasks, she could always get them done. However, she realised that it was nice to receive help from other people, especially when they weren't whining about it.

Elena had learned that receiving help from her friends and family wasn't a right. It wasn't something she deserved simply because she was blind. They had never helped her out of pity or sympathy. Everyone in her family had helped her because they cared about her and they wanted to do something to make her life a little easier. She learned that if she treated them with respect, especially her brother who sacrificed himself day after day for her, she would be treated with respect as well.

"I won't," Elena smiled. "I promise to never expect you to help me ever again."

Jason hugged her, "Good. And I promise to always look out for you, Elle. Blind or not, you're my sister. Now, let's go find that teddy bear of yours."

As Jason climbed the stairs he realised he felt much better about everything going on in his life. He knew the root of all his problems was Elena, but he never imagined that clearing the air with her would take away all the stress. Now that they were back on speaking terms and everything had been resolved, he could finally look at her and see his cute, adorable and highly annoying little sister, instead of the demon monster who controlled every area of his life. Madeline had been right when she told him that talking about your emotions could go a long way, especially when you allowed the other person to do the same.

When Jason reached between his sister's bed and the wall and pulled out her teddy bear, he couldn't help but grin. The moment he placed the soft, plush bear in her arms and saw her face light up his grin grew wider and he felt like a real hero.

But nothing was better than what came next. While still holding the bear, Elena dove into her brother's arms, so happy he had found her special bear for her. Jason wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

-Afterlife-

Mike didn't know where to turn. His family had kicked him out and he was too furious to talk to anyone, let along be polite long enough to ask them for a place to stay. He didn't want to go home because Vanessa would ask him about his day and he was afraid he might snap. He had already screamed at Hayden, something he never thought he would do.

So, he had spent the entire night wandering the streets, thinking about what had happened with his mother and thinking about his family.

His mother's heart attack had been caused by high blood pressure and stress. Mike wasn't surprised by that. He knew that living in the Bradley household could be very stressful. His father was away a lot, which meant his mother was left in charge of the house and the kids on her own most of the time, and his little sister was blind.

Right there. The disability added another level of stress entirely. From the few times he had visited Dawn at her center and talk with her about patients (keeping them anonymous of course and respecting the patient confidentiality code), he understood that dealing with a disability of any sorts could be stressful for any and all families. Whether it was a mental disability that prevented the child, or even in some cases a parent, from developing at the same pace as every other child, forcing them to fall being, or a physical disability, it was going to cause problems. He even noted that sometimes gifted children could create rifts in the family because parents needed to adjust their entire lives and keep an eye on their child to make sure they were learning at a pace that kept them from getting bored and that challenged them. He understood that unless you lived in the Smith family with Father John, Mother Jane, child Joe, and dog Buddy, the level of stress would double or triple. Unfortunately, his family didn't fall into the category. He wasn't part of an average everyday family.

He understood all that, and he accepted it. There was nothing he could do about his father's schedule. That was up to Blake to control. There was also nothing he could do about his sister being blind. Years ago the doctors told him and his family that Elena would be blind forever.

However, he realised he could help make the burden a little easier for everyone. His mother, his father and his siblings.

Walking around in the crisp end of summer air really helped him calm down and think logically. Had it not been for his Aunt calling him out, Mike never would have realised that he had been fuelling Jason's rage. He had never come to terms with his sister's blindness being his fault and wanted to make sure she was protected from everything for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, he had gone as far as protecting her from Jason.

He didn't hate his brother. In fact, he kind of admired Jason. After he moved out, Jason had to take care of Elena night and day, and though he complained and whined and tried to back away from his responsibilities, he always did what he thought was right in the end. Mike realised he had been stupid for discouraging Jason from that. The young man's life was already hard enough as it was, and Kaylee had been right, he didn't someone else yelling at him. If anything, Jason needed someone who would sit down and listen to his rants when he felt the world overwhelming him. He needed someone to tell him everything was okay, and that the way he was feeling was normal.

He needed a friend.

After picking up breakfast from a coffee shop, Mike headed home. He was going to apologize to his father, his sister and his brother for not taking up his own responsibilities as an older brother.

-Afterlife-

While the McAllistairs and the Bradleys were going through a rough patch, Dawn couldn't be any happier. Of course she had heard of Tori's heart attack and wished her well, she also heard that Tori's chances of surviving were more than great and she would be able to resume her regular life. The only thing she needed to be careful of was her stress level. She needed to keep them down.

But Dawn didn't see that as something terrible. She had basically been given permission by a doctor to take frequent vacations, have longer breaks, and relax at any time of the day. If Dawn needed to have a heart attack to earn that kind of lifestyle, she would definitely sign up for that.

Of course, she was happy being healthy and wasn't about to trade her health for anything, especially considering how dangerous heart attacks could really be. She knew Tori was lucky to have come out in the state she was in.

Dawn didn't have work today. She had put up with a full schedule yesterday, dealing with the five brothers from the Oasis as well as Emily, and one new patient, so she could take the day off and relax. She had been hoping to head up to NewTech to visit Summer and Dillon in their new home.

Hoping had been the key word.

Dawn had been walking to the corner store when she noticed two familiar faces leaning against the side of the building. Curious as to what Mattie and Marcie where up to now, she carefully snuck in close and eavesdropped.

"So wait, Mattie, how far along is Hayden?"

"Tests show she's about 27 weeks in. She's only got a little over a trimester to go!"

"When's the baby due?"

"Early December. Hopefully it's not premature. Those are hard to care for."

"If the kid's a preemie I say we abort it as soon as it comes out. I want a healthy baby."

"Me too, Chocolate Muffin Pie."

Dawn gagged when she heard the pet name. Aside from learning that Mattie and Marcie wanted to kidnap her cousin's unborn child, it was the most disturbing things she had ever heard in her life, and she had worked with Venjix, Shifter, Crunch and Kilobyte.

However, what came next wasn't very far behind.

"So, if she's due early December, I say we take her mid-November. It'll give her time to get comfortable before the birth."

Dawn stepped forward. No one threatened to hurt a member of her family.

"Did you really think you could talk about your plans and no one would hear you?" she said, catching their attention. Mattie and Marcie turned to her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kidnapping my cousin and taking her baby."

"Kidnapping?" Mattie laughed, nudging Marcie as she began to laugh as well. "Where are you getting this from? We're going to adopt the baby and raise it as our own."

"Unless you went through an agency and Hayden and Flynn chose you as adoptive parents for their child, than taking the baby would be considered kidnapping," Dawn stated, "and that's illegal."

Marcie shook her head, "No, no, you have it all wrong," she said. "Kidnapping is when you take a child away from its parents without their knowledge. Hayden and Flynn know we're taking their baby."

"And that doesn't matter because we're the parents," Mattie explained. "Our names are going to be on the birth certificate."

Dawn's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. These two were insane! Psychotic! They needed to be locked in a padded room or something to keep them from hurting themselves or someone else.

"You need help," she stated briefly.

"Great!" Mattie grinned. He reached into the backpack sitting at his feet and pulled out a list. "These are all the things we need to buy for the baby before it's born. Whenever you have time could you pick them up?"

"Not that kind of help!" Dawn shouted. "I'm not going to let you take the baby!"

Marcie's eyes widened in shock as she gasped loudly and covered her mouth with her hands. Mattie glared at Dawn with pure hate in his eyes.

"Help!" Marcie screamed suddenly, taking off, "Help! Someone! She wants to take our baby!"

Mattie punched Dawn in the face before taking off after his wife. Dawn hit the ground with a thump and blacked out for a few seconds when her head made contact with the concrete. When she regained consciousness and tried getting back to her feet she felt someone grab her. She looked up and saw it was the man who worked at the corner store.

"I heard what you're trying to do," he told her, pinning her arms behind her back. "I've already called the military. They're on their way right now."

Dawn struggled. She knew it was pointless to run. If she did she would only make herself look guilty. Instead, she tried to focus on every detail of what just happened. She remembered Mattie and Marcie, their names and what they looked like. She remembered their plan to take the baby and when they wanted to take Hayden.

Hopefully the men from the military would believe her.


	129. The Search Begins

"Dawn Matthews, formerly known as Tenaya 7, do you realise why you're in here?" a soldier asked Dawn as he glared at her. She was sitting inside a caged room, on a chair, with her arms crossed as she glared right back at the soldier. She knew she was innocent and the moment someone recognised her they would know it too, but until then, she had nothing she could do. She had already tried explaining her story, but none of the soldiers would listen.

Her reputation as Tenaya 7 didn't help matters either.

"Why is a big question," she said. "The answer could be because Marcie and Mattie are psychotic lunatics and lied about me. It could be because I let you guys take me here. It could be because you forcefully dragged me into this dump. You'd have to be specific with your interrogations, Cadet."

The soldier's partner stepped forward, "Answer the question, Tenaya."

Dawn scoffed, "I gave you three answers! Pick and choose! And don't call me Tenaya. That was a lie I wish I could forget."

"You remember your days as Tenaya 7?"

"Every painful day," Dawn nodded.

"Ever wish you could return back to who you were before? A disgusting, hated hybrid who served one of the most powerful enemies known to man-kind."

Dawn gasped loudly, shaking her head, "Are you kidding me? Why would I ever want to be Tenaya…?"

"You truly believed you were a part of Venjix'… let's call it a family. No matter how dysfunctional…"

"Venjix lied to me," Dawn spat. "He abducted me and practically violated me to create a super weapon he could use to take over the world. Why would I ever want…?"

"Why would you want to kidnap a baby?" the cadet asked. "Why would anyone want to do anything?"

"I didn't major in philosophy," Dawn frowned. "I didn't major in anything. What makes you think I could answer that question? If you'll let me tell my story…"

The two soldiers leaned back against the bars and crossed their arms as they waited for her to speak. Dawn let out a deep breath.

"Finally," she looked at the soldiers, "Look, I don't want to kidnap any babies. I'm 19 years old! I'm not ready for kids! I don't know how Hayden thinks she could be ready for kids, but that's her choice."

"Hayden is your cousin, right?" the second soldier asked. Dawn nodded.

"Yes."

"She's younger than you are, right?"

"Yes. Twelve days younger. It's not a big difference. Anyways, she's pregnant with her first child and Mattie and Marcie want to take the baby away."

"Mattie and Marcie have given their statements," the cadet told Dawn as he reached through the bars and grabbed a folder from one of the men surrounding the cage. "In their statement they said that they were planning on adopting and you weren't going to let them do it. You were aggressive and threatening and they felt their future-child was in danger."

Dawn scoffed, "What child? They're trying to kidnap Hayden and Flynn's baby."

"They said they were adopting. There's a huge line between the two. They seemed committed to raising a child properly."

"This is bullshit!" Dawn shouted as she jumped up to her feet. "I worked with RPM! I'm the one who destroyed Tenaya 15 and saved all your asses from a painful death and you trust those two lunatics over me!"

"You were also the one who led hundreds of robots into the city and terrorized innocent civilians," the second soldier pointed out.

The first one spoke up again, "You said you didn't think Hayden was ready to have a child. Is it possible you could be trying to protect your cousin by removing a baby from her life?"

"What?" Dawn exclaimed in complete shock. She had to keep herself from attacking the two men standing inside the cage with her. Thankfully, before things escalated any higher, the doors to the prison room opened up and Col. Truman walked inside. The guards around the cage let the Colonel in.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked everyone. He had heard that someone had been arrested for threatening to kidnap a baby and wanted to deal with the scumbag himself. However, when he saw the person being interrogated was Dawn, Kaylee's niece, he had to wonder if maybe this was a misunderstanding.

Dawn dropped back in her seat, feeling relieved, "Colonel, let me explain…"

"Miss Matthews has been accused of trying to kidnap a baby," the cadet told his superior. Colonel Truman glared at him. Though he wasn't fond of Kaylee's family he did hold a certain amount of respect for them. They were hard-working and honest people who cared deeply for the safety of others. He never would have thought Dawn would attempt to kidnap a baby. He refused to believe it."

"The truth, Dawn," he asked. Dawn looked at him.

"Mattie and Marcie want Hayden's baby. They plan on kidnapping her before she's due to give birth. When the baby comes out, they're taking it and raising it as their own. When I confronted them about it, they acted like there was nothing wrong with their plan and somehow turned the tables on me, making me look like the bad guy."

The Colonel turned to his two soldiers, "Where are Mattie and Marcie now?"

"They gave their statements and we let them go," the second soldier said. "We didn't think we would need them anymore."

The Colonel growled, "Of course we would need them…" he rubbed his temples in frustration. Five minutes in the interrogation room and he was already overworked. It didn't help that these two cadets were inexperienced and useless. He shouted at them, "Go and find them! Last thing the commander needs is two people chasing after her granddaughter while her sister is still in hospital."

Dawn looked at the Colonel, "You believe me?"

The Colonel turned to her, "If this turns out to be a lie or a misunderstanding, Dawn, I will personally…"

"It's not, I swear," Dawn raised her hand, showing the Colonel she was completely sincere. He held the cage door open for her to leave but before letting her go anywhere he gave her a stern order.

"Do not get involved. Let us do our job, you do yours."

"I'm protecting the baby," Dawn told him. "No matter what."

-Afterlife-

Blake hadn't heard a sound all day as he walked around his home, trying to find his children. Normally, by now, one of his kids would be terrorizing the other and there would be screaming, shouting and yelling echoing down the halls. But today there was nothing. He had checked the bedrooms and bathrooms and everywhere else on the second floor, where the kids normally hung out in the morning, but they were nowhere in sight.

He went downstairs to check the kitchen and living room and was slightly relieved to see all three kids sitting together on the couch in front of the TV like they used to do when they were little. He stepped in.

"I see you guys are getting along," he commented, turning off the TV. All three kids turned to him with frowns.

"We were watching that," Jason said. Elena nodded.

"Listening… but same thing! Turn it back on, daddy!"

"I actually wanted to talk to you guys about the… well, a talk about the talk with your Aunt Kaylee. You realise we're being hard on you because we love you, right?"

"We know," Mike nodded. He pushed himself off the couch and walked over to his father. "I know I've been a pain in the ass and I'm sorry. I'll trying being the older, more mature sibling from now on."

"And Jason and I are going to be nice to each other," Elena smiled.

"We all talked while you were getting ready," Jason added. "We don't want mom to get sick anymore and we don't like fighting with each other. So we're going to be civil."

"Whatever that means," Elena chuckled while nodding her head.

Blake was a little surprised. He knew the talk would work, he just didn't expect it to turn his family around overnight.

"Wow," he said. "I'm very proud of you kids."

"We realised we love our family," Mike nodded. "Mom included. And if we want to keep it together, we've got to stop bickering."

"A house divided against itself cannot stand," Jason smiled. "So we're going to put aside our difference."

"And mommy can come home!" Elena cheered excitedly. Blake chuckled as he took Mike's spot on the couch and pulled his daughter on his lap. He hugged her close.

"We'll see what the doctors say about that but…" the phone began to ring. He leaned over, grabbing it form the coffee table, "Hold on, guys. Hello? Yes… Perfect, we're right on our way. I love you too, babe."

All three kids exchanged excited looks as their father hung up the phone. Blake turned, "That was your mother. She's been discharged."

"Whoo!" Mike and Jason cheered, high-fiving each other. Blake put Elena down on the floor as he got up.

"We're going to pick her up now. Hopefully you kids aren't acting like you respect each other, because your mother still needs to recover and take it easy."

Actions poke louder than words, and Blake only really started believing that when he looked over at the doorway and saw all three kids helping each other get ready. Mike was grabbing the jackets from the closet while Jason helped Elena figure out which shoes went on which foot. When everyone had their shoes on, they took their coats from Mike. While Jason put his own coat on, Mike held his sister's out so she could easily slide into her. He left her on her own to zip it up while he put his own coat on.

-Afterlife-

Dani rubbed her hand in the sink, soaking it with cold water as she trying to relieve the burning sensation in her hand all while trying to keep herself from getting sick. Over on the counter, her latest creation sat smoking and sparking, setting off the fire alarms in the garage. Greg ran out from the bedroom and grabbed the fire extinguisher, putting out the smoke coming from the machine. He rushed over to Daniela.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. Dani pulled her shaking hand out from under the water. One look at it made Greg hiss. He quickly pulled out a cloth and ran it under the water before wrapping it around Dani's hand, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Dani shrugged, holding back her tears. "I was working on an assignment for class and there was a small boom. Next thing I know, my hand looks like this."

Greg gently lifted the wet cloth from Daniela's hand to take a look. It was definitely a burn and it looked like a second degree burn to him. Daniela's entire hand was red, swollen and blistered. He wrapped the towel back around her hand.

"C'mon," he told her, gently pulling her by the arm, "I'll take you to see your father."

Just as he pulled her past the front counter a man stepped into the garage. Greg looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "We're going to have to close until the other owner arrives. My wife needs to see a doctor."

"I just have a quick question then I'll be out of your hair," the man said. Greg pushed Dani forward slightly.

"Go to the car, I'll catch up," he said before turning back to the customer. The man held up a picture.

"Have you seen these two people anywhere around the city?" he asked. "They go by the names of Mattie and Marcie. They believe they're married and want to start a family. A few weeks ago they somehow escaped our psychiatric hospital and we haven't found them. We've starting asking around to see if people have come in contact."

Daniela turned around, "Mattie and Marcie?" she asked, confirming the names. "You mean the psycho couple?"

"We try not to use the word psychotic," the man said. "It's very discouraging for some of the patients."

"You know them?" Greg asked his wife. Dani nodded.

"They were the people we thought kidnapped Engel!" she said. The phone suddenly rang. Greg rushed over to get it, assuming it might be Flynn and he could ask the Blue Ranger to come in for his shift a little earlier. He picked up the phone.

"Dani, get in the car," he told his wife, not forgetting about the very painful burn on her hand. She needed to get it treated and fast. As she headed back for the door Greg started his conversation on the phone. After a few seconds he gasped, calling for the man and Dani to come back. He hung up the phone and looked at them.

"Flynn's not coming into work today," he said. "Hayden doesn't want to be left alone. Mr. McAllistair's going to cover."

"Okay, whatever," Dani said. She held her hand up, making sure the cloth stayed on it. Right now the cool cloth was the only thing keeping her from screaming loudly in pain. "Let's just go…"

"Mattie and Marcie have been bothering them lately. They did something to Hayden yesterday and went back to her place last night," Greg turned to the man, "If you're looking to find them, you might want to go to the McAllistair's."

"Commander Kaylee's daughter," Dani specified. The man nodded, tipping his hat gently before leaving the garage. Greg grabbed his wife gently and pulled her to the door.

"Let's see about getting a doctor to look at that burn now."


	130. Mattie and Marcie Start a Family

When Col. Truman told Dawn not to get involved Dawn knew he meant not to get involved in the police work to try and bring Mattie and Marcie down. However, there was nothing he could do to keep her from visiting Flynn and Hayden and protecting them if Mattie and Marcie stopped by.

She went straight from prison to visit her cousin and told Flynn and Hayden everything: from Mattie and Marcie wanting their child, to their plans on abducting Hayden in late November. When she saw them beginning to freak out, Dawn offered to stay with them until they heard that Mattie and Marcie had been locked up.

She had just settled on the couch with her cousin and started a conversation about the baby when the doorbell rang. Flynn, who was already in the kitchen making a snack, opened the door. A man stood and politely tipped his hat and flashed his ID.

"Good morning, Mr. McAllistair. I'm Dr. Henry McKay. I'm looking for two patients who escaped the psychiatric hospital and I've been told you've been in contact with them recently. Mattie and Marcie?"

Flynn stared at the man for a moment before shaking his head, "Seriously?"

"Who is it?" Hayden asked as she walked over with Dawn. Flynn turned to his wife.

"A man from the loony hospital," he said. "He's looking for Mattie and Marcie."

"I knew they were psychotic," Dawn smirked proudly. "I told the soldiers they were insane."

"Please, don't use that language," Dr. McKay insisted. "It's very discouraging to some of the patients. It makes them feel different."

"Sorry, doctor," Hayden said, opening the door a little wider for the doctor, "Come in. If you wait with us long enough you might be able to find the psy… I mean Mattie and Marcie."

The doctor smiled, "Thank you."

-Afterlife-

Greg sat in the emergency room with his wife, filling out forms and keeping a close eye on her. Dani was never good with injuries and always seemed to be tempting fate. Right now he was trying to keep her from popping the blisters of scratching at the skin that was peeling away.

Just as he finished with the form he swatted away her left hand, "Dani! Stop it!"

Dani pouted, "But it's ugly… and it hurts!"

Greg grabbed the towel and wrapped it back around her hand so she wouldn't be tempted to touch it anymore.

"You don't want it to scar, do you?" he asked her. "Stop picking at it."

As he got up to hand the forms back Dani stuck her tongue out at him. While he stood at the counter talking to the receptionist, Dani unwrapped the towel and began touching her right hand again. Suddenly, someone grabbed her left hand and pulled it away.

"He told you to stop."

Dani looked up and noticed Mike had grabbed her hand. He was glaring down at her, shaking his head disappointedly. Over in the distance, with Greg, was the rest of his family. Dani frowned at her older cousin and stuck her tongue out.

"Screw you, it hurts."

Mike sat down in the chair beside her. He handed her back the towel and waited for her to wrap her hand back up.

"How did you do that?" he asked her. Dani let out a loud sigh.

"Accidentally turned my latest project on before it was completely installed," she said. "I thought I had everything connect right but… boom."

"Are you waiting for your father?" Mike asked. "He was just called to surgery like… twenty minutes ago."

"I figured he's be tied up," Dani pouted. "Greg's been trying to pull some strings, but the people in this place are such pains in the asses."

"Tell me about it," Tori commented as she came over with Greg and the rest of the Bradleys. Greg glared at his wife. He knew she had been picking at her burn. Dani pouted. Tori shook her head and laughed, "What are you in for?"

"Second degree burns," Dani said. She went to unwrap the towel, but Mike and Greg both stopped her. They knew she was just trying to get at her burns again.

"They believe you," Greg told her. "Drop it."

Dani pouted again, "I'm not a dog."

Over by the doors, Leanne was coming in. She was scheduled to work in Corinth all week, something she requested so she could pick Madeline up from school for her first week back. She typically used the emergency room doors to come in because they were closest to her office. She noticed Greg, Dani and the Bradleys were in the room together and walked over to them.

"Normally people love getting visits from their friends when they're at work, but in this building we all hate it," she said jokingly, "so get out."

"We're on our way," Blake smiled, gently grabbing his wife's arm. "C'mon, car's just outside."

"Bye Dani!" Elena beamed, waving to her cousin.

"Don't touch!" Mike warned Dani. She stuck her tongue out at him again before he disappeared with his family. Leanne had noticed the towel wrapped around her niece's hand. She knelt down before Dani and unwrapped it slowly. As soon as she saw the red, blistered skin she hissed.

"Only you," she said, shaking her head as she looked back at Dani and wrapped her hand back up in the towel. "What happened?"

"Boom," Dani answered.

"She's been working on an engine for class all week," Greg explained to Leanne. "There was a little mishap."

Leanne nodded, "Does it hurt?"

Dani glared at her aunt before flicking her in the forehead. Leanne nearly fell back but caught herself before she lost balance.

"Did that hurt?" Dani asked. Leanne nodded.

"Point taken."

"They say doctors make bad patients, but I'm starting to think that it's the doctor offspring that make the worst patients," Greg chuckled. Leanne pulled Daniela out of the chair.

"C'mon, I'll take a look at it before my shift st- Dani, don't touch!" Leanne shouted when she noticed Dani's left hand was making its way underneath the towel. She grabbed her niece's uninjured hand and held it far away.

"But it hurts!" Dani frowned. "And it itches, and it feels funny, and there's a flap of skin that's bothering me!"

"You might want to wrap up both hands," Greg said as his wife was taken away. "She's been doing that all day."

-Afterlife-

"So, Mattie and Marcie aren't actually a couple?" Hayden asked the doctor as he sat in her living room. She was positive that her two stalkers would drop by soon, and when they did the doctor could take them away. Until then, all they could do was wait.

The doctor nodded, "Mattie and Marcie met each other a little over a year ago and have been almost inseparable ever since. They claimed to be soul-mates. One day another doctor and I found them together in the common room. We were going to take them back to their rooms for bed, but they told us they were getting married and insisted we let them finish the wedding before taking them on their honeymoon."

"Sounds romantic," Dawn frowned.

"We found no harm in letting them believe they were married. We tried to tell them otherwise at first, but they get aggressive when people disagree with them. We've had a few doctors and guards who've been knocked out cold after a little disagreement. Unfortunately, they've also beat up more patients than I'd like to admit."

"Mattie was really aggressive with me when I told him he wasn't taking Hayden's baby," Dawn nodded, rubbing her cheek. Dr. McKay sighed.

"They've wanted a child for a few months now," he said. "We told them it was impossible. Marcie's infertile and we don't permit sexual activity in the hospital, but they've been persistent."

"And no one tells them no," Flynn said. The doctor nodded.

"I had left them in the common room for a moment. There were other doctors and guards around. I asked if someone could keep an eye on them and my colleague accepted. When I got back the room was trashed and Mattie and Marcie were gone."

"Apparently you're lucky you only met Mattie's fist," Hayden chuckled as she looked over at Dawn. "He could have done much worse."

"He's strong," the doctor nodded. "It's best to let him do as he wants, unless it's harmful to himself or others."

"Just a question, doctor," Flynn asked, "why haven't you tried giving them a fake baby? A doll or something to satisfy them."

"We've tried," the doctor sighed. "We've given them doll, after doll, after doll. After a few days Marcie always thought her baby died because it wouldn't move or smile and she would break down. And if Marcie gets upset…"

"Mattie gets aggressive," Dawn finished for the doctor.

"After a while we decided to stop with the dolls. It was only stressing both of them out. We upped their medication in hopes they would forget about wanting to start a family but…"

"That didn't work," Hayden said, rubbing her stomach. The doctor looked at her glumly.

"I'm terribly sorry about this," he said. "Believe me, once we find Mattie and Marcie, you'll never have to worry about them again."

"The military's looking for them as well," Dawn nodded as she looked at her cousin. "It'll be fine."

"Thanks… but now I feel bad for them," she said.

"You feel bad?" Dawn gasped. "Hayden, they want to take your baby!"

"They don't know that it's wrong," Hayden shrugged. "But… they can't help it. They don't seem to know right from wrong. They just want to have a baby. Something to love. You can't get that in the hospital, can you?"

"Unfortunately, no," the doctor said.

"It kinda sucks for them," Hayden sighed. "If they weren't so… unstable, I might consider letting them be… and Aunt and Uncle?"

She looked to Flynn who was shaking his head. He knew where she was coming from but there was no way he would ever consider letting Mattie and Marcie near his baby girl.

"I'm not going to do it, Flynn," Hayden said. "I know they wouldn't know how to handle a child but… they need something to love…"

Hayden suddenly had an idea. She had sent Dillon out to purchase a new T-Rex toy for Summer, but after using it as a pillow when Tori had her first heart attack, Summer didn't want it. The toy had been left at the McAllister's house when the McKnight's moved out and Hayden had put it on the end table beside the couch. She reached over and grabbed it, handing it to the doctor.

"When you find Mattie and Marcie, give this to them," she said. "It's not a doll and it doesn't look like a baby, so maybe they won't freak out when it doesn't move."

"I could try," the doctor shrugged.

Dawn looked at the Rex doll for a moment.

"Maybe you could tell them it's a very special toy," she suggested. "And it needs taking care of so nothing happens to it."

"It's called Milly," Hayden smiled.

There was a knock at the door. Flynn jumped off the couch and ran to the window to see who it was.

"Mattie and Marcie," he whispered. The doctor stood up and followed Flynn to the front door. The Blue Ranger took a deep breath before opening the door. He barely got it open a few inches before the couple rushed inside and slammed it shut.

"You have to help us!" Marcie shouted. "The police are trying to take us away! They told us we can't have our baby."

Mattie ran to the living room and made his way towards Hayden. Before he could reach her Dawn got up and punched him right in the face, keeping him away from her cousin.

"Revenge is sweet," she smiled, shaking out her wrist. Hayden stared up at her cousin with a look of horror on her face. Dawn shrugged, "What?"

"You can't just punch him!" she said. Dawn shrugged again.

"He punched me."

"He's not mentally stable," Hayden frowned.

As Mattie got back to his feet be noticed his doctor standing in the hallway. He frowned.

"What are you doing here?"

Dr. McKay walked over carefully. Marcie noticed him as well and ran over to her "husband", hiding behind him.

"I'm here to take you back home," the doctor said gently. "We're going back to the hospital so you two can be well looked after. No more police coming after you."

"We want our baby," Marcie growled. "You won't let us have our baby."

"I've explained this to you, Marcie," Dr. McKay said. His voice was calm and level and it obviously worked wonders to keep Mattie and Marcie from becoming really aggressive. Flynn watched from behind the doctor and he could see Mattie and Marcie loosening up slightly as their doctor spoke. "You can't have a child…"

Marcie began to sob and Mattie was about to lunge at the doctor but he held up his hands. He nudged Flynn gently, telling the blue Ranger to do the same. Flynn put his hands in the air, not wanting to upset Mattie and Marcie.

"I'm not going to hurt you or your baby," Dr. McKay said.

Hayden tore herself away from the couch and walked around Mattie and Marcie, over to the chair the doctor had been sitting in. She picked up the T-Rex from the ground and held it out for Mattie and Marcie.

"You guys can't have my baby," she explained. "I'm its mommy and I want to take care of it, but you can have this baby."

She held the toy in her arms like she would her own child.

"Hayden, be careful," Flynn warned his wife, stepping forward. The doctor held him back.

"This might be what they need," he said. "Let your wife give them a child."

Hayden held out the toy for Mattie and Marcie to take.

"It's not a real baby," she explained, so there would be no confusion, "But I love it to bits," she lied. "I can't take care of it anymore, so it needs parents who are willing to keep it safe from everything. Do you guys think you can do that?"

"It's ours?" Marcie asked, moving forward to take the baby. Hayden nodded.

"If you want to be its mommy," she nodded. "I named it Milly."

"Milly," Marcie smiled. She looked at Mattie, "It's Milly, Mattie."

Mattie was looking at the toy over Marcie's shoulder, "Hi, Milly."

Suddenly the military stormed into the house, disturbing the peace. Marcie screamed, holding Milly in her arms protectively while Mattie held her.

"Don't take my baby!" she shouted.

"Marcie and Mattie," one of the officers started as he approached them, "You're under arrest for…"

"Whoa, whoa!" the doctor interrupted, stepping between his patients and the police officer. "I'm sorry, but you can't arrest them. I'm Doctor Henry McKay from the Psychiatric Hospital. Mattie and Marcie are two patients who escaped a few weeks ago. I've come here to bring them back."

Dawn chuckled. She recognised the officer as the same man who arrested her earlier, "Looks like you're not arresting anyone today, cadet."

The cadet frowned at her, "Shut up."

Dr. McKay gently grabbed Mattie and Marcie, "C'mon, you two. Let's take Milly home."

Hayden placed her hand on the cadet's shoulder, "Maybe you should escort the three of them back to the hospital," she whispered. "Just in case they try something funny."

The cadet nodded and passed the orders onto his superior. Flynn held the door open for everyone as they left. Before the doctor disappeared, Hayden ran over.

"Do you think Milly will work out?"

"Don't worry about that, Mrs. McAllistair," he said. "Once their back in the hospital I can take care of any further issues."

"Make sure they don't escape again," Flynn said firmly as he held his wife. "I won't let them get away next time."

"You won't have to worry about them again," the doctor chuckled. He pointed to Dawn, "And I'm sure they'll stay away from her from now on. No one's ever hit Mattie before, never mind knocked him flat."

"Sometimes it pays to be a former Venjix robot," Dawn smirked, patting the cadet on the shoulder as he walked by. Hayden gave her a curious look and she shrugged. "He's one of my prison buddies."

"So I've heard."

-Afterlife-

Dani stared at her right hand as Leanne finished wrapping the gauze around it. On her left hand was an oven mitten that Leanne had a nurse retrieve from the staff kitchen. Dani had been persistent about scratching, touching, picking or poking the burn every time Leanne turned around, so the doctor had shoved her hand in the mitten and taped it up to keep Dani from hurting her burn any further.

Leanne finally let go of Dani's hand when she was done with the dressing and turned around. Dani held both her hands in front of her face.

"Itchy!"

"Do not touch!" Leanne called without turning around.

"Not my hands, my nose!" Dani frowned. "My hands are killing me! What kind of stupid doctor are you?"

"Relax," Leanne said, turning back to Dani. She held out some creams, a roll of bandage and medication for Dani, "I'm sure you know how to use all this. I've put directions on the bottles so you know when to apply the creams, and take on pain tablet every few hours."

"Greg doesn't let me have medication," Dani frowned. "Not since I tried suicide with pain killers."

Leanne set the creams down beside Dani and took away the medication, "Maybe he's right."

"Give me my meds, woman!" Dani shouted. "My hand is killing me!"

Leanne unwrapped the oven mitten from Dani's hand before handing her the bottle of pills, "_One_ tablet every four hours if needed," she said. "Got it?"

"Got it," Dani nodded. She collected everything with her good hand. Before leaving she turned to her Aunt, "By the way, it's your fault I tried suicide. If you hadn't of gotten shot…"

"Get out," Leanne laughed, pointing to the door, "I'm sure Greg's waiting."

Dani stuck her tongue out at her Aunt before leaving. Leanne began to clean up while slowly counting to five in her head. When she finished the count she ran to the door and shouted down the hall, "Don't even think about touching the burn, Daniela!"

"DAMMIT!"


	131. Back to Life

Things were slowly getting back to normal for the Bradleys. Tori had been home for a few days now and was enjoying the peace and the time off work.

Her kids had gone to school for the first time in the school year, leaving her a few hours to herself. She had been very impressed in the morning when she watched Jason helping Elena get ready and finding her books, and had been even more impressed when Elena thanked her brother. Every time he did something to help, Elena would smile at him and thank him.

After that, the day passed by quickly or Tori. She got to lie in her own bed, read a book, watch TV, cook a real meal, phone her friends to let them know she was okay, and even went outside to talk with the neighbours while waiting for Jason and Elena to get home from school. Blake had already told her he was going to be home late from work because he had some special errands to run. Tori didn't mind, especially with the way the kids were behaving, and Mike offered to stop by when his classes were done in case his mother needed a hand around the house.

Tori was just in the middle of a conversation with the woman next door when Jason rushed down the street, pulling Maddie behind him.

"Mom!" he shouted. Tori turned, afraid something happened. Jason stopped in front of her and panted loudly.

"What's going on?" Tori asked. Jason waved his hand.

"Nothing… just wanted to ask… if it was…"

"Breathe, Jason," Mrs. Bateman, the neighbour, chuckled. "Slow down, wait for your breath to catch up."

"I…"

"Mommy! Can Maddie stay for dinner?" Elena rushed out as she ran down the street, holding her white cane in front of her. Tori hadn't seen Elena using her cane in a long time. Her daughter was usually very dependant of Jason.

Though Elena was good with the cane, Tori still didn't like it when she ran. It made her nervous. The cane could get stuck in the ground and Elena could trip, or she could trip on something on the ground.

Jason groaned loudly, "I was going to invite her!" he said. "She's my guest! She came home with me."

"Only because you ran off," Elena frowned. "Please, mommy, can she stay?"

Tori looked at Madeline. This was her decision after all.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" she asked the red head. "Mike's bringing home take-out. There will be plenty for you."

"If it's okay with you," Maddie nodded.

"Of course."

"Yes!" Elena cheered. Jason shoved her.

"You have work to do," he told her. "Maddie's my guest."

"Only a little work! And she can help me with it!" Elena smiled. Tori took her daughter's arm.

"We won't make her do that," she said. "I'll help you with your homework. You and Maddie can play after dinner, how does that sound?"

"Fine…" Elena grumbled.

-Afterlife-

"Stay… stay… stay…" Hayden commanded while Braveheart watched her, eyeing the blueberry she stuck on top of her stomach and waiting for it to roll. Hayden was amused endlessly by the stuff she could do with her stomach now that it was getting really big. She could roll blueberries on it, she could use it to hold half-empty water bottles and, when she was really bored, she could pretend it was a mountain, and her hands were people trying to climb it.

Braveheart was amused as well. His master was laughing and happy and it put him in a good mood. He also got to have some of the treats if they rolled off Hayden's stomach and landed on the floor.

"There it goes!" Hayden chuckled, pushing the blueberry and watching at it rolled right off, hitting the ground. Braveheart jumped up and in a matter of seconds the blueberry was gone. Hayden shot her hands up, "GOAL!"

Braveheart didn't bark. He knew better than to bark when he was around Hayden. He couldn't scare her.

But when the doorbell rang he let out a rather loud growl as she made his way to the door. Though the danger of Mattie and Marcie were gone, Braveheart was still very protective, especially when Flynn was gone. Hayden got off the couch and walked to the door. Before opening it she grabbed onto Braveheart's collar. Last time the door rang, she forgot, and Braveheart knocked the mailman flat.

Her mail hadn't come since.

To Hayden's surprise, this wasn't the mailman. Standing on her front step was her Uncle Shane. She let go of Braveheart's collar and jumped in for a hug. Shane laughed, hugging his favourite niece.

"Wow, when I heard you were pregnant I couldn't believe it," he chuckled. After the hug he pushed her away to get a better look at her growing stomach. "But now that I see it, I'm a believer!"

"Uncle Shane, what are you doing here?" Hayden laughed, inviting her uncle inside.

"I heard Tori was back from the hospital. I was going to stop by there, but then I thought, naw. Babies are cooler than heart attacks! How is junior treating you?"

"In this moment I feel great," Hayden said, leading her uncle to the living room, "But on most days I really feel pregnant."

"If you're anything like your mother I'm sure Flynn's running around everywhere and doing everything for you," Shane teased, thinking back on Kaylee's pregnancy and how Dustin was always running to the stores at the last minute.

"I can't say I don't do that…" Hayden smirked playfully.

Shane let Hayden pick her spot to sit before he chose his. She was pregnant and he didn't want to tempt fate by accidentally stealing her spot. Kaylee had a special spot when she was pregnant, and he remembered when Blake accidentally sat in it. The poor boy had a very small bald spot on the side of his head for a while after that.

"So, your father tells me you're… six months along?" Shane said. "Not much longer to go."

"I'm due early December," Hayden nodded. "Mom's teasing me though. She said I was two weeks late, so she thinks this baby will be late as well."

"Better than early," Shane shrugged. "Your mother's just upset because she was premature and her mother didn't suffer for the full nine months, but she had to put up with pregnancy for nine months and two weeks."

"Yes, but grandma was pregnant for almost 16 months straight. Aunt Tori and mom are only 9 months apart."

Shane nodded slowly, "That still creeps me out."

Hayden suddenly remembered the nursery in the making. She and Flynn were very proud of it, and with Mr. McAllistair staying for a few days, the men had a lot of time to work on it when they came home from work. It was coming along nicely. The walls were painted and decorated and most of the furniture was set up.

"Uncle Shane, do you want to see the nursery?" Hayden asked, already getting out of her seat. Shane nodded and followed her upstairs.

When Hayden opened the door to the butterfly nursery Shane gasped. It was beautiful, but he couldn't help but make a comment. He still hadn't been told the sex of the baby, and though it was obvious now that Hayden and Flynn were having a girl, he wanted to have a little fun with the missing information.

"That's so cute!" he smiled. "You want a gay son!"

Hayden slapped her uncle on the arm, "Uncle Shane!"

"I'm sorry," Shane laughed, "I couldn't help it. So, you're having a girl?"

"No, a boy," Hayden smirked. Shane shoved her gently. "Alright, yes, a girl. We found out recently. Flynn and Mr. McAllistair have been working on the room ever since."

"It looks nice," Shane smiled. "If I was a baby girl, or a gay baby boy, I would love this room."

"Who says a macho man can't have a butterfly bedroom?" Hayden asked, furrowing her brows. "Butterflies are symbolic. They represent transformation and the ability to grow and adapt as well a beauty and freedom."

"I'll decorate my house with butterflies then," Shane smiled. He wrapped his arm around Hayden. "But seriously, kiddo, it's beautiful. And congratulations. I would have dropped by sooner but you know how busy the Wind Ninja Academy schedule gets."

"Yeah, don't worry," Hayden said. "And if you want to catch up on everything you missed during the first months of pregnancy, you're invited to stay for dinner. Flynn and Mr. McAllistair are bringing home pizza."

"Pizza?" Shane smirked. "Well, only if you insist."

-Afterlife-

Time was not helping Daniela's burn at all. Underneath the dressing she could feel the burning sensation as well as a terrible itch, but everything she tried to scratch at it or just take a peek to see what was going on, someone would yell at her.

Greg had his eyes on her constantly over the last few days. So much so, Daniela wished she had burned herself back when he was in his depression. At least he would have had something to do aside from lying in bed day after day. He never left her alone, and if he had to he never left her for too long, and he would always question her when he got back to make sure she hadn't been touching, poking, picking or scratching her burn.

When he wasn't around, Mr. McAllistair was. Because Dani's right hand was her dominant hand, and she needed both hands to do her job, she needed to hire a temporary replacement while she was recovering from her burn. Mr. McAllistair had stepped up initially when Dani went to the hospital and Flynn needed to stay home, and offered his services until Dani was ready to get back to work. He seemed to be playing protective father whenever he saw her and was constantly discouraging her from touching even the dressing around her hand.

As if that wasn't bad enough, even Flynn was in on the recovery team. Anytime he saw Dani even looking at her hand he would sigh loudly and shake his head.

But that didn't stop her. Dani's hand stung terribly and itched constantly. She couldn't just sit by and do nothing while the pain intensified. In the rare moments where she was alone, Dani would unwrap her dressing and give her hand a good scratch. It wouldn't relieve the pain (sometimes it would only make it worse), but at least she was trying to do something about it. Whenever she changed the dressing she would take her time and pick at some of the skin peeling off. It was disgusting, but Dani couldn't help herself. She wanted to try something, anything, to make the pain go away.

She had been taking the pain medication as Leanne prescribed, but it didn't do too much to help her out. She got about an hour of relief, but soon after the pain seemed to come back, worse than before, and Dani needed to scratch, pick, peel, poke, rub… anything to try and make it stop hurting.

She had eyes on her right now, three sets to be precise, so she couldn't do anything without getting a slap on the wrist, but she needed to find a way to be alone. Her hand was hurting and the dressing felt like it was getting tight. Normally when she or Greg wrapped it back up it was wrapped comfortably. But in the last twenty-four hours the comfort would slowly disappear and Dani would feel like something was restricting her hand. She had tried to talk to Greg, Mr. McAllistair or Flynn about it, but they just told her not to touch it.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she finally said, hoping for some privacy. Greg got up from the table and closed his laptop.

"Good idea. I've had to go for about an hour."

Dani sighed, "I know it's until death, Greg, but we can part for a few minutes. The point is we always come back."

"Fine," Greg shrugged. He grabbed the oven mitten from the counter and tossed it, as well as a roll of tape over to Dani. "Put it on."

"What? I need to go to the bathroom, Greg. I can't where the lobster claw and have my hand bandaged up!"

"Then I'm coming with you."

Dani groaned and sat back down, "Fine, I'll just wet myself."

"You better let her go, lad," Flynn chuckled from underneath a car. "If she wets herself you're going to have to do the laundry and clean up."

Greg sighed as he looked at Dani, "You have two minutes. Go."

Dani jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. She didn't actually need to go, though to convince Greg she needed to try and stay within the time limit he had set. She quickly shut and locked the door and began unwrapping her dressing. She took a look at the burn and groaned.

"That looks nasty," she whispered to herself as she turned on the cold water. One thing that did relieve the pain was cold water. She placed her hand under the tap for a few seconds, letting the cold water work its magic. When her hand felt like it was frozen solid she pulled it out and examined it again. She noticed some of the skin was still peeling away and there were extra flaps. It drove her crazy to see that there, and she couldn't just ignore it and wrap it up. She had to pick at it and try to remove them.

Biting her lip to keep from screaming, she pulled off the skin. Her hand bled but she knew how to hide it from Greg. She wrapped some of the old dressing around her hand before putting on new dressing. If her husband asked, she would tell the partial truth and let him know she replaced it. But if he didn't notice, she wasn't going to breathe a word.

Figuring her two minutes was almost up; she flushed the toilet and turned the tap on again before walking out.

"Relieved?" Greg asked her when she walked back to the front of the garage. Dani nodded.

"For now."

-Afterlife-

Just as promised, Elena was allowed to spend time with Madeline after dinner, and the two girls had decided to watch a movie together (or in Elena's case, listen to a movie). Jason didn't mind the movie they chose and decided to stay and watch with them.

Leanne had called to tell Tori she would be a little late picking up Madeline so the movie had turned into a long marathon. By the end of the second movie, Elena was completely passed out.

Maddie nudged Jason and pointed to his sister, "Look," she whispered. "She's gone."

"Finally," Jason laughed. "We can pick a really good movie."

"The other two were really good," Maddie said. Jason shrugged.

"There are only so many romantic comedies a guy can watch before he gets bored. My max is one."

"You could have left," Madeline said. Jason thought about it for a moment.

"Naw. It's not often I have friends coming over. I might as well take advantage of the social interaction."

He got up and took the movie from the player and placed it back in its case before picking out something else, something he knew he and Maddie would enjoy. He slid it in and went back to the couch while Maddie hit play.

It was getting late for both teens and they were both rather tired. Twenty minutes into the movie Maddie felt her eyes getting heavy as she slowly drifted to sleep. Jason noticed she was beginning to lean in closer to him and before he knew it, her head was on his shoulder. He tried to worm away before seeing how peaceful she looked. He didn't want to disturb her sleep so he sat very still. However, with Maddie and Elena asleep, Jason knew he was the only other target. About an hour into the movie he slowly drifted asleep, letting his head rest gently on Maddie's.

The front door opened as Leanne walked in. It was really late by now and she was afraid that if she rang the doorbell she might wake somebody up. Thankfully Mike was in the hallway when she came in and he invited her inside.

"Maddie is still here, right?" Leanne asked. Mike nodded and pointed to the living room. Leanne thanked him before walking over. She passed by the kitchen and saw Tori. The water ninja kissed Blake before getting up from the table and walked to her friend.

"The kids are pulling a marathon," she said. "Not sure where they are in this movie."

"Maddie's got to get home either way," Leanne shrugged. "She has morning detention. Students who skip classes have to come in extra early and their parents have to get up early so they can get them there extra early."

The two women walked into the living room and found all three kids passed out. Elena on her the love seat and Maddie and Jason on the couch. Leanne groaned.

"Dammit, I hate it when she sleeps. She's too cute."

"The disadvantage of only having one kid," Tori smirked as she walked over to Elena, gently waking her up. "You still think they're all babies and don't want them to grow up."

"You want Elena to grow up?" Leanne asked surprised. Tori nodded.

"She'll always be my baby, but I want all kids out of the house so Blake and I can finally grow old in peace."

"Good point," Leanne nodded. "Maddie's kinda just part of the relationship now."

She moved to wake Madeline but stopped. There was no way she was going to wake her daughter up, get her in the car, drive her home while she slept in the car, then get her to bed without complaints. She knew that by the time Maddie was changed and in her bed, she would likely be wide away and unable to fall back asleep. And she had morning detention, so she needed the sleep.

"Let her stay here," Tori offered, seeing Leanne's hesitation. "I'll make sure she gets to school on time for her detention."

"I don't know… it's a school night and…"

"Are you worried she's going to stay up late and won't get any sleep?" Tori frowned. She pointed to Madeline and Leanne laughed.

"I guess you're right. Are you sure you're okay to drive her in the morning… you need to rest and…"

"Who said I was driving her?" Tori smirked. "I just said I would make sure she was there on time. Blake will be driving her."

Leanne chuckled, "Point taken. Thanks a lot, Tor."

Tori picked Elena up and held her sleeping form in her arms, "No problem. I'll just get this one to bed."

"I'll show myself out," Leanne nodded. She glanced at Maddie and Jason, curled up together on the couch and sleeping peacefully. She found them so cute that she just wanted to jump right in and pinch both their cheeks and be the crazy, embarrassing mother/aunt until they stopped being cute, but she contained herself.

She simply kissed her daughter on the cheek before turning off the TV and the lights and heading home.


	132. Dani's Infection

Daniela yawned loudly as she stood over the sink, running her burning hand under cold water. The drugs Leanne had given her helped ease the pain by getting her to fall asleep and it worked miraculously around bedtime, but every night Daniela would wake up long before she was allowed to take another pill, and every night her had would be throbbing painfully, keeping her wide awake. There was nothing she could do, except get her ass out of bed, walk to the bathroom and try to ease the pain with cold water and cream.

The old dressing had been tossed carelessly into the garbage and the new roll was just waiting to be used. Daniela pulled her hand out from under the tap and reached for the creams. She rubbed her burnt hand on her shirt, trying to itch, when Greg walked in.

"Seriously, Dan?" he sighed, pulling her hand away from her body. "We've all told you, no scratching. That includes scratching with your shirt."

"C'mon!" Dani groaned. "It hurts and this helps! Please."

"No," Greg frowned. He gave her her hand back so she could apply the creams while he reached for the dressing. When Dani was done he took her hand again and looked down. He hissed.

"Dani, this doesn't look like it's getting better," he told her. Her hand was red, swollen and there was a little puss from some of the deeper wounds.

"I told you it was hurting more," Dani shrugged. Greg checked his watch and sighed.

"First thing tomorrow we're going to the doctor's to get you some antibiotics," he said. "You may have an infection."

"Dammit," Dani grumbled as Greg started wrapping her hand up.

"You've got to stop touching it, Dani," he warned her. "You do know what could happen if you get an infection, right?"

"Pain?"

"Goodbye hand," Greg waved, trying to get his message across to his wife. He finished wrapping the dressing and let go of her hand. She crossed her arms.

"Why can't Samantha just kiss it better?" Dani asked. "Or better yet, Hayden can bleed on it and everything will be okay."

"You know that's not allowed," Greg told her. Daniela rolled her eyes. It was difficult having cousins with healing powers. They were useful in missions and battles, but in regular life they were a simple tease. Kaylee didn't want her daughters running around using their powers to heal every injury anyone received because if word got out to other citizens they would all demand to be healed of any and all cuts, bruises, scratches, scars, burns, disabilities or more. Though it would really help restore the world and keep the population growing, it would also create a dependence on healing abilities and it would keep Hayden and Samantha running around, every minute of the day. To add to all the drama, Hayden would have to donate blood everyday to satisfy the needs of the city, and there was only so much she could lose before she killed herself. Her healing factor was in her blood and if she didn't have enough of it, her body would be much more vulnerable to any and all bacteria because her immune system was terrible.

Samantha didn't have this same problem. Her healing factor was in the kiss. No one really knew what about the kiss allowed her to heal her "patients" but no one really cared to find out. Though it was never life threatening, the healing factor wasn't as powerful or as effective as Hayden's. Humans always wanted what was best. They demanded excellence and they always wanted more. Why would they settle for Samantha's slow and slightly less effective healing power when they could get Hayden's fast, acting, super effective one instead?

It was for that reason the former RPM team had to deal with day to day bumps, bruises and injuries; even something as severe as burns, infections and blindness. As much as Hayden and Samantha wanted to help their cousins, especially Elena, they couldn't do it without potentially putting their own lives in danger. Thankfully, Elena had learned to cope with her disability and was still the happy girl she was before the Venjix.

"Stupid cousins," Dani sighed. Greg took her left hand and pulled her back to the bedroom.

"Come back to bed," he told her. "Resting will help your body heal that burn and maybe you won't lose your hand."

"I won't lose it," Dani frowned.

"If you continue to pick and poke at it you will," Greg insisted. "Promise me you'll do your best to leave it alone."

"Fine, but you'll need to find a way to distract me from the pain," Daniela said as she crawled into bed. Greg smirked, crawling in with her. He began to kiss her, but Dani pushed him away. She reached to her end table and grabbed the book she had been reading before she passed out earlier. She shoved it in her husband's hands before curling up in bed, under the blankets. "Read to me, please."

"This is what you meant?" Greg frowned, slightly disappointed. Dani smirked.

"Something tells me any moments we try to have will be ruined by pain, burning, itching, or the giant turn off of scratchy dressing rubbing your body in sensitive places."

Greg sighed, "Can we at least cuddle?"

"While you read the book?"

"Why not?" Greg asked. Dani beamed brightly, patting his side of the bed. Greg crawled in and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his chest and placed her burned hand on his stomach. Greg kissed the top of her head before looking at the book.

"Green eggs and ham?" he frowned, looking down at her. Daniela shrugged.

"I want to know if he ends up eating the green eggs and ham," Dani grinned. "Engel told me it was a very good book and I trust her judgment. She's an avid reader, you know."

"She's two and a half."

"Two and three quarters," Dani corrected her husband. It was very important he get every detail right of the young girl's age. Children were very proud of getting older. "And she's read more books in those two and three quarter years than I have in my eighteen and three quarter, so in my eyes that makes her an avid reader."

Greg shook his head as he opened the book and began to read to his wife: "I am Sam. Sam I am…"

-Afterlife-

"The days are long and boring, the pregnancy is pissing me off, and I have to go to work on top of everything else! When do I get a break?" Hayden grumbled loudly as she stumbled into work, trying to balance all her things and her round stomach. She had had the last little while off due to her Aunt's heart attack and Mattie and Marcie, but her leave was done and she needed to work if she wanted to get paid. "This is ridiculous."

"You didn't try to pull any strings?" Vasquez asked her as she dropped some papers on Hayden's desk. "I'm sure your mother would have given you more time off."

"Are you kidding me?" Hayden groaned. "My mom wants to make sure everything running smoothly while she's still on leave. She's using her pregnant daughter to spy on the military and on Colonel Truman! I think she's loosing it."

"How much longer is she on leave for?"

"She'll be back Monday," Hayden said. She looked at the papers Vasquez set down, "What are these?"

"Reports from the missions the Eagle Squad has been on since you left," she said. "You need to look over them and sign them all off."

"Do I need to do the looking over part?" Hayden asked. "Can't I just trust Scott? After all, it wasn't that long ago he was _my_ leader and I _had_ to trust him to do his job properly."

"It's been two years," Vasquez told her with a smirk. "And you need to look over them to make sure they were done right. It's part of your job as Kaylee's personal assistant and Eagle Squad dispatcher."

"I don't get paid enough to read this," Hayden frowned, picking up the papers, "How many pages is this?"

"Five," Vasquez laughed. Hayden sighed, rolling her eyes.

"This will take me forever! I'll just have Engel read them. Dani tells me she loves reading."

"Just do it," Vasquez said, shaking her head. She turned to leave but Hayden called her back. The former pink Ranger had noted something very different about the woman.

"Wow, you're actually barking out orders," she smirked. "Last time I saw you, you were merely given out suggestions."

"Well, with Hicks working in the prison, and the Colonel trying to balance work and personal life while you and your mother were away I needed to kind of step up," Vasquez shrugged.

"I see it's done wonders."

"It was actually the situation in the crew room that gave me a little more confidence," Vasquez said. "Something happened and I was put in a position where I _had_ to take charge."

"Can I know what it is?" Hayden asked.

Vasquez shook her head, "Confidential, even to you," she said. "All you need to know is those two cadets were kicked out without a second thought and… you don't drink coffee, do you?"

"I try to stay away," Hayden said. "Pregnant, remember?"

"Good."

"Why?"

"Confidential," Vasquez smirked. "That's all I'll tell you. But… when you do go back to drinking coffee… I hope you like it black."

"No…"

"Then no touchy," Vasquez warned her before finally getting back to her job. Hayden sat, curious for a moment before remembering the papers in front of her. She glanced down and sighed loudly.

"Are you kidding me? This mission is boring as shit! No I've got to read about it…"

-Afterlife-

The doctor finished looked at Dani's burn and took some notes down on his paper before turning to her.

"You're lucky, Mrs. Hartford," he said. "You caught this early."

"Is it an infection?" Greg asked, hoping he was wrong. Unfortunately the doctor shook his head.

"Very minor," he told the couple. "Nothing a little antibiotics and proper care can't fix."

"What does that mean?" Dani asked.

"Well, the healing process will take a little longer," the doctor said. "You've got to fight an infection and heal from the burn, but I highly doubt you'll lose your hand."

Dani stuck her tongue out at her husband, "I told you."

Greg turned to the doctor, "Work with me, here, doc. Now she'll start picking at it again."

"I wouldn't suggest that," the doctor said to Dani. "By picking, poking, scratching and touching, you're only opening wounds, leaving them vulnerable to bacteria and viruses. If you want your hand to heal, and if you want to get back to work, you'll have to keep your hands off."

The doctor chuckled a little at his own joke, but Dani was not amused. Her hand hurt, a lot, and touching it was the only proactive thing she could do. If not, she just got frustrated. She glared at the doctor until he stopped laughing. He cleared his throat.

"Sorry. But I am serious. You need to follow the instructions properly. Apply the cream, take the pills and keep the dressing on, 24/7. You want to keep the burn from coming in contact with the air. It will heal up in due time."

"How can we keep her from… Dani!" Greg shouted when he noticed Dani was already touching her hand before her back. He grabbed her injured hand and held it, rather tightly, before turning back to the doctor, waiting for an answer.

"Do what you can to relieve the pain," the doctor said. "Her medication should help."

Dani shook her head, "That stuff is shit. One hour without pain, followed by three hours of intense pain and burning and drowsiness."

"Try to take her mind off the burn," the doctor suggested. "Distract her, keep her busy."

"Distraction, eh?" Greg smirked. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and held it in front of Dani's face, "Look, Dani!"

Dani giggled, gently tapping on the pen to swing it from side to side as she watched it carefully. Greg smirked and looked at the doctor.

"She can do this for hours."

"You might want to see someone about that…" he frowned. "A… special doctor."

"We tried. She gets distracted midway through the appointment by the shiny clip on the clipboard," Greg joked. The doctor looked at him curiously for a moment before he shook his head, "Never mind."

He stuffed the pen back in his pocket, "C'mon, Dani. Let's go to the bookstore and see if we can find more Dr. Seuss books," he said, leading her away. "I'll buy and read the entire collection to you every night if you promise not to touch the forbidden hand of doom."

"I'll hold you to that," Dani said, following him out of the doctor's office.

-Afterlife-

"I can't believe you got afternoon detention too," Jason chuckled when Maddie finally walked out of the school. He had been waiting for her since the first bell rang, knowing she had received detention. They had been assigned a project for their history class and were partners. Maddie had been invited to Jason's house to work on it after school, so Jason was stuck waiting the extra hour and a half for her to complete detention. "Next time this happens, I might as well get stuck in there with you. It's better than waiting out here on the bench like some doofus."

"Shut up," Maddie grumbled. "It's not my fault. I don't know why the teacher hates me."

"You called him stupid," Jason said. "I would hate you too if you called me stupid."

"He was! Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb!"

"The textbook says he did," Jason shrugged.

"The textbooks bend the truth slightly to make everything easy to understand," Maddie explained. "You don't know how many times I've correct my teachers back in elementary school, or how many times I've had to correct the textbooks because they don't have all their facts straight, they're missing information, or they're just plain wrong."

"Fine," Jason said. "If you're so smart then who really did invent the light bulb?"

"Humphrey Davy back in 1806," Maddie said. "He actually created something called an arc lamp. It works by creating an intense electric spark between two charcoal rods, and those worked because they were connect to a battery. The light was so bright and no very practical for residential use and it was so powerful that the battery died quickly, but that was the original light bulb and he was the original inventor. Edison just got the credit because he improved the technology and because of him we have the common light bulb and all those 'how many blonds does it take to change a light bulb' jokes."

Jason frowned at his friend, "Where the hell did you learn all this? We only started science class this week."

"I read a book a few years ago," Maddie shrugged. "No big deal."

"You read a book? Once?" Jason asked. Maddie nodded. Jason grinned, "You read a book once, a few years ago, and all that information stuck?"

"It always does," Maddie shrugged. "Everything I read sticks right up here in my head. Doesn't it do that for you?"

"That would involve me actually reading for pleasure," Jason said. "And even then, no. I can't even remember the title of the book we have to read for the book report."

"The Tale of Corinth, written by Harrison Thompson," Maddie told him, "published by Pages of Adventure in 2028."

"I just needed the title," Jason laughed. Maddie shrugged.

"Just telling you what I know," she said. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, "We better get going. I'm sure the school's called my mom again and she's not going to be happy when she finds out I called my teacher stupid again. We have three hours until she tracks me down and grounds me again."

"Alright, well we can talk on the way home," Jason said, leading the way. "So, miss know-it-all, what do you know about the war of 1812?"

Maddie looked at him, "I know our bibliography and works cited page is going to be short. I read a university paper on the war when I was twelve… after reading about it in the same book with the light bulb facts."

"Do you know the facts for sure?"

Maddie gave her friend a look, "When have I ever been wrong?"

"You say the teacher's a moron," Jason said. "Why would you trust a university term paper?"

"Because after reading that I did my own research."

"Are you insane?"

"No, bored," Maddie shrugged. "I get grounded a lot for acting up in school. Once I completed a test an hour before the end of the given time and my teacher told me to revise it because it was impossible I was done so early. I told her the test was really easy and actually kinda stupid. We were in grade one and using stupid was frowned upon. She called my parents and I was grounded."

"Is everything easy for you?" Jason asked her. He sat beside her in all his classes and every time a teacher handed out work sheets, assignments or tests, Maddie would always comment on how easy the questions and work was. She would be done long before the rest of the class, and when the teacher corrected the work and handed the papers back, Jason was always surprised to see Maddie scored 100%. Sometimes, if the teacher was feeling generous or was really surprised as the in-depth knowledge and power of her work, she would score 101%. In the few weeks he had been in school with her, Jason couldn't remember Maddie ever studying for a test, revising her work, or struggling, and she never received a grade lower than 100%. He was a little jealous she could skate by while he worked hard to score less.

"Yeah," Maddie nodded, answering his question. "School's for idiots… no offense."


	133. Next Great Mind

"Greg, Greg, Greg!" Dani called as she balanced a pencil on the tip of her finger. Greg had been coming up with many ways to distract her, like the doctor ordered, to keep her from touching her hand and help the burn and the infection heal. He bought her a bunch of little toys that could be manipulated with one hand, as well as some handheld video games and a new movie collection.

Of course, his wife was Daniela Marks. She had all these toys, activities and movies surrounding her, and yet the one thing that was most effective at distracting her was her pencil. She was like a cat.

"That's fantastic, Dani," Greg nodded, not even looking up from his computer. Dani pouted, letting the pencil fall off her finger as she glared at her husband.

"You didn't even see it! How do you know it was fantastic? What if I was holding and elephant on the tip of my finger?"

"Then I would definitely notice it," Greg chuckled, still never looking up.

"C'mon, Greg! Show a little interest! I'm injured, remember?"

"I'll take a look at it when I'm done work, Dani."

"But I might not be able to do it again."

"Why not beat one of the high scores I set for you on the video games, Dan? You can save your best game and I'll watch it later."

Dani frowned, "Your work sucks."

"I'm sorry babe," Greg sighed, finally pushing his laptop away. "Look, let me work for one more hour and then I'll take you out to dinner."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Greg nodded. "But can you at least take the toys out of the packaging so they look like they've been played with, please?"

Dani groaned, "Fine…"

-Afterlife-

"So, Maddie, what time is your mother picking you up?" Blake asked when he stepped through the door and saw his son and Maddie doing their homework together at the kitchen table.

As Tori walked by she slapped him with a kitchen towel.

"Be polite, Blake. Maddie is a guest."

"My bad," Blake chuckled. "Hello, Madeline. At what time will your mother be picking you up from our home? I only ask because you young people need to be in your beds on time to get the full eight hours of sleep."

"Dad!" Jason groaned, but Madeline laughed.

"My mom's got a long surgery today," Maddie answered. "She won't be picking me up until ten-ish."

"But, Maddie and Jason are working on a history project," Tori added. "They'll need all the time they can get."

"Yeah, mom, did you move our stuff?" Jason asked his mother, lifting his binder up and searching through various pictures he and Maddie had just finished cutting.

Tori shook her head, "You two haven't moved from that spot since you got home."

"I can't find the picture from the second war thingy."

"World War II," Tori told her son. "What does it look like?"

Jason shrugged, "Black and white and…"

"Fifteen men in climbing a cliff about ten feet high. They're all wearing standard military helmets from the war and are each carrying their own bags. One man seems to be walking away, but he's turned back to the camera with a surprise look on his face, like there's something going on behind the camera Right beside him, two men are leaning over the edge of the cliff, reaching out to take the hands of a man who is being lifted up by two of his fellow soldiers. His left leg is lifted slightly higher than his right as he's pulling himself up. On the lower region there are three more men. Two are leaning against the cliff while they all converse and the third is holding his gun at 45 degree angle. Just above them, three men are helping another soldier get over the edge of the cliff. His body is about halfway above the edge and his right leg is reaching up so he can get back to solid ground. Just beside that group, there is another group, this time with three men. The two already up on top of the cliff are pulling the third guy up. He's crawling on the ground with only his feet hanging off. The cliff is…"

Tori pointed to her niece, "I think Maddie has it."

Maddie shook her head, "No I don't," she lifted up her binder to show her Aunt. Tori looked at Blake and then back at Maddie.

"You remembered all that?"

"I wasn't done yet."

Jason looked at his mother, "You get used to this. While you were helping Elena with her homework she recited the entire section on World War II from the textbook. Word for word."

"It was just a few paragraphs," Maddie shrugged. "It's nothing impressive."

"It helps us finish the written part of the project," Jason smirked. "She also wrote down all the information from other books she read and completed our work cited and bibliography page."

"You memorized all that?" Blake frowned; a little shocked at his niece's memory. He had always known she was smart, he just never assumed she was this smart.

"It's easy to memorize," Maddie nodded. "I understood everything."

Tori found the missing picture on the counter and put it back on the table for the kids. As she did she looked at Madeline curiously.

After a moment she walked into the living room and pulled out an old picture book. She took one of the pictures from long before Mike was born and came back to the kitchen.

"Hey, Maddie, can I ask you to do something weird for me?"

Maddie looked at her Aunt, "When you're done doing it will I have to call child services?"

"No, no. I want you to look at this picture for a few seconds," Tori said, handing her niece the picture. Maddie looked at it briefly before Tori took it away. "What was on the picture?"

"It was a picture of you and Kaylee when you guys were very little," Maddie recalled; nothing too impressive. Though Maddie had never seen pictures or videos of her Aunts when they were little, Tori and Kaylee still looked a lot like they did when they were young.

However, when Maddie was done describing the obvious, such as where the picture had been taken, and how many people were in the picture, she really began to get into detail. She started talking about the flight pattern of the birds in the sky or the abnormal colour of the flowers in the field. She also pointed out the way Tori and Kaylee were smiling, and described the way their mouths curled in opposite directions. She remembered exactly the way they were both sitting and the clothes and colour that they were wearing. She remembered how the sun was positioned a little off center in the sky and even used that to assume the time. She pointed out how some of the lighter freckles on Tori's cheeks (which were never too visible in the first place) seemed to have disappeared over time. She could also remember that Kaylee's hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but she had one strand that fell around her face and knew which side of Kaylee's face the strand had fallen on.

Tori couldn't believe her ears, or her eyes for that matter. In a few short seconds Madeline had been able to notice and remember details about the picture that Tori had never seen after years of looking at it.

She looked at Blake and in seconds he could identify her look. He set his bag down and pulled her out of the kitchen.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," he told her. "Just go sit down, relax. Let me take care of everything. I'll have dinner ready in no time."

"Daddy, are you trying to give mommy another heart attack?" Elena asked as she walked down the stairs. She heard that last part and couldn't help but mock her father. He wasn't the best cook. Elena's senses were always overwhelmed any time he got near the stove. She would smell the burned food before anyone realised it was burning, but by the time her father got it in the smell was so strong for Elena that she got sick. The smoke alarm would go off, almost damaging her sensitive hear drums, and the taste and texture of the food was repulsing any time her father tried to get her to eat it. "You're just going to burn everything and she's going to run around trying to fix your mess."

"I'll just use this express dinner thing," Blake shrugged. Elena turned to her mother and sighed.

"I hope he remembers to take the food out of the box and to unwrap the plastic. Jason and I almost died when you were in the hospital."

"Why don't you go help him, pumpkin?" Tori suggested, still looking at the picture in her hand. "I have something I need to think about."

-Afterlife-

Greg chuckled as he watched his wife glare at her fork and knife. He knew it was hard for her to eat with her hand bandaged up, and whenever they were home he would cook foods that were easy to grab or didn't need to be cut. He had offered to take her someplace where she could order easy to eat food, but Dani insisted she get a real, restaurant made meal.

Greg couldn't argue with that. He himself was a little tired of chicken nuggets and fries. He took Dani to a regular sit down restaurant. When the food came, her offered to cut up her meal for her so she could just use her fork to get the pieces into her mouth. Dani had refused, saying she wanted to figure this out for herself.

"Are you sure you don't want help, babe?" Greg asked before Dani jammed her fork into her steak and lifted the entire piece of meat.

"I so got this," she grinned, chewing off a bite right from the fork, instead of cutting it up.

"Dani, manners."

"Manners-smanners," Dani shrugged. "I am an injured woman who wants to enjoy a steak dinner without feeling like a handicap. You don't see paraplegics getting wheeled around everywhere, do you? You don't see amputees getting constant help. They learn to live on their own. While the stupid bandage is on and my hand is unusable I feel like a part of the handicap family and I want to respect them by learning to live on my own. If that means I get to eat meat like a cavewoman, then I will eat meat like a cavewoman."

"At least try to make it look civil," Greg frowned. Dani looked at him.

"Me eat meat," she said. "Me strong woman. No need man cut food."

"Now you're just being a pain," Greg smirked. "You could have ordered the burger and we could just change the dressing after the meal so your hand wouldn't smell of meat."

"I'm not afraid of getting burger on the dressing," Dani frowned. "I'm afraid of getting dressing on my burger. Nothing ruins a good burger like band-aid."

Greg shook his head and sighed, "When we get home I'll take a look at the burn," he told her. "If the swelling and redness has gone down I'll wrap up the dressing so you can use your fingers again."

Dani beamed and kissed her hand, "You hear that, guys? Soon you'll be free!"

"Only if the burn is healing!" Greg said. "If it's still bad I want to keep it bandaged. You remember what the doctor said about keeping it out of contact with the air."

"I didn't understand that part," Dani said. "I just ignored it."

"You'll regain some use of your fingers," Greg told her. "You won't be able to go back to work, but you may be able to loosely grip some small objects. Like that little hoop toy I bought you. Maybe you'll play with that."

"Or, I can try and balance two pencils!" Dani smirked. "One on each hand!"

"Or you can play with the toys, games and activities that cost me $200 instead of the $0.10 a pack pencils."

"But how else am I going to beat my balancing record of 20 seconds?" Dani asked. Greg took a long, deep breath.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked.

-Afterlife-

The doorbell rang at the Bradley residence and Tori jumped up from her spot on the couch to get it. Ever since she had shown the picture to Maddie and heard her niece describing it in great detail after the picture had been pulled away she had begun her research. She had just reached her conclusions when the door rang.

"Maddie, that you be your mother!" Tori called. "Pack up your things and say goodbye. I'm sure she's had a long day."

Tori opened the door and greeted Leanne with a hug. One thing she loved about her son and Leanne's daughter having a close friendship was that she got to see her Smart-Ass sister a lot more often. She welcomed the red head inside, getting her out of the crisp fall air.

"So, how was the surgery?" she asked. "Maddie told me it was long."

"Five hours," Leanne nodded. "But we made it through. The patient lived, not that there was much danger to his health. I just think it's best to tell possible patients that my track-record is still pretty good."

Tori chuckled, "Almost flawless."

"So, how far along did Maddie and Jason get on the project?" Leanne asked. She didn't feel like hassling her daughter to get into bed. Maddie always seemed to want to get her schoolwork done and out of the way whenever it came to research projects. It was the only thing about school that seemed to hold her interest. She always complained about everything else being boring and repetitive. Even when she began new and interesting units.

"Actually, I think they're almost done," Tori said. "Maddie knows a lot about World War II and remembered a lot from the books she's read in the past, as well as some university research papers."

Leanne nodded, "She's always reading and trying to learn more. It's amazing what she can absorb."

"Have you ever noticed anything odd about how much she can absorb?" Tori asked. Leanne frowned, not sure where this was going. Tori flashed her sister the picture from earlier. "I showed her this picture of Kaylee and I for a few seconds and then pulled it away. I asked her to tell me what was on it and she went on and on about every little detail."

"Yeah, she'll do that," Leanne said. "Cam and I have learned to never ask her what something looked like or if she knows where we put something. It's always this long descriptive picture of detail."

"Did you notice the birds?" Tori asked. Leanne frowned.

"What birds?"

"In the picture," Tori pointed to the birds, hiding away in the top left corner, almost completely out of sight. Leanne looked at the picture and nodded.

"Hey, birds!"

"That was one of the first things Maddie pointed out. I hope you and your many PhDs can figure out where I'm headed with this."

Leanne frowned. "Not a guessing game, Tor. I'm exhausted! I just came out of a five hour surgery on top of working nine hours before that! The patient who's still waking up from the drug-induced sleep is more awake than I am right now."

"I'm not a professional, but I think Maddie at least has eidetic memory."

"At least?"

"Well, she memorizes things after seeing or reading them for only a short period of time and they stick in her mind forever. But when you ask her to elaborate on something she's read, she knows how to explain and prove theories, ideas, arguments and can back up her facts with research she says she's done herself during her detention times or when you ground her. At dinner she gave Blake and me a full review of our 12th grade classes, and she's only starting 9th grade and so far she's skipped more classes than she's attended."

"You think she's a genius?" Leanne asked.

"Like I said, I'm not a professional, but maybe you can talk with her teacher. She's always telling us how bored she is in class and how she doesn't feel like she's learning anything. She acts up, skips classes, ignores her teachers and yet she's always been top of the class."

Leanne thought about it. Tori did bring up a good point. She always knew her daughter was smart, but she never figured she was at genius level.

Leanne nodded, "I'll talk to Cam about it."

"Go see someone as soon as you can," Tori agreed. "If she is the next great mind you can't keep holding her back by putting her in regular classes."

"Who is the next great mind?" Maddie asked, joining her Aunt and mother once she finished packing everything up.

"Just women talk, sweetheart," Leanne said, holding out her jacket for her daughter.

"I'm a woman," Maddie frowned. "Why can't I know?"

"Because I'm your mother and I said so."

"That's a stupid reason," Maddie said. "One day, when you're old and I have to pick out your nursing home, I'm going to pick out a terrible one, and when you ask why I'm going to give you that same answer. Because I'm your daughter and I said so. We'll see how you like it."

Tori chuckled, "She's got you there, Leanne. And you can't use the excuse of changing her diapers, because she'll be changing yours in a few years."

"A few years?" Leanne frowned. "I'm a year older than you."

"That's one year closer to old age," Tori smirked. She hugged her niece, "See you soon, kiddo."

"Bye Aunt Tori!" Maddie said before walking out the door. Leanne rolled her eyes at Tori as the blonde went to close the door behind her sister. Just before it shut, Tori could hear a piece of the Watanabe women's conversation.

"Seriously, mom, who do you think is the next great mind?"

"We'll find out soon enough."


	134. It's Not Real

Dawn held the door open for her last patient of the day before spotting Dani walking up the pathway. She waved goodbye to her patient and held the door open for her friend. Dani walked in and smiled.

"Was that the guy who thinks he grew a third arm?" Dani chuckled. Dawn nodded her head and sighed.

"I tried getting him to stand in front of a mirror today," she said. "He refused. He said his third arm makes him ugly."

"I think he has brain issues."

"Really?" Dawn gasped sarcastically. "Do you think? I never would have thought."

"Hey, just pointing it out. Maybe you did miss it completely," Dani shrugged. She sat down at Dawn's desk, kicking her feet up. One thing she loved about Dawn's center was that when she sat behind the desk she felt like she owned the entire center and it felt like her intelligence level doubled when she reached over, grabbed a file and pretended to look through it.

She couldn't grab a file this time though because of her hand. Greg gad wrapped it up so she could use her fingers, but she still found it hard to grip some objects. Dawn noticed the bandaged hand and frowned.

"What happened?" she asked, pointing to her friend's hand. Dani looked at it and shrugged.

"Second degree burn. Greg doesn't want me to touch it. He thought he could distract me easily but he got pissed off and sent me here to bug you. You're in charge of making sure I don't severely injure myself or my burn again for the next few hours."

Dawn groaned, "Thanks for the heads up, Greg."

Dani looked at her friend, "Greg's not here."

"I know, I'm just…"

"Maybe you have brain issues."

"Dani, go do something," Dawn said. "I have to finish up the files for Mr. Erikson's session."

"I can help!"

"You're right handed," Dawn frowned. "I doubt you could help me write up the progress report."

Dani huffed, "Stupid burn. I can't work, I can't write, I can't drive."

"You can't… how did you get here then?"

"Can't and won't are two different things," Dani smirked. "Just because you can't do something, doesn't mean you won't do it."

"Generally if you can't do something, there is no won't option."

Dani grinned, "You don't live in my world, Dawn."

"When I moved there was a listing for a beautiful home in Daniville. Unfortunately I would need to spend more on nightlights then the house would cost, so I settled down here."

"What are you saying…?"

"I'm saying there's no light up there, Dan. How did you burn your hand anyways?"

"I don't want to tell you. You'll think I'm stupid."

"No harm there," Dawn chuckled. Dani shot her a look. "Sorry, Dan. You know what I think of you. It's just fun to tease you."

"I was building an engine and something went wrong. I didn't know, turned it on and mini-boom!"

"Summer owes me ten bucks," Dawn smiled, grabbing a block of sticky notes and marking something down.

"You had a bet!"

"Well, when you opened up the garage I figured you would blow something up at some point. Summer defended you though."

Dani pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, "You're a meany. I want to go home."

"Good," Dawn chuckled. "Dean should be here in a few minutes anyways. We're going on a date and I need to finish up the progress report before he gets here."

"Still thinks he has third arm," Dani said. "I told you I could help."

"Alright, just… write that in his file and I'll touch it up later. Are you okay alone for two minutes while I get changed?"

"Greg doesn't trust me alone. He puts oven mittens on my hand."

Dawn turned back to Dani, confused. She shook her head.

"Two minutes. Can I trust you for two minutes?"

"What will I do while you're on your date?" Dani asked. "I don't want to impose, and I don't want to be awkward third wheel."

Dawn sighed, "Good point. Greg won't let you come home?"

"He said he needed to work."

"What about Hayden or Sammy? Can't they take you?"

"Hayden's pregnant. I'm not allowed to annoy her, and Sammy's a mom, she's already annoyed."

Dawn groaned loudly, "Fine. I'll talk to Dean when he gets here. If you promise to shut up and sit peacefully, you might be able to tag along."

"Oh, yummy!" Dani grinned as Dawn left to get changed.

-Afterlife-

After discussing Tori's theory with Cam, Leanne thought it would be best to talk to Maddie before consulting a specialist. If her daughter really was the next best mind, it would be smart to let her know she was going to be tested. After all, she would find out, and it was probably best if she found out before being dragged to a clinic.

Maddie sat down on the couch, looking guilty. Her parents were sitting on the other couch, looking at her, trying to find a way to make the words come out gently. Maddie thought she was in trouble. She gave into the stairs.

"Okay, okay, I was the one who brought the laser pointer to class. But it's not my fault Andrew flashed it in his eye. He was too stupid to listen to my warnings."

"You… what?" Cam frowned, looking at his daughter. This was news. Maddie's eyes widened before she looked away.

"Uh, never mind. But you'll be getting a call from the school tomorrow. Just know, in my defence, I was only going to use it to confuse the teacher in geography."

"Maddie, that's terrible," Leanne said. "But we're not here to talk about that. Do you remember that talk we had about doing all your school work, even though you thought it was stupid."

"Yeah," Maddie nodded. "You told me that August 31, 2023, right after the Venjix when I first started going to school in NewTech and you didn't know at what level the classes were going to be at now that teachers were literally teaching all the children in the world. Mom, you were actually sitting on an old wooden chair that Grandpa Akio made and it had cushions on it that Grandma Kristina made from your baby blanket. They had little cherry blossoms on it and you loved it because grandma made it and it always reminded you of her. And dad, you were sitting on that love seat you're sitting on now, but you kept looking away because you were afraid of another Venjix attack. Aunt Kaylee had just spoken to you about helping the military set up firewalls for their computers to keep Venjix out of the city…"

"We get it, Madeline," Cam said. He looked at Leanne. Their daughter was definitely special. "We want to talk to you about that."

"Venjix? He's gone, dad."

"No, not… your memory, sweetheart," Leanne explained. "The fact that you can remember everything in such detail. Even some of the more useless facts like… me hugging grandma's pillow."

"Actually it was your pillow," Maddie said. "Grandma gave it to you so you own it. She just made it."

"Maddie, Tori thinks you have eidetic memory. Do you know what that is?"

Maddie looked at her father, "I want to say yes, but I never really bothered looking up papers and research on memory. I knew I had a good one and why waste my time learning about memory and keeping it in my memory when I can learn about other things?"

"Eidetic memory is the ability objects and images with great accuracy," Leanne said, trying to remember what the online definition of the word had told her. "Photographic memory, basically."

"I heard of that," Maddie grinned. "Aunt Tori thinks I have that?"

"Apparently you remembered that history picture pretty vividly," Cam nodded. "Ever since you could speak you've always had a knack for remembering details and retelling stories using those specific details. I remember your mother took you to the zoo one day, and when I asked you about it at dinner you told me which animals you saw at what time and where they were located in the zoo."

"Exactly," Leanne added, remembering that day pretty well. "And the funny thing was that we didn't get you a watch until the following year. You had already learned that you could use the position of the sun to tell time."

"Ruined the excitement of buying you a watch," Cam said.

"So I remember things and like to learn. That doesn't mean I have a disease."

"It's not a disease," Cam told his daughter. "It's a gift."

"Not the way you're telling me about it," Maddie frowned. Leanne hoped over to the couch her daughter was sitting on.

"We want you to take this seriously, Madeline. We think your memory is the reason you think school is useless and boring. If it is, and the professional tells us that you really are as special as your father and I believe you are, we were thinking of moving you up a grade."

"Or two," Cam nodded. "We've discussed it with your principal and depending on the results of the test he's willing to place you in a grade 10 or 11 classroom."

"But those idiots are stupid too," Madeline sighed. "Ask Jason, I tutored an entire math class at lunch today. They were in grade 12!"

Leanne and Cam didn't want to hear this. They had a feeling Maddie wouldn't like the idea of moving up, and they also had a feeling that there weren't enough years in high school for her. They didn't want to put her into college or university classes at this age, but it seemed like the only option they had. They wanted their daughter to have an education, even if she thought she didn't need it.

Madeline got up, "You guys don't get it. I don't go to school because I want or need to learn. I go to school to see my friends and hang out with people. I wish the work was more challenging so I wasn't so bored… but I would rather sit through hours and hours of dull and moronic lessons then move up and be away from my friends."

Leanne looked at Cam. Madeline did bring up a good point. The reason she transferred from NewTech to Corinth was so that she could be with her family, and she had already started making a few new friends thanks to Jason. It would be mean for them to pull her out and place her in an environment where she would be with kids much older than she was. It was hard being the youngest in the class, and young geniuses were always teased, taunted and excluded because they were different.

"We'll talk about that later, then," Leanne told her daughter. "But we do want to get you tested. If you do have an eidetic memory, or any other kind of gift, we need to know about it so we can help you."

"Whatever the professional says, we're going to make sure that we're doing what's best for you, okay?" Cam assured his daughter. "We don't want you wasting your time at school when you could be learning a lot of new things."

"I have books, papers and the internet for that, dad."

"I know… but you do all that in your spare time. Be a kid, Madeline. Learn at school, play when you're at home."

"Promise us you'll do the testing?" Leanne asked her daughter. Madeline took a deep breath.

"Fine, but I don't want anyone to know if I am a genius," she said. "I don't want to be treated differently."

"Some people will have to know," Cam said. "But we will keep it on a need to know basis."

Madeline smiled, "Thank you."

-Afterlife-

"Are you sure the date is tonight?" Dani asked as she checked the clock again. Dean was supposed to pick up Dawn half an hour ago and there was still no sign of him or his car in the driveway. Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Traffic?"

"You told me he lived in New York," Dani frowned. "Traffic there is way worse than it ever will be in Corinth. I'm sure he's a master at getting to places on time."

"He's never late," Dawn said. "Maybe he's been held up by something else. Maybe there was an accident."

"Maybe he's standing you up," Dani shrugged. Dawn pointed a sharp look at her. Dani pulled away. "I'm sorry. You know I love the guy and I think he's great, but we can't rule out the possibility that maybe…"

The door swung open as Dean rushed in, "Dawn, I'm so sorry. I need to cancel the date tonight."

Dani frowned at her friend's date, "You show up late and you're cancelling? You've just lost a few good points, Dean."

"Dani? What are you…? Never mind. I'm really sorry, Dawn, something came up that needs my attention and I can't do anything about it."

"What is it?" Dawn asked. "Maybe I can help."

"It has to do with Emily…"

"Is she okay?" Dawn rushed out. She loved Emily dearly and no matter what happened between her and Dean, she wanted to be around to help Emily in any situation. By dating her father, she almost felt like a mother or much older sister to the girl.

"She's uh… frustrated," Dean sighed. "With her arm."

"Huh?" Dani frowned.

Dawn breathed deeply, "She mentioned that last time she was here. She doesn't like it anymore."

"How can she not like it?" Dani frowned. "She has her arm back, right? She's, um… for lack of a better word, normal now. She fits in. It's almost impossible to tell that the arm is robotic."

"She hates it," Dean told Dawn. "She says it feels weird to her now. A few hours ago I found her trying to cut it off. I can't leave her alone like this…"

"No, I totally get it," Dawn nodded. "If it helps, I can squeeze her in tomorrow at lunch time. She can talk to me about it. Maybe I can lift her spirits…"

"Where is she now?" Dani asked. Dean pointed out the front door.

"She's in the car. We just got back from dinner. I'm really sorry, Dawn. I would have called earlier to tell you, but I just…"

Dawn shook her head, "I'm serious, Dean. It's okay. Can I go talk to her now?"

"Go for it," Dean sighed, "I tried everything."

Dawn rushed out to the driveway, slowing down when she got near her boyfriend's car. She tapped on Emily's window. The young girl opened her door and scooted down the backseat bench, letting Dawn sit.

"Hey, kid," Dawn smiled. "How are you?"

"Daddy told you about me, didn't he?" Emily asked. Dawn chuckled. The girl was smart.

"He did, I'm not going to lie," she said. "Why don't you want the arm anymore?"

"It's not real," Emily frowned. "I don't like it. I liked it better when I didn't have an arm."

"C'mon, the arm is great! You can play regular sports again; you can hold two things at once. You can even help daddy pull out the cookie tray from the oven without burning yourself. That's pretty cool."

"It's not real," Emily frowned. "I want it gone. Tell Greg I want him to take it off right now."

"Can we talk about this a little more?" Dawn asked. "Are you being teased at school? Does your arm stop working sometimes?"

"No, it's perfect," Emily frowned. "Can you take it off?"

"Does it hurt your shoulder?" Dawn continued to ask, hoping that maybe the problem could be solved. It did seem a little weird to her that Emily would suddenly choose to have the arm removed. She had been so happy after the surgery.

"No. Everything's fine! I want it off!" Emily shouted. "Get it off now!"

Emily, calm down…"

Emily opened the car door and stuck her robotic arm out before pulling the door shut on her arm. Dawn winced, imagining the pain, but Emily groaned in frustration when she opened the door and saw her arm was still intact and working.

"Stupid thing won't come off!" Emily screamed, trying again with the door. "I tried everything! It's stuck. I don't want it! Take it off me!"

Dawn pulled the young girl away from the door and held her comfortingly. As Emily began to sob, Dawn could hear her repeating something softly.

"It's not real. It's not real. It's not real."

"I'll fix this, sweetie," Dawn whispered to her. "I promise I'll make it all better for you."


	135. Overworked

Working hard wasn't unusual for Dawn. It was something that came with her job. Customers, or, rather patients, needed help, care and advice all the time. Dawn was always working to find them somewhere to go, somewhere to work, something to do… anywhere they could fit in and feel like their life hadn't been turned upside-down by Venjix. It was a long process that kept her very busy all the time, but she was determined to help everybody.

The case with Emily, however, was starting to become too much to handle. Dawn had been worried about her personal involvement with Emily interfering with her work. She loved the little girl and she was in love with the little girl's father. She would jump hoops for the Woodstocks.

Now, her personal involvement meant she was spending days trying to come up with an idea to help Emily. First, though, she had to diagnose what exactly was wrong with Emily and her arm and why she suddenly changed her mind about it.

Emily had been in love with the idea of a robotic arm. She would have the use of both hands again, and she wouldn't be seen as "the crippled kid". The prosthetic arm was very realistic in looks so anyone who didn't know Emily was an amputee would never know she had a fake arm. It was also very manoeuvrable and precise. It could gently grip something fragile without worry about breaking it or crushing it, just like it could build a house of cards without glitching out and causing them to fall over.

Emily could also feel with her arm. It wasn't nearly as good as a human nervous system, but with the arm, Emily could feel the difference between fabrics and she could feel some pain. It was never enough pain to hurt, which was the reason she could pull burning hot plates from the oven, but just enough to keep her from setting her arm on fire without her knowledge.

Dawn had to admit being a little jealous. She remembered what it was like being Tenaya 7 and only having a limited nervous system. Pain wasn't an issue, scars weren't a problem and there was no worry about infection. Just proper maintenance, like the rest of the body, and you were good to go. She kinda liked the idea of not having to worry about accidentally getting a paper cut, or stabbing your finger on the end of your pencil or even burning your hand after accidentally connecting two wires that weren't supposed to connect and blowing up your own engine.

Dawn glared at Dani, who was sitting in the waiting room with Dean. He had been to the New Dawn Center every day since Emily's meltdown, trying to come up with ways to help Dawn with his daughter. Dani had come often as well. Helping Emily was a nice distraction from her burn, and she had a lot of ideas.

Dean looked over at Dani, glancing down at her bandaged hand. He had noticed it right away, but was too concerned about Emily to bother asking. Now that Dawn was too frustrated to accept help and he had nothing else to do, he figured he would bring it up. Any conversation would help the time go by.

"So, what happened?" he asked the young girl. Dani looked down at her hand.

"Well, you see, there was this rabid dog running the streets and it was attacking everyone it saw. At one point it grabbed this small child in its mouth and started shaking him from side to side like… well a wild animal. So I rushed over, ripped the dog's mouth open with my hands, freed the little boy and wrestled the dog to get my hand back. He got a good chunk of it, but I won the fight and now me, dog and boy are safe."

Dean gasped, "Wow! Really? I had no idea there…"

Dani lowered her head, "No, it's not true… I told the real story so many times and it's not a heroic as that one. I thought I would mix things up."

Dean chuckled and shook his head, "How did you hurt your hand, Dani?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Dani smirked.

"It must pay to have a doctor for a dad. He must have rushed you right in to get it looked at."

"Actually, my dad was in surgery. I was in the emergency room until my aunt showed up and squeezed me in before her shift," Dani frowned. "Hospital care sucks unless you're dying. I probably should have blown up my head or something. I could have been in and out of there in a matter of minutes."

Their conversation was interrupted when Dawn groaned loudly, slamming her head against the keyboard of her computer. Dean and Dani walked over, figuring she would probably be a little more social now that she was giving up.

"Whatcha doing?" Dani asked, poking her friend's head. Dean came around and leaned against the back of the chair, looking at the computer screen.

"Babe, I thought you were looking up reasons for Emily's sudden mind change about her arm," Dean frowned. "I don't think sahiofbnf falls into that category."

Dawn looked up at the search bar and rubbed her forehead, "Dammit… I lost my page."

"Have you found anything yet?" Dani asked. Dawn shook her head, stretched and yawned.

"No… it's so weird. We don't have any previous files on prosthetics because of the Venjix, so I can't do proper research. I'm basically doing this from scratch."

Dean picked up his daughter's folder and began looking through it. Dawn had been talking to Emily after school to try and get a straight answer out of the young girl.

"Has Emily been any help?"

"She just keeps yelling at me," Dawn shook her head sadly. "She says her arm isn't real and she wants it off."

"What do you mean it's not real?" Dani frowned, "it's better than real, it's a super arm! Capable of doing everything a regular arm can do without the cons of a regular arm! I wish I was part robot."

Dani started dancing like a robot, emphasising her liking of the robotic prosthesis. Dawn stared at her dance for a moment before turning to Dean.

"I'm thinking of just taking off the arm and seeing how Emily reacts to that. Maybe she was happier without it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Dean asked her. "That'll involve another surgery… and what if she wants it on again? I want her to be happy, but I don't want her to go through surgery after surgery all her life. Is there anything else you can do?"

"I don't know," Dawn sighed, rubbing her temples. "I've been at this for days and I'm still coming up short. There's really no reason she should hate her arm this much."

"Have you talked to her teachers?" Dani asked. "Her classmates? Her friends? Anyone else she might confide in. Maybe they know something that can help?"

Dawn reached for the phone, "I'll give the school a call…"

Dean grabbed her arm, "Babe, why don't you take a nap first," he said. "You look tired."

Dawn glared up at him with her dark baggy eyes, "I can't sleep."

"Until you figure this out?" Dani asked. Dawn shook her head.

"No. I just can't. Every time I try Emily comes to mind and I rush back here to work. I can't sleep anyways; I might as well do something. When I'm not doing that I have other patients, and when they finally leave me alone I have to fill our progress reports and prepare the next session and then my day starts over again."

"Go take a nap," Dean ordered. "Don't worry about Emily now. Maybe when you wake up something will hit you."

"I'm fine," Dawn assured him, reaching for the phone again. "I'll just call the school and arrange a meeting with the special education teacher. She'll probably be able to help."

"Then will you go to bed?" Dean asked her. Dawn shook her head.

"I can't! I have my next patient coming in in about half an hour, then Emily, then two more guys."

"Don't worry about Emily today," Dean told her. Dawn glared at him.

"I need to talk to her."

"You need sleep," Dani said. She was with Dean on this one. She had never seen Dawn so run down and tired. A little sleep, or even just some down time, could really help her.

"I told you, I'm fine."

"When was the last time you took a nap?" Dean asked. "Or even had a good night's sleep?"

"Or ate?" Dani asked, looking down at the garbage pail. Normally it was filled with snack wrappers but now it was almost empty. There were a few used tissues, but that was it.

"Just go," Dawn waved off her boyfriend and friend. "I'll take care of it, I promise. I don't need you guys breathing down my neck all day."

Dani grabbed Dean's arm, pulling him away, "It might be best to do as she says," she whispered. "I've seen Dawn get angry. It's not pretty."

"It's already not very attractive," Dean admitted, looking back at his girlfriend, "But I get what you mean."

Dean waved at Dawn, "We'll be back with Emily in a few hours."

"Don't work too hard," Dani joked. Maybe a little laugh was all Dawn needed.

Dani found out she was wrong when Dawn threw the pencil holder at her head, narrowly missing thanks to the door closing right behind Dani.

The red head turned to her friend's partner, "I wouldn't piss her off right now."

Dean crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the building, "I'm worried about her. I've only ever seen her working since I brought up this thing with Emily. I'm starting to think it was a bad idea getting her involved."

"Dawn would have found out anyways," Dani said. "She's just overworked."

"I hope it's just that," Dean sighed.

-Afterlife-

"Oh, oh, oh…" Hayden smirked, pulling out a tray of cookies from the oven without the mittens. Samantha watched her and smiled.

"You love showing off like that, don't you?" she asked as she pulled Engel away from the counter before the toddler burned herself on the hot tray.

"It's not every day I feel numb to pregnancy pain," Hayden smirked. "I'm making the most of it by doing everything I can't do when I'm pregnant, tired and in pain."

"Such as standing for long hours and baking," Samantha nodded. Hayden grinned.

"Exactly. I don't remember the last time I had homemade cookies. Don't tell Flynn, but I'm kinda getting tired of his smoothies. I need something new."

"Cookie?" Engel begged, reaching her arm up high to try and grab a cookie. Hayden held her back.

"Not yet, sweetheart. They're hot."

Engel pouted and crossed her arms. She had just come home from a long morning at preschool and wanted a cookie. She walked around her Aunt, trying to approach the tray from the other side.

"You're really not feeling anything?" Samantha asked her sister, going back to their conversation about Hayden's apparent numbness. Normally the Pink Ranger complained when she couldn't feel pain, but after almost 7 months of pregnancy and pain, it was probably a blessing.

"No back pain, no pelvic pain and I can't feel junior kicking me all the time. At first it's cute and so cool, but after a while I kinda wish she didn't inherit the Power Ranger/Ninja gene."

"Good point," Samantha nodded. Suddenly there was a loud scream and a bang. Both women looked over at Engel. Samantha rushed over to her daughter, picking her up while Hayden grabbed the burning hot cookie tray from the ground.

"My cookies," she whined, looking at the ones on the floor sadly. A few had managed to stay on the tray, but most were broken and squished on the ground and no longer seemed appetizing.

As Hayden cleaned up the mess she heard the water running. She looked up and saw Samantha rinsing a crying Engel's hand under cold water.

"Evangeline Brooks! What did we tell you about the tray?" Samantha scolded her daughter. Hayden walked over to the kitchen medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of cream.

"When you're done rinsing put this on her hand," she advised her sister. "I'll get a bandage from upstairs. Power Ranger or Princess?"

"Thanks," Samantha said, "Princess."

Samantha sat her daughter down on the counter and wrapped a wet paper towel around her hand. She looked at her daughter with a disappointed stare.

"This is why mommy, Scotty and daddy tell you not to touch stuff on the counter," she said. "You get burned and it hurts."

"Cookie?" Engel asked through her sobs. Samantha groaned.

"All the cookies fell on the floor," she said, standing between her daughter and the cookies so Engel couldn't spot the ones that were still good. "There are no more."

"No more?" Engel frowned. Suddenly the pain in her hand was a lot worse.

Hayden came downstairs with a few bandages, all Princess designs.

"You're going to be just like your Aunt Dani," she said as she placed the band-aids down and opened the bottle of cream. "She burned herself too."

"She did?" Samantha frowned. Hayden nodded.

"Apparently she blew something up and it caught her hand in the explosion," Hayden chuckled. "It's kinda funny if you ask me."

"Is she okay?"

"Second degree burns," Hayden shrugged. "Apparently she's being really annoying to Greg, though. She's not allowed to visit me because she'll stress me and baby out."

Hayden rubbed the cream over Engel's hand before wiping it off her own and ripping open the band-aids. Engel's burn was a long line across the palm of her hand, making it a little easier for the band-aids to cover. A few placed vertically would help keep the air off and they wouldn't stick painfully to the damaged skin.

"There," she said. "All better. No more crying now."

Engel wiped her eyes and looked at her Aunt. She couldn't understand why Hayden's hands weren't burning if she had touched the tray.

"Hurt!" she said. Hayden nodded.

"I bet it does. But now you know not to touch stuff on the counter, right? Unless you want to hurt yourself again."

Engel shook her head and reached out for her mother. Samantha picked her up and carried her over to the table. Hayden quickly snatched a cookie from the tray and gobbled it down before joining her sister and niece. She figured Samantha wasn't going to let Engel have a cookie and didn't want to eat in front of her niece.

When Samantha put Engel down on the couch, the toddler stared at her bandaged hand. She had never had so many band-aids on at once before. Mommy only let her have one if she was bleeding.

"Hurt," she told her mother.

"I know it does," Samantha nodded. She placed her backpack beside her daughter and pulled out Engel's blanket and bear, "How about a little quiet time now?"

Engel grabbed her blanket and bear and hugged them close as she lay down on the couch. Samantha quickly turned to her sister.

"No more painless stunts around my daughter, please," she said.

"Just kiss it better," Hayden shrugged. Samantha frowned.

"Then how will she learn to listen when we say hot?"

"Bitch mom," Hayden whispered, leaving the room. Samantha glared at her sister and followed.

"Responsible. Don't tell me you're going to cut yourself every time your demon child gets a bump."

Hayden smirked, "Maybe…"

-Afterlife-

Dawn lied awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling as a million search ideas raced across her mind. She had been useless today with every patient she encountered, and had been almost no help to Emily when she came in. She couldn't think about anything but her problem with Emily and different things she could try to come up with a better answer than "it's not real."

She closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep, but ideas kept rushing through her mind. She groaned loudly, throwing off the covers as she got out of bed and made her way back to the front room. She turned on her laptop to start up another search. As she waited for the laptop to load, she looked at the toolbar on the bottom and waited for the laptop to connect to the internet. Once that happened she could get back to work.

A few minutes went by and nothing. The laptop was fully loaded, but it still refused to connect. She clicked on it, grumbling as she tried to connect it herself.

When nothing happened she found herself losing her patience. She punched the keyboard and threw her laptop off her lap, letting it crash on the ground.

"Stupid piece of shit!" she screamed, kicking it as she got up to grab her coat. She was going to have to do her research the old fashion way: in the library with books.

When she made it to the library she pulled on the doors to open it. To her surprise, the doors wouldn't open. She pulled, harder this time while yelling, "Open! Mother fucking doors! Open!"

"HEY!" a cadet called, grabbing her on the shoulder, "The library's closed for the night. Try coming back tomorrow."

"_Try coming back tomorrow_," Dawn mocked, not even looking at the cadet as she brushed him off and walked back to the parking lot. She reached for her keys to unlock the car but accidentally hit the panic button. She cursed as she tried to turn off the alarm, but nothing was working. She threw her keys on the ground and began kicking the tires. The soldier ran over and grabbed the keys, effectively shutting off the alarm.

"Miss, you'll need to calm down," he told her, handing her her keys. Dawn snatched them from him before finally recognising him.

"You're the son of a bitch who arrested me!" she shouted. The cadet sighed.

"Yes… you're Kaylee's niece, aren't you?"

"You can't arrest me now," she taunted. "You'll just get fired."

The soldier rolled his eyes before inspecting Dawn, "Are you drunk?"

"No," Dawn frowned. "But that might be a good idea…"

"No, no it's not," he said, taking the keys from her. "How about you go home and relax?"

"I'm can't relax, you moron!" Dawn shouted. She grabbed her head in her hands as she dropped to the ground, leaning against her car, "My boyfriend's daughter's robotic arm is upsetting her and it's all my fault. I suggested it and now she's miserable and I can't come up with a damn solution to fix everything like I promised!"

"Is there anyone I can call to pick you up?" the cadet asked. "Your Aunt? A parent, maybe?"

"Screw you," Dawn frowned, getting to her feet. "I don't need someone to drive me home. Get the hell away from me!"

She went to open her car door but found it was still locked. She screamed in anger and turned to the officer.

"Give me my keys," she hissed. The officer shook his head.

"I can't let you drive in this state," he told her. "Let me take you home."

"Give me my keys," Dawn persisted, holding her hand out. The cadet sighed and clipped her keys onto his belt."

"Either you let me drive or you're walking home," he said. "You're not getting behind the wheel."

"Give me my fucking keys!" Dawn screamed, throwing herself at the cadet. He grabbed her wrists, pushing her away. He thought he was going to have to fight harder, but the minute he pushed Dawn collapsed to the ground, lying on her back and holding her head in her hands.

"Go away," she whispered to the cadet. "Just leave me alone."

The cadet watched her for a few moments before giving up. There wasn't much he could do to help her, and it wasn't like she could go very far without her keys. He had to patrol this area anyways, so until she was calm enough to think clearly, he could keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't do anything stupid. If no one came to pick her up by morning he could contact her Aunt to come and get her. At least he knew how to reach one member of her family.


	136. Hidden Symptoms

Ronny was on her way to work to oversee the building of her out-of-city racetrack. Ever since SPEED had humiliated her daughter and Daniela quit racing for him, Ronny had been working on building her own racetrack for all the aspiring racers, as well as racers who had been fired from SPEED's track, so they could have somewhere to drive without being conned by the devil himself.

The building itself was almost done, and the track still needed to be touched up, but everything was coming along smoothly. Last she had heard, Ronny could have her first race in the wastelands before Christmas.

With the Racetrack so far away from Corinth and NewTech city, both Kira and Kaylee needed to arrange for some development to begin outside the city walls. Restaurants and other public places were planned on being built next to the track to give people places to go between races. It would definitely help broaden the borders and maybe help open up the two cities, or even create a third. Anything to start restoring the world beyond Corinth and NewTech.

Just like every morning, Ronny stopped for coffee on her way to the border. The coffee shop was just next to the library, and sometimes Ronny would pick up a book for the day. She had never been much of a reader, but there wasn't much to do outside of the city and she needed to pass the time somehow.

Today she was going to be working with the construction crew, so she didn't need to borrow a book, but she planned on returning the one she took yesterday. She stepped out of her car, into the library parking lot and started making her way to the door. Suddenly, she tripped over something. When she turned to look back at what is was, she noticed Dawn.

Dropping to her knees, Ronny shook the young girl until she woke up. Dawn rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Library," she whispered. "I need research…"

"Sweetie," Ronny said gently, holding Dawn down. "What are you doing sleeping in a parking lot? I could have run you over."

"Library was closed," Dawn said. "Cadet stole my keys."

"Why would a cadet steal your keys?" Ronny asked as she slowly helped Dawn to her feet.

The cadet from last night came back around the parking lot and noticed Dawn was talking with _The _Ronny Robinson. He assumed they knew each other and he could trust Ronny Robinson with Dawn. He walked over, tapping Ronny Robinson on the shoulder.

"Excuse me," he called before noticing Dawn's angry stare had fallen upon him.

"That's the bastard who stole my keys!" she shouted.

Ronny turned to the cadet as he held up the keys.

"She wasn't in any state the drive," he told her. "I had to take them before she hurt herself or someone else."

"And you left her to sleep here?" Ronny frowned, taking the keys.

"Like I said, before she hurt herself or anyone else," the cadet repeated. "That includes me. She wouldn't leave and she wouldn't give me any numbers to call. There wasn't much I could do."

Ronny turned back to Dawn, "What happened?"

Dawn snatched the keys from the racing legend and walked to her car, "Nothing."

"Dawn…"

"It was nothing!" Dawn screamed. "God, Ronny, leave me alone!"

Ronny took a step back, "Okay… okay."

Dawn huffed as she turned to her car, pressing what she thought was the button to unlock it. Suddenly her car alarm went off. She let out another agitated scream and dropped her head on the top of the car.

"For the love of… SHUT UP!" she screamed. Ronny grabbed the keys, turning off the alarm and looking over at the cadet.

"I'll take her home," she assured him. The cadet nodded, happy someone was going to take care of Dawn. He didn't want to have to deal with the former Tenaya 7, especially after the trouble he got into last time he tried to take care of her.

-Afterlife-

Flynn threw on his jacket and searched for his shoes as he made his way off to work. Now that Hayden was getting much bigger, and the due date was almost two months away, he felt bad for leaving her at home alone. He was okay dropping her off at work, especially considering Kaylee was back at work, but at home Hayden was all alone. If something happened, there would be no one to help. He was especially terrified about leaving Hayden home alone after Dustin told him the story of what happened when Kaylee was pregnant with Hayden, when they almost lost the baby because Kaylee had fainted. Had it not been for Ronny, and Hayden's healing factor, Hayden never would have been born.

Hayden noticed he kept glancing up at her and sighed. She knew he was slightly paranoid about leaving her alone, even for a few minutes, but she was going to be fine. Samantha and Engel were going to stop by again in the afternoon and they always took good care of her. And in any case, she still wasn't feeling any pain or symptoms from the pregnancy. Aside from the extra bump on her stomach, she didn't feel pregnant at all. She had almost forgotten she was with child three times this morning, and she had only just woken up ten minutes ago.

She leaned over, kissing her husband as he tied his shoes, "I'll be fine, I promise."

"I just worry," Flynn told her, kissing her back, "I always get a bad feeling when you leave."

"You don't have to worry," Hayden assured him. "I'm invincible and so is baby. If something does happen, we'll be fine."

"Okay," Flynn said. "But…"

"I'll call if anything happens."

"Good, and…"

"I'll take it easy."

"Right, and…"

"All my prenatal vitamins are already organized for the day. I love you," Hayden smiled. Flynn chuckled. Maybe he was just being a little paranoid. He loved his wife and daughter and didn't want anything to happen to them. He felt useless when he was out of the house or away from them, but he did need to make money if he wanted his wife and daughter to be happy.

"I love you too," he said before leaving. Hayden watched the door closed and counted the seconds until the lock twisted. Flynn always locked the door when he left her alone. It helped him feel like nothing could suddenly run into the house and hurt her.

She began her day with breakfast, cracking two eggs into the frying pan. One thing that was great about being numb to everything in pregnancy was that smells didn't make her sick. Her morning sickness was long gone, but there were still foods that triggered gagging and sometimes vomiting and generally Hayden stayed away.

After breakfast she went upstairs to the nursery. Flynn and Mr. McAllistair had completed it not too long ago, and Hayden was always perfecting it with some final touches; rearranging some of the pillows, putting away or taking out some of the toys. It was her little way of nesting and making sure everything was ready.

As she carried her daughter's lion toy from the rocking chair over to the crib she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She doubled over in pain, almost collapsing onto the ground when suddenly the pain stopped. She dropped the lion toy in the crib and walked back over the chair. She lifted her shirt and inspected her stomach.

She could only assume that maybe her eggs weren't still properly with her. She had never had food poisoning, thanks to her spontaneous regeneration, but occasionally some foods would cause her to get terrible stomach cramps. Sometimes, eggs did that to her.

She sat down for a moment and waited to see if the pain would come back. Her body had obviously stopped being numb for a moment, but she couldn't really tell if it was back to normal, or if she was still numb.

A while passed without pain and she figured there was nothing wrong. She got up and continued organising the nursery. She checked the clock. Only about another hour before Samantha arrived with Engel. She needed to finish up in the nursery and then quickly hide the cookies from yesterday. Engel was smart enough to know that Hayden wasn't going to cook cookies again.

-Afterlife-

Dean knocked on his girlfriend's door before stepping inside her center. He had gotten a call from Ronny that morning and learned all about Dawn's night in the park. Afraid she was stressing herself out, he wanted to visit her and talk about Emily's condition. He needed to let her know that he wasn't looking for a solution right away and he would talk to Emily about waiting another month to see if maybe she could adapt to the new arm. It was obvious Dawn had a lot on her plate right now.

He stepped into the dark room gently and walked over to her desk. He noticed she was resting her head on the desk and thought maybe she was taking another nap. After all, sleeping in the parking lot couldn't have been comfortable. But the closer he got, the louder the sobs, and he quickly realised she wasn't sleeping. She was crying.

"Dawn…?" he whispered carefully, touching her back. Dawn didn't budge. It was almost like she didn't feel or hear him. He shook her gently, "Dawn? Babe…?"

Still no response. The only thing telling Dean that his girlfriend was alive were the sobs escaping the bundle curled up in the chair and on the desk.

He tried pulling the chair away, hoping to get some movement out of Dawn. He got more than he bargained for when Dawn whipped around and shoved him on the ground.

"Get out!" she yelled at him.

"Dawn, I'm just here to talk," he told her. "Whatever's bugging you, I…"

"Get out," Dawn hissed. "I don't want to talk to anyone. Just leave me alone."

"I talked to Emily. Everything's okay," he lied. It was obvious she was way too overworked and he needed her to calm down. There was no way she was going to take a break if she thought Emily still needed her help. "It turns out she was just feeling a pinching sensation and it was driving her crazy. I called Greg and he's going to fix it."

For some reason, Dawn didn't believe him. It seemed too easy. Emily had flipped out when she first brought up her issues with the arm and she never spoke about feeling pain.

"Liar!" she shouted. "Just get out."

"Dawn, please, just sit down and…" when Dean went to grab Dawn's chair again he noticed a stack of folders piled on her desk. The top one was opened and dated for earlier today. There were a few notes written down, accompanied by several doodles of hang-men, without the word puzzle, unhappy smiley-faces and one very disturbing cartoon drawing of a murder-suicide. While Dawn took her chair and curled up on it, Dean looked through the rest of the folders from earlier today, all of them had the same types of doodles.

He knelt down next to his girlfriend and showed her one of her pictures, "I don't think this section is for drawings," he told her.

Dawn grabbed the folder and threw it onto her desk, "It's not my fault this job is so freaking depressing," she said. "Venjix this, Venjix that. My life it ruined. I hate Corinth. I have a third arm! For the love of God, look in a mirror you fucking idiot!"

"Hey," Dean frowned. "That's a serious patient, Dawn. He's been mentally affected."

"They're all whack-jobs," Dawn spat.

"You should have known this job wasn't going to be easy or fun," Dean told her. "You're dealing with people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, people who've developed agoraphobia, amputees, people dealing with loss and grief… it's not a happy go-lucky job."

"They can all go to fucking hell," Dawn said. "I quit."

"You can't quit."

"I quit!" Dawn shouted. "You can't make me work here anymore."

"You have a responsibility!" Dean said. "All these people are counting on you. It's not hard, Dawn, but it's definitely worth continuing."

"I can't fix them," Dawn frowned. "They should all know that by now. Emily's broken; crazy arm-man is broken; dead cat lady is broken; Molly, Holly and their dead daughter Dolly are broken…"

"Seriously?" Dean chuckled. He hated laughing at other people's expenses, but Molly, Holly and Dolly as a family was quite funny.

"No," Dawn said. "But it's just that messed up! I had a guy come in here today and for an entire hour he did not stop crying about his dead wife. Just tear, after tear, after tear! Get over it, man!"

"Dawn…"

"And this one woman keeps her blanket over her head every time she's in public. Over the summer she suffered heat stroke and when I called the paramedics, she wouldn't let them remove the blanket! It was insane!"

"It's stressful, Dawn, but if anyone can help them it's you. No one is as persistent and determined as you are."

"Well too freaking bad for them," Dawn frowned. "Starting right now, I quit. No more helping other people. No more listening as they go on and on about their Venjix stories. I'm done. It's not my problem, why should I bother giving a damn? If all they'll do if whine and complain and act ridiculous, I am through!"

Dawn slammed her hands down on her desk before storming off. Dean dropped into her seat and sighed loudly.

-Afterlife-

"She's poking me again, isn't she?" Hayden asked, looking her sister dead in the eye as Engel poked her, over and over again with one of her building blocks. She had been told about her Aunt's powers the night before, and why Hayden didn't get burned when she did, and obviously her curious little mind wanted to test out these amazing powers.

"Can you feel it?" Samantha chuckled.

"No, but I can see it," Hayden said. "And the motion is driving me crazy."

"No feel?" Engel asked.

"Nope."

"Harder?"

"Still nothing."

"Pinch!" Engel squealed, pinching her Aunt. Hayden turned to her. Still no pain, but this was getting annoying.

"Look, shiny!" she cried, pointing to the window. Engel stared at her. That game wasn't fun. There was never anything shiny. Poking her Aunt, however, was very entertaining.

"Poke."

"Engel, enough," Samantha called to her daughter, as she dumped the rest of the blocks on the ground. "How about you build a pretty princess castle?"

Engel walked over to the blocks and started building what would be a castle in her mind while her mother and Aunt talked about boring adult stuff. As she connected the blocks she looked around the room. One thing she loved doing was including other toys in her building. Last time she made a castle, she used a baby book as a bridge and toy soldiers as guards.

There were always toys hidden in the box beside the couch. Engel crawled onto the couch, beside her Aunt, and leaned over the arm rest to get a bird's eye view of the toys. She grabbed a Barbie doll, happy she found a princess, and wanted to bring it to her construction site. She placed her hand down on the blanket on her Aunt's lap to lower herself back on the ground when she felt something wet. She pulled her hand away, stuck out her tongue and turned to her Aunt.

"Yucky," she said, wiping her hand on her pants. "Pee-pee."

Hayden blushed. The only downside to being numb was she had no bladder control and no idea when she was peeing. She couldn't feel her full bladder and couldn't feel the urine passing.

Samantha laughed, "You wet yourself!"

"Shut up," Hayden frowned. Engel plugged her nose.

"Stinky," she told her Aunt. "Get changed now!"

"Good idea," Hayden nodded. As she got to her feet she doubled over again, feeling a pain like she had earlier that morning. Samantha watched her curiously.

"Hay…"

"I'm not numb," Hayden whispered.

"Hayden," Samantha called again as she approached her sister. "What's happening?"

"Pain… and it stopped… never mind…"

"Owie?" Engel asked her mother. Samantha nodded to her daughter as Hayden grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Ow, ow, ow…"

"Ow," Samantha said. It felt like Hayden was crushing the bones in her hand.

"Count it," Hayden suddenly told her sister. Samantha frowned.

"What?"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Hayden, are you having contractions?"

"Maybe," Hayden said through clenched teeth. Samantha carefully sat her down on the couch and turned to Engel.

"Sweetie, when Aunt Hayden says go, I want you to count slowly," she instructed her daughter. She needed to think of a way to get Engel out of the room if Hayden really was having her baby.

Engel perked up. She loved counting. She looked at her aunt.

"Ready!" she smiled.

"Ow… ow… okay… go," Hayden looked at Engel and listened to the count. Engel was pretty fast as she loved to show off her counting skills, but it did help for time.

"One, two, three, four…" she rushed out before Hayden screamed again, this time very loudly. Engel jumped and moved away.

"Engel, count it," Samantha told her daughter when she felt Hayden's hand letting go for a second. Engel shook her head so Samantha had to count. She barely made it to one before her sister screamed.

"Shit," she muttered, looking from her sister to her daughter. She could tell Engel to leave the room, but she would come running once she heard Hayden screaming again. She reached for the phone and handed it to her daughter. This would be temporary. "Go to the kitchen," she instructed as she hit the numbers 9-1-1, "tell whoever is on the other end that a baby is coming."

"Baby?" Engel asked. Samantha nodded.

"Yes. Tell them you're two years old and your Aunt is having a baby. Then keep talking to them, okay. Don't come back in here."

"Why?"

"Yucky stuff," Samantha said. Surely her daughter was going to come back, but hopefully she would have figured out something by then. Engel listened to her mother and rushed off to the kitchen with the phone against her ear as she went on to the operator about her Aunt and the baby.

Samantha tried to make her sister comfortable as she shook her head, "How the hell are you already in labour? Aren't you due in two months?" she asked.

"I've been numb," Hayden answered, clutching her stomach. "I must have been having contractions without knowing."

"Damn your powers," Samantha muttered. Hayden's eyes suddenly widened.

"Sammy, take off my pants," she said. Samantha looked at her sister.

"No thank you."

"Samantha, I think I'm further along than we thought."

"The pregnancy?"

"The labour."

Samantha felt like she was going to pass out. She already knew that if Hayden was in fact in labour, she was probably getting close to delivery. If Hayden thought they were further along…

"Mommy!" Engel screamed, rushing back into the living room. "Lady want know where am! Stranger danger!"

Engel handed the phone to Samantha and the mother saw her daughter had hung up.

"Dammit," she cursed. Engel turned to her Aunt and screamed. Something wasn't right.

Hayden pointed to the kitchen, "Engle, cookies," she said. Engel shook her head. Not even cookies could distract her.

Samantha grabbed her daughter and carried her into the kitchen. She sat her down on the stool and grabbed the cookie jar.

"Eat as many as you want," she told her daughter. "Just don't get up."

Engel began to cry as she heard her aunt screaming. Samantha kissed her head.

"It's okay," she assured her daughter. "It's okay. I promise everything will be okay. Be a big girl for me and stay here."

Engel nodded slowly, clutching the unopened cookie jar as her mother left.

Samantha rushed back into the living room and saw Hayden had somehow gotten her pants off. Hayden looked at her.

"I've gone numb again."

Samantha hesitantly looked down, almost gagging, "It's crowning… ew…"

"Sammy…"

"Okay, okay," Samantha took a deep breath to calm herself down. There was no time to call the hospital again. She was going to have to do this. Hopefully the operator would be able to trace the call and would send someone over to check. If not, she was screwed.

Samantha sat down in front of her sister, "You're going to have to push," she said. "Can you do that when you're numb?"

Hayden shrugged. Samantha groaned.

"We're going to have to find out," she said. "Ready?"

"No…"

"PUSH!"


	137. Adeline McAllistair

Flynn chewed on the end of his pencil nervously as he watched the clock. Five more minutes and then he could shut down and go home. He had been feeling slightly nervous all day, like there was something big that was going to happen, but he had no idea what. Normally when he felt that way he could tell if it was a good or bad feeling. This time, he just didn't know.

He looked down the hallway and saw the TV flashing from one of the back rooms. Dani and Greg were home, watching a movie together. Flynn couldn't wait for Dani's hand to get better so she could come back to work. He hated working without her. His father and Hannah stopped by to help, but Hannah wasn't as good with repairs and upgrades and his father had no idea how to do proper paper work. Dani always tried to get out of working, but she at least knew what she had to do so the work would be evenly spread out. And she was entertaining. She would hurt herself (minor injuries) frequently, and when she did, strange noises would come out of her mouth. Flynn often believed there was a bird trapped somewhere in the garage, but it was always just Dani, cutting herself with paper or hitting her fingers.

Greg walked into the garage with an empty bowl of popcorn in his hands. He looked over at Flynn, then the clock.

"Oh, shit," he said, "I forgot to tell you, that clock's fifteen minutes behind."

"What?" Flynn frowned, turning to his friend. "Why?"

"Keeps me working later," Greg said. "Give me overtime without really feeling like overtime. I changed it yesterday and meant to tell you about it this morning but it totally slipped my mind. Sorry about that."

Flynn grabbed his papers, sorting them neatly, "Hayden will be wondering where I am."

"You're not that late," Greg shrugged. He took the papers from Flynn, "Here, I'll put them away and lock up. You just go home?"

Flynn smiled, "You have a funny feeling too, don't you?"

"Just a bit of a pressured feeling," Greg chuckled. "It might be coming from Dani. Her hand's been twitching from lack of use. I think she's excited for it to heal so she can finally be normal again."

"I want her back," Flynn nodded as he bolted for the door, "Thanks, Greg."

He raced home, avoiding the cops. He didn't want Hayden to worry about him coming home late. Stress was bad for the baby and Flynn didn't want to cause stress.

He parked in the driveway and rushed up to the front door. He unlocked it and walked in.

"I'm home!" he called.

"FINN!" Engel screamed, hopping off her stool and running to the front door. The cookie jar was in her hands, still unopened. She ran right into her uncle's legs, clutching them in a death grip. Flynn was surprised to still see her here. Normally Sam and Engel left before dinner time. It was now long after. He picked up his niece and she buried herself in his arms.

"What's happened, Engel?" he asked, nervous. Engel was never terrified unless there was really something to worry about. Suddenly, he heard Samantha calling his name. Before he could move, she rushed out into the front hallway.

"Thank god," she whispered, grabbing his arm, "You're never going to believe what kind of afternoon we just had."

Flynn checked her over. She seemed tired and worn down. Her shirt was stained with blood and… he wasn't very sure what else was on there, and her wings were out and also stained. Panic washed over him.

"Where's Hayden?" he asked.

"She's fine."

"What's that?" Flynn asked, pointing to his sister in-law's shirt. He looked past her, into the living room, "Hayden?"

"Flynn!" Hayden called. "Come here!"

Flynn handed Engel over to her mother before rushing into the living room. He stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he saw his wife lying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. On her chest slept a tiny infant. He took a step forward.

"Hayden… what's that?"

Hayden held her hand out, inviting him over, "We agreed Adeline, right?"

Flynn shook his head, "No… no. You're not due until… That's not our baby. What is that?"

Hayden looked at her husband, "I'm pretty sure this is our baby. I've just spent half the day forcing her out of me and cleaning her off and making sure she was okay. Trust me. This is our baby."

The former Blue Ranger stood in complete shock until Samantha came in with Engel. She touched his shoulder.

"Hayden was in labour but didn't know it," she explained. "You know how she's been numb…"

"You've…" Flynn trailed off. He couldn't take his eyes off the baby on Hayden's chest. She was so tiny and fragile, much smaller than he expected.

"She's born premature," Samantha whispered as she rocked Engel. Naturally, the two year old was terrified and confused. Samantha had just gotten off the phone with Scott so he could pick her up and take her home. Engel was more than ready to leave and forget this afternoon of screaming and loneliness. "Two months, as you probably know."

"Just like her grandmother," Hayden chuckled, looking at Samantha for a moment before turning back to Flynn. "Don't worry though, she's fine. Samantha kissed her as soon as she came out and we're checking her breathing and her pulse all the time."

"We're lucky she's a healer like her mom," Samantha smiled. "Whatever wasn't fully developed in the womb is still going to grow. Like when Dawn used Hayden's blood to re-grow everything below her torso."

Hayden reached out and grabbed Flynn's hand, holding it gently, "Sweetie, please say something. You're scaring me right now."

"I… I…" Flynn stammered before dropping to his knees beside the couch. He reached out, touching his daughter's head. The infant squirmed slightly, followed by a big yawn, but didn't wake. "We should get her to the hospital. Why aren't you guys already there? Why didn't you call me? Where is the ambulance?"

"There was no time," Samantha explained. "We've had our hands full all day. This is the first time I see Engel in hours, never mind the phone."

"But I do like that hospital idea," Hayden nodded. She gently sat up, trying not to wake the baby. As she did, Flynn draped his coat over her shoulders.

"Get in the car," he told her, helping her stand.

"I'll go pack a hospital bag for you guys," Samantha said, pointing upstairs to the bedrooms. "I have to wait here for Scott to take Engel. I'll meet you guys there as soon as I can."

"Can you call everyone too?" Hayden asked as Flynn tried to rush her out the door. He still couldn't believe his wife had just given birth to his daughter, but he did realise that this most likely wasn't a dream, and his daughter did need professional care.

Samantha nodded to her sister, "I'll call mom, dad and Flynn's dad," she said. "But I've got to get Engel home."

Flynn's eyes widened as he turned to Engel. The poor girl must have been horrified. Only now did he pick up on the fact that she was in the house and must have heard everything.

Then again, all three girls must have been horrified. He held his wife a little tighter as he opened the front door.

"Just do what you can," he said, just in general. "Everything will be okay."

Samantha closed the door behind the couple, hoping they would make it to the hospital okay, before looking down at her daughter. Engel still held the cookie jar in her hands, and it still wasn't opened. Samantha set it down on the ground and hugged her own baby girl.

"It's okay," she whispered in Engel's ear as the girl started to cry. "Everything's okay. Aunt Hayden's okay, the baby's okay, mommy's okay and you're okay."

Samantha walked to the kitchen and sat down at the table, choosing to avoid the living room. It was still stained in blood from the birth, and at this particular moment she wanted to calm Engel down, not give her more nightmares.

Samantha suddenly looked down at her shirt and wings, realising they were still stained. She could retract her wings and her body would work on cleaning them, but she needed to toss the shirt. She pulled it off and threw it behind the counters. Out of sight, out of mind. She held her daughter close to her chest, rocking her from side to side.

"Shh, mommy's here," she whispered to her daughter. "No more screaming. It's just you and me."

Engel held onto her mother for dear life as she sobbed. The whole experience had been terrible. She had been alone, stranded on a stool in the kitchen with screams and cries coming from the other room. Her mother had left her and didn't come back for hours and hours. To Engel, it felt like days.

The front door opened and Scott snuck into the house carefully. He had been told by Samantha that Hayden had just given birth and he didn't want to wake anybody up. He walked into the kitchen and found his wife and step-daughter sitting at the table. He approached them, placing his hand on Engel's back and kissing Samantha.

"What happened?" he asked her. Samantha shook her head.

"I'll be honest," she whispered. "I have no clue. One minute it's just an average day and the next I'm helping my sister give birth to a child!"

Scott chuckled slightly before going back to serious. He looked down at his wife, "How are you holding up?"

Right now it didn't matter what state Hayden or the baby were in. They weren't present, as far as he knew, and there was nothing he could do to help. He figured that Samantha would need a little comforting. Samantha shrugged.

"I don't know," she said before handing Engel over. "Can you just take her home? I think she's had enough."

Engel rubbed her eyes as she fell into her step-father's arms. Right now she didn't want him. She wanted her real father.

"Daddy," she sobbed gently. Scott kissed her cheek.

"We'll get him," he told her. He looked at Samantha, "He'll probably want to know his cousin just gave birth."

"Yeah, good idea," Samantha nodded. She pushed herself up to her feet and started to make her way to the stairs. Scott grabbed her arm before she left.

"Seriously, Sammy, it's okay to feel scared right now. If you want to talk…"

"Maybe later," Samantha whispered. She motioned to Engel, "Just take care of her. I have to go pack for the hospital. They'll need everything."

"Get a shirt while you're at it," Scott chuckled. "I'm sure Hayden won't mind if you borrow one."

Samantha looked down, "Good idea."

-Afterlife-

Hayden held her daughter in her arms as she looked over at the laptop sitting before Flynn. They had gotten their daughter back and were told she was perfectly healthy. It came to no surprise to anyone in the hospital. They were all aware of Hayden's abilities. That didn't mean they weren't thankful though. Hayden having a baby was sure to be big news for Corinth. She was Kaylee's daughter, and therefore Corinth's Princess. Everyone wanted the pregnancy to go well and the baby to be healthy.

Flynn and Hayden had decided on the name Adeline for their child. They had loved it since Dani suggested it and really fell in love with it after jokingly referring to their child as Adeline while she was still in the womb. They still assumed it was a joke, but Dani told them that in an alternate future, they had a daughter named Adeline and so they felt like there was something connecting them to that name.

It also made for a cool story further down the road when Adeline asked why she had received that name, and Hayden and Flynn could point her to her Aunt Dani.

They were searching the internet for a middle name. After everything they had been through with Adeline, they wanted a middle name with meaning. After all, it wasn't everyday a pregnant woman had no idea she was in labour. Had it not been for the occasional power failure, Hayden probably wouldn't have even known she was giving birth until the baby hit the ground.

They didn't want to go with the overused Hope, Faith, Joy, or any other obvious name like that. Of course they would think their daughter would bring hope, faith and joy into the world. They didn't need a name to know that.

So far, they were falling short. Nothing seemed to fit their precious baby girl.

Flynn rubbed his eyes and turned to his daughter, slowly shutting the laptop, "I guess a middle name will have to wait, lassie," he told her before suddenly smiling and turning to Hayden. She was half asleep, but could instantly tell he had an idea for a name. She shook her head.

"No, not Lassie," she frowned. "No names that start with 'l'. Her last syllable already starts with the 'l' sound. It'll be stupid."

"No 'l', no 'a'… you're making this difficult," Flynn said. "Here I thought choosing the first name would be hard."

Hayden chuckled and looked down at her daughter, gently caressing her cheek. She couldn't believe she was already a mother. Twelve hours ago, she thought she was going to have to put up with at least eight more weeks of pregnancy. Now, she was holding her little girls in her arms.

There was a knock at the door before Kaylee walked in, smiling brightly at her granddaughter. Hayden beamed at the sight of her mother. Finally someone with real experience in childbirth.

Kaylee walked over to the happy parents and hugged Flynn, quickly getting him out of the way so she could look at her daughter and granddaughter.

"Look at you!" Kaylee cooed before turning to Hayden, "She's so beautiful!"

She turned back to Flynn, sticking her thumb up, "Good job, dude."

Flynn chuckled and rolled his eyes, "Thanks, Kaylee."

Kaylee bit her lip, "Sorry, I'm just… wow… baby!"

"Yeah, kinda sums up our reactions as well," Flynn smiled. "I had no idea about it until I came home."

"I had no idea until Adeline was already on her way out," Hayden said. "You can just imagine what my shock was like."

"You're lucky your sister was there to help," Kaylee pointed out. She had received the call from Samantha not too long ago and zwopped over to the hospital as quickly as she could to meet her granddaughter. Dustin was still on his way over. He needed to pick Christian up from his friend Hayden's house so he could meet his new niece. Of course, that meant the car ride for Dustin and Christian was going to be filled with explanations.

Hayden rolled her eyes at her mother's comment, "Yeah. It was very encouraging hearing, 'ew, ew, ew... oh GOD! EW! Ah! Ah! Ah!' and then this strange noise that there's no way I can repeat without damaging my vocal chords. And then the baby started crying."

Flynn let out a sigh, "Too bad I missed it…"

"It's not funny!" Hayden frowned, thinking he was being sarcastic, "Thankfully I was numb! For a minute, I thought Sammy was giving birth, not me. At one point I told her to relax and breathe!"

Flynn turned to his wife, "I'm not being funny, Hayden. I'm upset I missed it. I wanted to be there," he told her, "holding your hand, coaching you, telling you it everything was going well… and cutting the umbilical cord… I missed it all…"

Hayden took his hand, "You're here now. She won't remember today at all."

"I know… but I wish I did."

Hayden lifted her arm up gently, "How about you hold her for a bit?" she suggested. "Trust me, this wasn't my ideal birthing situation either… but the minute you hold her, that won't matter."

"Watch the head!" Kaylee instructed, her mothering instincts kicking in as she watched her daughter and son in-law manipulate the child. "Support the neck, careful, not to tight."

"Mom," Hayden frowned, "We know what we're doing. It's not the first time we hold a baby."

"Speak for yourself," Flynn said as he tried to fit Adeline in his arms. He had held Engel when she was a baby no problem, but this baby was much smaller and more fragile than Engel had been. When Engel arrived, she was already about a month old. Adeline was technically -2 months old. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

Kaylee chuckled, carefully adjusting Adeline so Flynn could hold her. As soon as he was comfortable, Flynn felt relaxed. He looked at his daughter's sleeping face and smiled. Hayden was right, though he still wished he was there for the birth, that didn't matter so much anymore.

Kaylee smiled before looking back up at the parents, "So, I'm going to assume you keep calling her Adeline because that's her name?"

"Yeah," Hayden nodded, looking over at her daughter. She was already in love.

"Adeline McAllistair," Kaylee said, nodding her head, "It sounds nice. A middle name?"

"Working on it," Hayden whispered.

"For now, she's just Addie," Flynn said. Kaylee smiled again and knelt down beside her son in-law. She gently touched her granddaughter's cheek just as Addie started to yawn. Her little hand reached out of the blanket and grabbed Kaylee's finger, just barely wrapping itself around. Kaylee cooed as she touched the baby for the first time.

"Claimed," she whispered as she kissed her granddaughter's cheek. "No touchy."


	138. Hakuna Matata

Dawn had completely given up on everything; her center, her case with Emily, her relationship with Dean, her friends, her family… she didn't care about anything.

She had opened up the center at the beginning of the years in hopes that she would be able to help people who had been affected by the Venjix. Even to this day, she still felt guilty for the role she played as Tenaya 7 and wanted to make things right and earn herself a place in society by helping the people she had affected directly and indirectly. She thought that by opening the center and giving the affected people somewhere to go, she could help the world. She always knew it wasn't going to be a quick fix, or easy, but she had started off so determined to help.

But, with Emily's rage and dissatisfaction with her new arm, Dawn's idea for helping, Dawn felt like she had taken a few steps back. Emily was the only patient who she had helped so far, and was Dawn's inspiration to keep going, but when she heard that Emily wanted her arm to come off, she understood that Emily hated everything that had been done to try and fix her and Dawn saw herself as a failure. She had tried to fix it, but came up short.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't help people. Maybe there was still a little Tenaya inside her. She didn't fix Emily's life by giving her the arm, the Venjix arm, she hurt it. She hurt Emily. The poor girl was suffering, and Dawn couldn't figure out why. She had no idea what else she was doing to hurt her other patients.

She sat in the dark at her desk, her head resting in her hands. Her computer had shut down hours ago, taking away the only source of light for the room. The curtains were all pulled down and the doors were locked.

In a corner, hidden by the darkness, there was a small pile of torn up papers. Dawn had ripped up her patient board, the one she set up after getting the thank you letter from Emily a few months back. The pictures of her patients were torn, the letters and drawings from the kids were scattered into many pieces. In the middle of it all, right at the top of the pile, was a broken necklace with a picture of Dawn and Emily.

The phone ringing could barely be heard over the sound of Dawn's sobs. It had been shoved forcefully between the couch cushions after it wouldn't stop ringing. Dawn didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't care about anyone.

Ignoring the phone completely, Dawn stood up and headed for the door. She slammed it shut behind her as she walked out into the dark night. She didn't know where she wanted to go, but she just needed to escape her Center. It was no longer her home, just a reminder of what she couldn't do.

She found a few boys her age sitting in a dark alleyway. She was surprised at how loud they were being, wondering how they hadn't been caught. She approached them with the intention of unleashing her anger on them, but a bottle in a brown bag quickly caught her eye. She picked it up as the boys turned to her. They laughed loudly when she smelt the bottle and her face wrinkled.

"It's alcohol," she told them. They were all clearly underage. Why were they drinking? One boy nodded.

"Yeah? You're point?"

Dawn frowned, "It's a disgusting killer."

"Killer?" another boy laughed, "It's the best thing known to man! It makes you forget all your worries!"

"My mother killed herself and my dad!" a third boy said, holding up his bottle, "But I don't give a damn anymore."

Dawn inspected the bottle as the first boy got to his feet and stumbled over to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders after missing the first couple of times.

"My dad beats me," he whispered. The smell of alcohol was strong on his breath, making Dawn pull away, "It used to bother me, until I raided his liquor cabinet. Now I can fight back."

"Yeah, you're too drunk to think straight," Dawn told him. "The beatings will stop if you report him."

"Naw," the boy began giggling, "Why stop? When I drink enough, they tickle. Like little pixies dancing on my skin..."

"You look troubled," the second boy said, offering his drink to Dawn, "Drink up. Seriously, babe, it'll make everything better."

Dawn thought about it for a moment before shaking her head, "No. It's stupid."

"What's your problem?" the third boy asked. "School? Boyfriend? Sex? Parents?"

"Work, actually," Dawn said. "Unlike you bums, I actually…"

Dawn suddenly trailed off. She didn't have a job. She had made it very clear that she had quit.

"Well," the first boy said, reaching down and grabbing an unopened and unlabeled bottle from the ground. He shoved it in Dawn's hands, "Whatever's bothering you, Hakuna Matata!"

"Hakuna Matata?" Dawn frowned, looking at the boys before her eyes trailed down to the bottle in her hand. The boys nodded.

"It's from that movie with the fat pig," the third boy said. "It means no worries. That's our Hakuna Matata."

"You're taking advice from a pig?" Dawn asked.

The boy shrugged, "Look, babe, this is just a drink. It's not like we're doing drugs…"

"Actually…"

"Shut up and drink!" one boy laughed, grabbing her bottle, popping it open and forcing the liquid down her throat. Dawn pushed him away and swallowed. She was about to yell at the boys but realised one key factor. She didn't care anymore. She took the bottle back from him and took another drink.

"Yeah!" the boys encouraged her as she sat down with them. "Babe alert!"

-Afterlife-

After picking up Mike and Vanessa, Scott wanted to go to the hospital. He knew Engel was still scared and upset, but he thought that might all go away when she was introduced to her hew baby cousin. He had packed a bag full of toys for her and stopped by a store to pick up a gift she could give to her baby cousin.

Engel sat in her car seat, clutching her bear and blanket against her chest while the present for her cousin sat on her lap. Her dad sat beside her, and her soon-to-be-step-mother was up front with her step-father. Mike rubbed her arm gently, trying to soothe her as he talked with Scott, trying to pull out as much information as he could about his cousin's birth.

When they got to the hospital, Scott carried the bag inside while Mike and Vanessa took care of Engel. They got her out of the car and managed to get her to let go of her blanket and bear so she could hold the present. Engel clung to her father's leg as the four of them walked inside, finding the rest of the family in the waiting room.

Engel looked around nervously. She could feel her own body shaking. She had been in a waiting room before, but this time it all felt different, new and scary. She looked at all the people with a feeling of unease.

Suddenly, a woman was rushed in, screaming and holding her stomach in pain. Both Engel and Christian jumped and ran into their father's arms, but Christian remained calm. Engel screamed loudly, dropped the present and buried herself in her father's legs.

Mike reached down, picking her up.

"It's okay," he told her, "That lady is going to have a baby. She's happy screaming."

Dustin looked at Mike, "Is she okay?" he asked. Mike nodded.

"She's still a little freaked."

"Have you seen the baby yet?" Vanessa asked. Both Dustin and Mr. McAllistair nodded.

"She's beautiful," Mr. McAllistair smiled.

"She's small," Christian whispered to Vanessa, "and wrinkly and funny looking."

"So were you at one point," Scott smirked. Christian looked up before sticking his tongue out. Scott laughed, ruffling the little boy's hair. "She'll get cuter, don't worry."

"Good," Christian said. "I don't want the baby to be a girl and ugly! Then all my friends will make fun of me. Girls are yucky."

"Tell them about Joey, then," Mike said. Christian's eyes widened.

"Is he my niece too?"

"Nephew," Dustin corrected his son, "and technically."

"Can I trade the new baby for him? Boys are cooler."

Dustin laughed, "Go for it, Buddy."

"Yes!" Christian smiled, pumping his fists in the air as he began to dance. "I have a boy niece! I have a boy niece."

"Nephew," Mike corrected his cousin. "A boy niece is called a nephew."

Christian continued to dance, "I have a nephew! I have a nephew."

Samantha walked into the waiting room after just having visited her sister and Flynn. She had dropped off their hospital bags with everything they would need for the night. She heard her brother's cheerful cries and frowned.

"Trust me, squirt, Adeline's a girl."

"Not her," Christian whined. "I traded her."

"Oh, you did?"

"For Joey."

"He likes boys better," Dustin explained to his daughter. Samantha nodded.

"Oh," she turned to look over at Engel. She was hiding in her father's arms and Sammy could hear a few sobs escaping. She looked at Mike and Scott and they both sighed. Gently, she took Engel.

"Hey, sweetie," she smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"HOME!" Engel screamed loudly. Samantha pulled her head away from her daughter and rubbed one ear.

"Ow, okay… but you don't want to see the new baby?"

Engel began to cry again which caused Samantha to sigh. She took a chair and sat down, holding her daughter on her lap.

There were other kids in the waiting room, most likely waiting to meet their new siblings. They were all playing with toys their families had brought for them. Many were running around, imitating airplane and train noises. One boy rushed past Hayden and Flynn's families with his toy ambulance. He copied the noise of the siren by screaming loudly. In no way it resembled screams of panic and fear, but it seemed to be enough to send Engel over the edge. She kicked and punched her mother, trying to get free. Samantha wanted to hold on, but Engel had always been very squirmy. Thankfully, Mr. McAllistair caught her before she went too far.

Kaylee came from the cafeteria with a tray full of snacks and drinks. She heard Engel screaming from down the hall and rushed back as quickly as she could. She set the tray down on a chair so everyone could grab something for themselves. While Mr. McAllistair lifted Engel onto his lap, Kaylee knelt down and held out a cookie.

She knew Engel had been present at the time of birth and could only assume she was still pretty scared. She had bought a cookie for her son and Engel and hoped it would help distract her eldest granddaughter like it always had with her own children when they were scared. But as soon as Engel saw the cookie she swiped it away and screamed.

"NO cookies! HOME! MOMMY!"

Samantha rushed over when her name was called and hugged her daughter, "Shh, I'm right here."

As she held her daughter, Samantha looked over at Scott and Mike with a worried and guilty look. Scott came over, placing his hand on her back while Mike shrugged.

-Afterlife-

The following morning, Dawn stumbled up to the front steps of her house, holding her head in one hand and her keys in the other. She had woken up somewhere, she still wasn't quite sure, and had made the trip from there to home with the biggest headache in her life.

When she got inside she slammed the door, dropped the bag she didn't remember taking and turned on the light, regretting it instantly when the pain in her head grew. She cursed under her breathe as she flicked off the lights and made her way, in the dark, to the couch.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. She ignored it and tried to close her eyes to sleep.

The door creaked as it was opened, but Dawn rolled over, burying her head in the pillows.

"Dani!" she heard a voice call, "She's probably not home. I'm sure Hayden and Flynn would have called her."

"I just want to make sure," Dani's voice answered. "Nothing will cheer her up like a baby."

"This is breaking and entering," Greg warned Dani before he was hushed.

"Technically, we didn't break anything. The door was unlocked. It's just entering. Is that really illegal?"

"Just search the place quickly," Greg groaned. Dani smiled when she turned on the lights. Her eyes adjusted and she spotted Dawn, face-down on the couch.

"AHA!" she called, turning to Greg, "I told you!"

Dawn groaned loudly, rolling onto her back as she threw her pillow, "Shut up!" she screamed, "Do you have to be so loud?"

"Whoa, okay," Dani frowned, taking a few steps back. "What's crawled up your ass?"

"Get out of my house," Dawn growled. She got off the couch and grabbed Dani's arm, pulling her to the front door while Greg followed. Dawn pushed them out the door and tried to close it, but Greg stuck his foot in the door. He didn't want to be here, but it was obvious something was upsetting Dawn. He knew from Dani that she had been down in the dumps since Emily started rejecting the arm and thought maybe her mood had something to do with that.

Dawn glared at the foot in her doorway before she tried to kick it away. Greg pulled his foot back, letting the door close in his and Dani's face. He turned to his wife.

"Either she's upset about the new baby, or something else is bothering her."

Dani nodded, "If you want to go to the hospital you can," Dani told him, "I want to make sure she's okay."

"Are you sure you can deal with her alone?" Greg frowned. "I don't mind staying. Babies just get cuter as they get older. It's not like I'll be missing anything."

"Positive," Dani nodded. "Just tell the others that Dawn and I are on the way. Try not to worry them. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Only if you're sure," Greg said, taking a few steps back. Dani nodded and laughed.

"Seriously, go. If we don't show up, Hayden and Flynn will think we don't love them or the baby."

Greg leaned forward, kissing his wife before leaving. He wanted to help Dawn, but there was no way he would be able to. He was much more social than his other friends from the soup, but there were still some areas where he was lacking, such as comforting other people.

Dani searched for an open window after trying to get the door unlocked. All windows were shut, so she would need to find another way in. Going with what she did best, she started pounding on the door.

"DAWN! Open up! It's your annoying friend Dani! I won't go away until…"

"What?" Dawn screamed as the door flew open. Dani quickly stepped inside. She closed the door and locked it before turning to her friend. She noticed a brown paper bag in Dawn's hands, covering a bottle.

"What's that?" she asked innocently. She knew Dawn didn't drink.

Dawn shrugged and pointed at the bag by the door, "Hakuna Matata," she said, "Found some leftovers in there from last night."

"Hakuna Matata?" Dani frowned. "Lion King, much?"

"That's the movie!" Dawn nodded. "I'll have to remember to tell Buck."

"Who is Buck? What the hell is Hakuna Matata?" Dani reached for the bottle but Dawn pulled away. Dani frowned and held her hand out. "Dawn, can I see?" she asked. Dawn shook her head.

"No."

Dani looked at her friend, "Give me the bottle, Dawn."

Dawn held it high in the air. She was slightly taller than Dani which meant the bottle was out of reach for her. Dani jumped once but realised it was useless.

"Dawn, seriously. Bottle, please? What's in it?"

"It erases all your worries," Dawn smiled, quickly taking a sip. Dani was faster, pulling the bottle from Dawn's lips. Some of the contents spilled as Dani brought it to her nose, quickly catching a whiff. She pulled away in complete disgust.

"It's alcohol!" she shrieked. Dawn nodded, grabbing the bottle back.

"Hangover's gone."

"You were drunk?" Dani gasped. "Are you drunk now?"

Dawn shrugged, "Not sure."

Dani tried to grab the bottle again, "Give it, Dawn. You don't need alcohol if you're feeling upset."

"No," Dawn frowned. Dani persisted.

"Give me the bottle and I'll help you get into bed. Sleep, a real drink and some food will help."

"No," Dawn said, her voice a little stronger.

Dani quickly snatched the bottle before Dawn had time to react. She raced upstairs, using her powers, and dumped the remaining liquid down the bathroom sink. She made it back downstairs and put the bottle back in Dawn's hands before the older girl had time to blink. Dawn went to take a sip, but there was nothing left.

"Oh…" she pouted, holding the bottle upside down. "That's so sad…"

Dani frowned, "How long have you been drinking?"

"Last night…" Dawn answered before Dani grabbed her arm. She screamed and shoved Dani into wall, grabbing her neck. "Don't touch me," she hissed.


	139. Dawn's Problem

Dani grabbed Dawn's hands with her own, trying to release her grip from her neck as she struggled to try and breath. It didn't look like Dawn was going to let go anytime soon.

"Daw…" she coughed, "You… hurt…"

Dawn pressed harder against Dani's throat before letting go. Dani sunk to her knees and held her neck as she fought for breath. Dawn grabbed her jacket from the coat hanger and pulled her keys from the bowl by the door.

Dani tried to saw something, but her throat and neck were in too much pain. She dropped against the wall, sitting up against it as she watched Dawn leave.

-Afterlife-

"C'mon, Aunt Leah, you know we're okay to go home! Please, please, please, please, please!"

Leanne shook her head, ignoring her niece's pleas. As much as Hayden and Flynn wanted to take their new child home Leanne wasn't completely sure that was a good idea. Yes, Hayden was a healer, and any damages her body may have faced would have been completely healed by now. And yes, Adeline was a healer, and her body would be developing normally by now, but Leanne wanted to keep Adeline in for observation for at least one more day.

"I'm sorry, Hayden," she said, "But you'll have eighteen years with this baby. Just wait one more day."

Hayden pouted, "Poo-poo head."

Leanne rolled her eyes and gently took the newborn from her mother's arms. She bounced her gently as Adeline started to cry and carried her out of the room.

As she headed for the nursery, a hand grabbed her shoulder. She jumped slightly and turned around, finding David and Madeline. Maddie looked up at her mother curiously.

"You weren't pregnant…"

"If you don't have the time," David started, realising Leanne was still dealing with Adeline, "I could take her to the lunch room."

Leanne shook her head, "Healer baby, nothing urgent," she turned to her daughter, "What's up?"

"We got my genius test results back," Maddie smiled, pulling out a brown folder from her backpack. "Dad wanted me to show you before he dropped me off at school."

"What are the results?" Leanne asked, feeling a small sense of pride. She looked at David and smirked. He didn't have a genius daughter.

Maddie held out the forms, showing her mother where the results were highlighted.

"According to this guy, I'm smarter than 99% of Corinth and NewTech city," she beamed.

David gasped, "Wow…"

Leanne's jaw dropped as she grabbed the papers, reading it for herself, "That's smarter than your father and I! Combined!"

"I know!" Maddie cheered. "So, can I skip school today? You saw the results; I'm smarter than all my teachers."

Leanne handed the papers back to her daughter, "Sorry, you're still going to class. Your IQ may be higher, but school offers a little more than intelligence."

"If you mean social interaction and development with other kids my own age then no. After seeing this, the principal is definitely going to want to bump me up…"

"School, now," Leanne ordered. Maddie shoved her papers back in her bag and huffed as she walked off. Leanne turned to David, "If you're not busy, can you make sure she actually gets in the car?"

"On my way," David nodded. He understood Leanne's struggles with keeping Maddie in school. Though Dani was no genius, school didn't help her either, and David and Ronny had spent many hours trying to persuade Dani to stop skipping and attended classes.

As leaned turned back to the nursery, she glanced down at Adeline, "No matter how boring or useless you think school is, don't skip," she warned the infant. "It'll cause headaches for mommy and daddy."

-Afterlife-

After drinking up the only bottle of alcohol she could find in her house, Dawn needed to get out and find some more before all her troubles came back. Unfortunately, it was hard for her to find a place to buy alcohol. She was underage and didn't own a fake ID yet. She had never needed one until right now.

She glanced through the windows of different stores and looked in public garbage pails. If there was any chance she could find a hidden bottle, she would search.

In one of the stores she spotted one of her drinking buddies from last night. She stepped inside and walked over to the front counter, where the guy was helping an elderly lady with her purchase. When the woman walked off, Dawn slammed her hands down on the counter.

"Lion King," she told him. Buck turned around.

"What?" Buck chuckled. He recognised Dawn and smiled, "Hey, it's you."

"The Lion King. That fat pig is from the movie Lion King!"

Buck chuckled, "Hey, yeah, that's the name! How did you find out?"

"That's not important," she said. "I need a drink."

Buck grabbed her arm and pulled roughly while he pointed to the door marked "employee's only".

"Shut up," he whispered. "My dad's right behind that door. If he finds out I drink he's going to murder me."

"Tough it, big boy," Dawn frowned. "You have Hakuna Matata, don't you? I need it."

"What do you think this is?" Buck asked, "A bar? Go find your own. Or, wait until tonight. We're all meeting up in the alley again."

Dawn growled as she ripped her arm out of Buck's clutch and stormed off. If he wasn't going to help, she had to find another way.

She started walking the streets again, but this time taking the back roads and staying away from public eye. She still smelt of alcohol and was slightly drunk. If she ran into anyone from the military, she was going to be caught. The back roads were also where she would have a higher chance of running into people who would gladly sell her alcohol.

-Afterlife-

Dani stumbled into the hospital, still rubbing her throat and hoping that she hadn't missed her chance to see the baby. She caught Greg as he was on his way out.

"Hey," he frowned, noting her appearance, "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Dani nodded. "Just the usual: taking on an angry Dawn."

"She wasn't too rough on you, was she?" Greg asked, inspecting his wife's neck as he pulled her hand away. Dani shrugged.

"If I'm okay, then I guess not," she said. "If there's something wrong, then yes."

Greg looked at her, "You seem fine. How's the hand?"

Dani looked at her bandage hand, "Oh, right, that thing. I think it's good."

Greg suddenly frowned and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at Dani. She looked at him and frowned as well.

"What?"

"What are you hiding?" he asked. Dani went to say something, but he shook his head, "Don't even think about trying to cover up. Shields fell."

"Dammit," Dani sighed.

"So?"

"So, what?"

"What?"

"What what?"

"Dani?"

"Dani what?"

Greg groaned, rubbing his forehead. He didn't need the mental connection to know Dani was trying to hide something.

"Don't make me force it out of you," he said.

Dani took a deep breath, "Dawn was drunk."

"WHAT!"

"That was my reaction too," Dani nodded. "You know how she's been having a hard time…"

"Yeah," Greg said. "That why this worries me! Do you know how addictive that stuff is?"

Dani shrugged. She honestly didn't know. She only knew it was bad for her after hearing the many stories her father told her about people who were rushed in with alcohol poisoning. Sadly, she rarely heard stories of people who lived, though that could have just been her father trying to keep her from drinking too much, especially at such a young age, she wasn't too sure.

Greg shook his head, "Never mind, where is she?"

"I have no idea," Dani said. "She took off before I could get her."

"So she's wandering the streets drunk?" Greg gasped as he took off. "Great! Good job, Dani!"

"I'm sorry! I've been fighting for my life over here!" Dani called after him as she followed him to their car.

-Afterlife-

Dawn continued to roam the streets, looking for a way, any way to get alcohol. She had seen a homeless man earlier with a bottle in his hands and she had swiped it from him and took off. Stealing from the homeless was a low blow, even if it was probably stolen alcohol already, but that didn't matter to Dawn as soon as she took the first chug. She had no idea what she was drinking, but again, that didn't matter. Alcohol was a stress reliever in any shape, form or taste.

She chugged the last little bit and tossed the bottle aside before spotting an older group of men. Surely they would be able to buy her a decent supply of alcohol. Without hesitating, or thinking for that matter, she approached them and pulled out her wallet.

"Everything that's in here," she said, tossing her wallet into the middle of the group, "to the person who can come back with alcohol for me."

One of the men pulled the joint from his mouth and picked up her wallet from the ground. He opened it up and whistled.

"There's a lot in here," he told her. "Your ID, a pass to the command center, a credit card and $150. You sure you want to give this up, kid?"

"Bring back alcohol and it's all yours," Dawn shrugged. The man pulled out Dawn's ID before passing around the wallet to his friends. He nodded at one who took off.

The man read the name on the ID and smirked.

"You're Dawn Matthews. Don't you own that Center?"

"Not anymore," Dawn frowned. "Do you want it too?

"Nah," the man shrugged, "This is good."

"So, you're like, the commander's niece, right?" one of the other men asked upon inspection of the ID. Dawn shrugged her shoulders.

"By marriage, yeah," she said. "My mom is her husband's brother."

"Whoa, dude," the second man said. "Slow down and repeat that."

Dawn wasn't exactly sober, but at least she wasn't as slow as the people around her.

"My mommy's brother is the commander's husband."

"Riight," the man said, nodding his head slowly, "Dude, that's cool."

"Wait, wait… so, you're like, the commander's…"

"Niece," Dawn finished for another man, already aware he wasn't going to pick up right away, "Yeah."

"Dude, I just said that," the second man shouted, slapping the third on the arm.

The first man looked at Dawn with a bored expression, "I take it you're new to the world of drugs and alcohol."

Dawn glared at him, "What's it to ya?"

The man tossed her back her pass to the command center, "You don't want to get caught handing this to someone else. We're not exactly buds. I'll probably rat you out if I get caught."

Dawn caught it and stuck it in her pocket. She wasn't going to argue. She could probably sell the pass for alcohol once she ran out.

The man who took off came running back with a box in his hands. He set it down between Dawn and the first man.

"This good?" he asked Dawn. She looked down.

"Alcohol?"

"Yeah."

"Whatever," Dawn shrugged. She reached down and picked up the box. As she turned to leave, a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"You owe me," the man said.

"Bill me," Dawn retorted, shrugging his hand off. The men surrounded her suddenly, but Dawn didn't care. She put her box down and turned to their supposed ring leader. "Look, do you really want to try this? I'm drunk; I worked with the Power Rangers and Venjix. I've destroyed this world and I've saved it, and I've kicked more asses this year than you guys probably have in your entire life, and I'm in, what we Rangers call, retirement. How will it sound to your other _buds_ when you tell them you were all beat up by one retired girl?"

The ring leader looked at the man behind Dawn and nodded. He grabbed her from behind. Dawn kicked her leg back, spun around, grabbed his wrist and punched him in the chest. As he staggered backwards, she grabbed him by the neck and ran him back into the wall. She pressed her hand against his throat, choking him, before throwing a punch right into his stomach. When she let go of his neck, the man fell over forward, withering on the ground. Dawn walked back to her case of alcohol and looked up at the first man.

"Want to try that again?" she asked. He looked at his men.

"You heard her," he said. "We've got her credit card anyways."

"Have fun!" Dawn called as she turned and left.

-Afterlife-

Greg drove down the streets slowly, ignoring the cars honking behind him, as he and Dani looked left and right and up and down for Dawn. They weren't going to give up until they found her.

"Do you see her?" Greg asked his wife. Dani shook her head slowly. "Keep looking."

-Afterlife-

What she thought would last her about a week was gone. Dawn dropped the last bottle, hearing it shatter on the ground, as she turned down a familiar alleyway. Without saying a word, she took a seat on a box across from Buck, grabbed what she and the boys called Hakuna Matata, popped the cap off and started chugging.

"Slow down," the boy next to her laugh. "We have all night."

Dawn finished the bottle at a speed that surprised the boys and reached out for another one. She felt herself falling forward but didn't have the reaction time to catch herself. Thankfully, Buck jumped forward and caught her before she hit the ground.

"You weren't kidding earlier when you said you wanted alcohol," he chuckled.

"At least she's holding it down," another boy said. Dawn stumbled back to her seat, missing it a few times.

"Who says I've been keeping it down," Dawn said, causing the boys to chuckle at as she slurred her words. "I've been throwing up all day."

Dawn suddenly fell off her box, like someone pulled it out from under her. After crashing to the ground, she started looking around.

"Who did that?" she screamed. She looked at the three boys, "Whichever one of you it was… stop moving."

"Whoa, babe, you okay?" Buck asked her, walking over beside her and kneeling down. Dawn clutched onto his shirt as the world started spinning faster.

"Slow down," she whispered as she began to spin as well. "Turn the Earth off for… let me… I want up… Bucky-boy, help me get…"

Dawn suddenly fell onto her back, dropping the bottle in her hand as it began to roll. The boys laughed as Buck tapped her cheek.

"Okay, babe, maybe you've had enough," he chuckled lightly. His chuckled turned into a nervous laughter when Dawn didn't respond. He continued to tap her cheek. "Babe? Wake up…"

"Dude, she's gone," one of the boys pointed out as he kicked her foot. Still, Dawn didn't stir.

Buck grabbed her shirt and started shaking her, thinking that might wake her. When he got no reaction from Dawn he dropped her back on the ground and took off.

"Dude!" the other boy called, "We can't just leave her!"

"What do you want to do?" Buck called, jogging backwards. "Call the ambulance? We can't get caught drinking this shit? Do you want your dads to find out?"

The two boys exchanged worried looks before taking off behind their friend.

Over in their car, Greg and Dani were passing by the dark alleyway when they saw three boys running out with bottles rolling on the ground and dropping out of their pockets. Dani grabbed Greg's arm, forcing him to slam on the breaks. Before the car was completely stopped she rushed out.

"Where are you…?" Greg called after her as he put the car in park.

"Boys drinking. Dawn might be here!" Dani yelled as she disappeared down the dark alleyway. Greg rolled his eyes before chasing after her. A scream from Dani made him run a little faster. Suddenly, a phone was tossed at him. He caught it and heard Dani yelling for him to call 911. As he approached his wife, he saw her on the ground beside an unconscious Dawn.

Dani was no doctor, but thankfully her father had told her many stories about people coming into the hospital after having too much to drink. She placed her hand on Dawn's cheek, feeling her temperature as she pressed her ear against Dawn's chest.

She pulled her head up quickly and placed her finger just under Dawn's nose, waiting to feel air. She started to shake fearfully as she jumped to her feet, ripping Greg's cell phone out of his pocket. He would be too busy trying to call an ambulance.

She dialled her father's number, hoping he would be available and still at work. The phone rang twice before David picked up.

"_Greg? I can't talk long, about to get back to work. What's up?"_

"Dad, it's Dani. Greg's calling an ambulance right now but I don't know if we have time…"

"_Whoa, Dani, slow down. What's going on?"_

Dani looked around at the many bottles lying on the ground. Surely Dawn had been drinking. Though many of them were still full, there were many that were emptied.

"Dawn's been getting drunk and she's passed out right now," Dani said. "I need you to help me until the ambulance gets here."

"_Okay… okay… um…" _on the other end, David's voice sounded panicked. Dani could hear him screaming down the halls at some doctors and nurses who were sitting around. It sounded like he was already getting a team ready for Dawn. _"Is she on her side?" _he asked finally.

Dani pressed the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she turned Dawn over.

"If you die on me I'm going to hurt your dead body so badly you'll feel the pain in hell!" Dani screamed to Dawn.


	140. Effects of Alcohol

Dani shook wildly as she watched the medics pull Dawn out of the ambulance and a team of doctors rushed her through. David came to the doors of the ambulance just as Greg hopped out. Both men turned to Dani, Greg with a look of sympathy and understanding and David with a professional and serious stare.

"How much has she had to drink, Dani?" David asked her. Dani shrugged her shoulder as she tried to make a sentence. Greg took her hand, helping her out of the ambulance.

"We're not sure," he answered for his wife. "Dani said she was drunk last night and started drinking this morning… right Dan?"

Dani didn't say anything, she simply continued to shake. She had been shaking since before the ambulance arrived, when Dawn suddenly started having a seizure. It was a terrible experience for both Dani and Greg, as they were both afraid that Dawn may die. Thankfully for her, though, the ambulance arrived in time to take care of her.

Greg's nerves had settled when he saw the ambulance and knew it was out of his control and the paramedics would take care of everything, but Dani was still very worried. Greg hugged his wife close as he looked at David.

"We don't know anything else," he told his father in-law. "We just knew she was drinking a lot and went out to find her."

"Hopefully you found her just in time," David breathed. He touched his daughter's cheek for a moment before rushing off to take care of her friend.

-Afterlife-

Samantha sat outside Engel's bedroom door. She was curled up in a ball against the wall and held her head in her hands. On the other side of the bedroom door, Engel screamed and Sam could hear her kicking and punching the door, trying to get out.

She had tried to deal with Engel's temper tantrum, but it had come out of nowhere and only continued to escalate until Samantha had no choice but to leave.

By now, Engel was screaming for her, but Samantha couldn't go back inside. Scott had tried putting the two year old to bed until Engel bit his arm. Samantha had tried calling Mike and Vanessa, thinking maybe talking with them would help Engel calm down, but it didn't. Engel had pulled out all the profanities she knew when she started speaking with her father and soon-to-be-step-mother, so Samantha had to take the phone away.

Scott came back upstairs with a mug of hot chocolate for his wife. He held it out for her as he dropped next to her.

"I was thinking," he sat as Samantha took the mug and set it down, "this might have to do with the birth thing."

Samantha rolled her head back, hitting the bedroom door, "I guessed that much," she said. "I just… I don't know what to do."

"She'll calm down eventually," Scott pulled his wife in his arms. "It was probably a scary experience. And I know you had to be there for Hayden and Adeline, but Engel might not understand why you ran away."

"I know," Samantha breathed as fresh tears started rolling down her cheeks. "I know I screwed up but…"

"You didn't screw up," Scott frowned. "Hayden needed you."

"Engel needed me too!"

"What could you have done?" Scott asked his wife. "Would you really have chosen to stay with Engel and let Hayden deal with birthing her own child all by herself? Engel's two, no matter where you chose to be, she would have been freaking out."

Samantha looked up at Scott, "If you know so much, why don't you tell me what to do now?"

Scott held up his hand, where a Power Ranger band-aid had been placed on the spot Engel had bit, "We tried my way, already. She turned savage, remember?"

"Is that a black ranger band-aid?" Samantha laughed, holding his hand to get a better look. "Aw, is that Dillon? Did you want Dillon to kiss it better?"

Scott pulled his hand away. At least he had gotten her to laugh.

"No, I was actually hoping you could kiss it," he said. "It hurts like a bitch."

"She's got sharp teeth," Samantha nodded as she kissed the spot on his hand. Scott smirked.

"Must be that leopard spirit she used to have."

Samantha looked up at him. She had forgotten about Engel's animal spirit. Truth be told, she had forgotten Engel had been her mother only a few years ago.

Scott wiped her tears and looked at her gently, "I'm sure you were scared as a kid. What did your mother do to help you calm down? Maybe it'll work with her."

"There was that time when I was three," Samantha said. "Hayden was just born on Earth and mom told me she was my sister and that I should always look out for her."

"Really? At three years old?"

"I was an Angel," Samantha shrugged. "It's in the job description. Anyways, I started watching over Hayden for a few days and then at night I would get these nightmares. I always thought I was looking out for her because mom thought she was going to die. When I finally did tell mom what my nightmares really were about, she slept with me every night and told me everything was going to be okay."

Scott nodded in the direction of Engel's bedroom door.

"I know you don't want Engel sleeping with us, but maybe just for this occasion…"

Samantha sighed, "Do you think it will help?"

Scott winced as Engel kicked the door again, screaming for her mother.

"It can't hurt."

-Afterlife-

"Hey, look who finally made it," Flynn chuckled when he spotted Dani and Greg from behind. He had just gone to the cafeteria to pick something up for him and Hayden to eat. Surprisingly enough, hospital cafeteria food tasted better than hospital delivery food.

When he sat down before the couple, he noticed the horrified looks on their faces. He chuckled slightly.

"You two look like Samantha did after helping Hayden give birth," he said.

"Flynn," Greg frowned, rubbing Dani's arm gently, "now not the time."

Flynn looked at his friends once again, "Whoa, who died?"

"Dawn's been a little stressed out lately," Greg explained. "It started with Emily's arm. She couldn't figure out a solution and overworked herself. She somehow got her hands on alcohol and decided to take the edge off a little."

"A little?" Flynn frowned. The way Greg was explaining it, a little didn't sound like a little. It sounded like a lot.

"She's being treated for severe alcohol poisoning," Greg said. "Her alcohol level was at 0.30 when the doctors finally checked. They've pumped her stomach, they're giving her fluids and they're getting her to breathe but she's not awake yet."

Flynn looked at his friends in shock before the doors opened up. Kaylee, Colonel Truman and a few soldiers walked into the hospital.

Greg took a deep breath, "They've also had to call the cops," he said. "Dawn's underage. She's not allowed to drink."

"That's one offense," Flynn nodded, "Who gave her the alcohol, though?"

"That's another offense," Greg sighed. "When Dani and I found her she was in an alleyway. We saw three kids running off; they were about our age, so we think there's more underage drinking going on."

"All teenagers in Corinth," Flynn said. "That's a given."

"Publicly," Greg said, correcting himself, "without proper supervision and illegally."

"They left her to die," Dani muttered her first words since she arrived at the hospital.

Flynn placed his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure once Kaylee hears that part it'll be added to the list. Dawn's her family, and you never mess with Kaylee's family."

Dani looked up at Flynn, "Why are you still here?" she asked. "I thought the baby was born yesterday. Shouldn't you be home now?"

Flynn nodded, "Aye, but Leanne's worried about the home birth and premature thing. Adeline's fine, but just as a precaution we're staying another night."

Greg and Flynn both looked at Dani, thinking she would be somewhat excited to hear that the newborn's name was Adeline. Dani didn't budge.

"Oh."

Flynn got up from his seat, "Do you want to come see her?" he asked. "Everyone has but you."

"We need to stay here," Greg told him. "Kaylee and the Colonel will want to talk with us."

Flynn looked at Greg, then at Dani. He sighed.

"C'mon, lad, we all know Dani can't make proper sentences when she gets like this. I'm sure she'll be no help."

"She saw Dawn drinking, though," Greg explained. "She's more important than I am. I just heard it from her."

"Well, the hospital can kinda prove she was drinking," Flynn shrugged. "I don't think they'll really care about who saw her drinking. They'll probably just ask questions about who gave her the alcohol and why she started drinking and what happened."

"Formalities…"

"You're dealing with Kaylee," Flynn frowned. "Something tells me she's going to use the word dude or she'll smack you over the head if you tell her something obvious or just do something stupid."

Kaylee turned away from the reception desk and made her way over to the group. She walked over to Greg and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Seriously, dude? What the hell were you thinking?"

Greg rubbed his head, quickly glancing at Flynn. The blue Ranger smirked playfully.

"I know my mother in-law."

Greg scoffed before turning to Kaylee, "I had no idea about this."

"How in the world did Dawn get that much alcohol?" Kaylee asked both him and Daniela.

"How is she?" Dani asked her aunt, hoping to get an update on Dawn's condition. Kaylee took a breath to calm herself down. She couldn't think straight knowing her niece was in such a terrible condition. She couldn't imagine the effect this would have on Dustin and Sierra when they found out. Sadly, that was going to be sooner rather than later. Sierra had already been called by the hospital and she was on her way. No doubt she would have called her brother by now.

"Not good," Kaylee said. "But, I need you two to tell me everything you know. Every little detail."

Greg started by explaining to Kaylee where this whole problem had started. He told her about Emily's condition and how Dawn seemed to have taken it personally when Emily asked to remove the arm. He then went on, telling Dani's story of how upset and stressed Dawn seemed to get when she couldn't find a solution to help Emily. He then moved on to talk about what Dani told him about Dawn drinking all night and then drinking all day. But that was as far as he got.

"Hakuna Matata," Dani whispered after a moment of silence.

"Bless you," Kaylee said, almost automatically as she finished writing down Greg's story. Dani shook her head.

"No, Dawn called her drink Hakuna Matata."

"Timon and Pumbaa?" Kaylee frowned. "The Lion King?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dani nodded. "When I brought that up, she told me she was going to have to tell Buck. That's the only name I have. She then tried to drink again, but I dumped her bottle before she could. When I tried to ask how long she had been drinking, she grabbed me by throat and pinned me against the wall."

Flynn nodded, a little impressed, "Well, I was wrong. She can speak in complete sentences."

Dani looked at Flynn before turning back to Kaylee.

"She said the alcohol was called Hakuna Matata because it erased all her worries, like in the song, you know? She was also very aggressive… but I don't know if that has to do with the alcohol or if it's because of the stress. When Dean and I tried talking to her when she was sober and stressed, she was pretty violent as well."

Kaylee marked that all down on her papers before setting the notepad down. She looked at the three kids before her.

"You guys did the right thing," she told them.

Dani pulled away from her Aunt slightly, "Is Dawn going to get into trouble?"

"Probably," Kaylee nodded. Dani's eyes started to water. Greg wrapped his arms around her again, holding back his own set of tears.

"Kayl… she's just a kid," Flynn said. "And if she wakes up from this, I think she'll have learned her lesson…"

"I'm not about to start handing out get-out-of-jail-free cards because you guys are family," Kaylee frowned. "Dawn broke the law and she put her own life in danger, as well as other people. Who knows what could have happened. We still don't know what's happened!"

"But, she's just…"

"She's nineteen years old, Flynn," Kaylee barked. "She's not a kid. She's old enough to know just how stupid all this was."

"But prison?"

"How else is she going to learn?" Kaylee asked, waiting for a response from Flynn.

Flynn rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't want Dawn going to prison. This wasn't her. Dawn would never do something this stupid in her right mind. She spent her days helping strangers, not drinking.

"Alcoholic's Anonymous?" Greg suggested. "She's not alcoholic yet, but it can show her what might happen if she continues to drink?"

Flynn nodded, "That could work. And she'll have to live with the shame of what she's done."

Kaylee glared at the two boys, "We're doing this right," she said. "I'm not playing the family card for her."

"You played it for me," Dani said. Kaylee glared at her.

"You killed in self-defence. "You had to make a choice to save a life. Maybe there was a better choice, but there was no time to make it. Dawn willingly drank under age, purchased alcohol illegally and did god knows what else. She strangled you, Dani!"

"She was stressed out!"

"I'm stressed right now!" Kaylee screamed, "Does that mean I'm going to have a drink later to take the edge off? No! Am I going to try and murder you? No! Am I going to be admitted into the hospital with alcohol poisoning? No!"

Colonel Truman rushed over when he heard Kaylee screaming and pulled her away from the three Rangers. This was why he chose to come with her, even though his shift at work was ending. He knew there was a personal attachment between Dawn and Kaylee and he wanted everything to run smoothly.

Dani took off when Kaylee was pulled away, running so fast, no one could tell which way she had gone. Greg dropped his head back and sunk down in his seat, letting the tears stream down his cheeks.

Flynn kicked his tray of food in frustration before heading back to his and Hayden's room. He didn't want to deal with this anymore. No one wanted to have to deal with this anymore.


	141. Dawn's Condition

Kaylee pulled away from the Colonel but he kept a strong grip on her, refusing to let her go until she calmed down enough. He understood this had to be difficult for her, but she needed to get a grip. This was her job.

"Let me go," she growled at him through clenched teeth. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the three kids parting ways. She turned back to the Colonel, "Let me go," she hissed again.

The Colonel grabbed both her arms, pulling her further away.

"Get a grip, Commander," he ordered, "How do you expect those kids to stay calm if you can't do so yourself?"

Kaylee looked up at him. He had never been intimidating to her. Her eyes narrowed as she pulled again.

"You're off the clock, Truman," she stated. "This isn't your job."

"My job is defending Corinth," Colonel Truman said. "I work whenever the city needs me. Now take a deep breath and calm down before I send you home again!"

"I think you're forgetting who is in charge, here…"

"Breathe!" the colonel shouted, causing Kaylee to jump in shock. She hadn't expected him to raise his voice. She inhaled and exhaled quickly, simply trying to get the Colonel off her back.

Truman nodded, "Good, now breathe again," he paused, letting Kaylee breathe. She knew it was useless to argue with him. She could probably take him on and pin him down given her years of training, but she was in a public place. If she threw a fit, she may come across looking like the commander-gone-psycho. When Kaylee's breathing started to slow the Colonel let out a small smile, "Good. Now we should talk about what to do with Dawn. I know you don't want to pull the family card."

"There's no way I'm going to…"

"However, given Dawn has no previous criminal record and has served Corinth dutifully since becoming a citizen, I think there is a possibility that we can let her off the hook, if she wakes up, that is."

Kaylee's eyes widened, "Excuse me? Let her off the hook? It's a criminal offense! She willingly…"

"Dawn doesn't strike me as a criminal," Colonel Truman interrupted. Kaylee looked at him.

"You forget T15 right?" she asked. "And Tenaya?"

"I thought you would be one of the last people to bring that up," the colonel frowned. "That has nothing to do with this. What we're looking at is underage drinking. Before we condemn her, why don't we find out what happened? Why did she turn to alcohol? Was it just a bad idea one day, or did someone force it onto her? How much choice did she have in the matter?"

"Colonel…"

"Papers," the colonel said, holding his hand out. Kaylee growled. He wasn't letting her speak. She placed the papers in his hands and tapped her foot impatiently as he read them over. Suddenly, the colonel started chuckling. Kaylee snatched the papers from his hand and had to restrain herself from striking him.

"What's so funny about this?" she shrieked.

The colonel shook his head, "I assure you, Commander, I'm taking this matter seriously. I'm just surprised it took Dawn this long to start drinking."

"She shouldn't be drinking, Colonel. That's the point."

Colonel Truman gazed at Kaylee for a moment before holding up a finger beside her face. Without turning her head, Kaylee glared at it, then back at the Colonel. Suddenly, he flicked his finger to the side, in front of her face. Kaylee jumped back.

"What…"

"You've gotta take those blinders off, Commander," the colonel said. "Dawn's a nineteen year old teenager. What do teenagers do?"

"Given the history of heart-attacks in my family, I'd say that's what they're up to these days."

"They rebel," Colonel stated. "Marcus rebelled, Scott rebelled, I'm sure you've had to deal with your girls trying to rebel."

"What are you getting at?"

"So Dawn had a few drinks?" the colonel asked her. "Every teenager is Corinth has a few drinks. Yes, some of them are illegal… most of them are illegal, but if we spent our days and our money trying to stop them, we'd be chasing after every teenager, and our prisons would be filled with 14-20 year olds instead of the real criminals."

"Your point?" Kaylee asked.

"So she took the edge off with a drink? Big deal. I'm sure you've gone home after work some nights and had a glass of wine. Maybe when you heard Hayden gave birth at home two months early you had something stronger. What we want to do with Dawn is correct her behaviour before it gets out of hand again. We don't want to punish her. Her body's taking care of that."

"So, you're saying it's okay for her to drink?"

"Sometimes, yes. When celebrating, why not let the kids have a little alcohol? At parties let them have a glass of whatever they want."

"But when she's stressed out?"

"Wait until she's awake, aware and sober," the colonel said, "And then maybe you, your husband and her mother can sit down and talk to her about the affects alcohol has on herself and on other people."

"So, no prison?" Kaylee asked. The Colonel nodded.

"We'll see how this goes," he said. "But I doubt sending her to prison will be the right thing to do."

-Afterlife-

"You know, we're kinda one in the same now," Dani whispered as she sat by Dawn's bedside, holding her friend's hand gently, waiting for her to wake up. "I ran into a rough patch and tried to take my own life with drugs. You get a little stressed out and start drinking alcohol. I bet you didn't want it to go this far, but I know you know how bad alcohol is. On some level, you must have known this would be where you end up."

Dani paused and looked up at the various monitors and IV attached to her best friend as she wiped away some of the tears. When she turned back to Dawn, she chuckled softly.

"Great, now you're probably beating yourself up about being like me," she said. "But you can't deny it. What you did was so stupid! Everyone's worried about you! Aunt Kaylee's freaking out and I've only ever seen her freak out like that when she's terrified. When you wake up, you're going to have a lot to answer to."

Dean pushed the door to his girlfriend's room open gently and stepped in. He let Dani finish talking before placing his hand on her shoulder. Dani looked up and offered him a small smile.

"Why did I know you were going to be here?" he asked her, smiling back. Dani shrugged and chuckled.

"Because I'm always around," Dani said. "I don't know why I'm not part of the Ninja/Pai Zhuq community. I think I would kick some serious ass."

Dean laughed softly, setting down the stuffed bear he bought at the hospital gift shop before he grabbed another chair and set it up beside Dawn's bed. Dani went to get up but Dean grabbed her hand.

"You can stay if you want to," he whispered. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I insist."

Dani sighed, "I'm sorry."

Dean shook his head, "Hey, we both care about her. You don't have to…"

"I let her leave," Dani explained. "Hayden and Flynn had their baby and I went to see her. She was stressed out and I knew she had been drinking. I tried to get her to go lie down and let the hangover take care of itself but… She grabbed another bottle. I don't know where she got it from. When I touched her she freaked out and choked me before running off. I didn't go after her; I came here to see the baby. If I followed her… if I searched the city I could have found her long before this happened."

Dean took Dani's hand. After hearing that, he did feel like Dani was responsible for Dawn being in the hospital, but Dani was just a kid. She wasn't even nineteen yet. He could put all the blame on her. After all, he was Dawn's boyfriend, and adult boyfriend. He knew she was stressing out and should have known she would do something stupid.

"It must be hard having superpowers," he said. Dani turned to him, surprised by his off-topic comment. Dean continued, "You've got all these powers like healing or super speed or transformation and everyone wants a piece of it. You can help the world, but if you do, there's no time to yourself, right?"

Dani nodded, "Well, kinda. Sometimes Greg asks me if I can _run_ to the supermarket to pick up milk. When I get mad at him, sometimes I tell him to disappear. But no one really…"

"What I'm saying is I'm just as responsible for this as you are. The entire city is just as responsible. We all saw what was happening, we just didn't think far enough ahead. You're just putting the blame on yourself because you're a little more powerful than everyone else."

Dani nodded silently and leaned back in her chair. Dean did have a point. She still felt terrible and partly-responsible, but it was nice to know she didn't hold all the blame.

Suddenly a loud cry could be hear from the other side of the door. Dean turned, trying to decipher what it was. Dani waited, her ears picking up on another voice, trying to calm the first one down. She recognised it and sighed.

"It's just Dawn's mom and Uncle," she said. Dean turned to her.

"Guess I have to meet the family at some point," he shrugged. Dani looked at him.

"You seriously haven't… but haven't you been dating for…?"

"I'm not dating my parent's best friend's son," Dean chuckled. "It's a little harder to organise time to meet the family."

Dani shrugged, deciding to leave Dean and Dawn's love life at that before getting up. She figured it would probably help Dustin and Sierra deal with the situation if they knew what happened, and apparently she was the only person who truly knew and understood.

As Dani got up Dean took over holding Dawn's hand. He kissed it gently.

"Babe, I just want you to know, I'm not mad," he whispered. "Don't worry about having all these problems to face when you wake up. We'll tackle them together, okay? I lied before about Emily's arm being okay but right now I'm being totally honest with you. She's still complaining about it, but she's agreed to give you all the time you need. She'll try to deal with it for a few more months and she'll try to see if she can maybe adapt to having a different arm from everyone else. You just… focus on getting better, okay?"

"Dean?"

"I love you," he whispered, kissing her gently on the lips before turning to Dani, Dustin and Sierra. Dani glanced over her shoulder.

"Dean, these are Dawn's parents… well, one of them," Dani said. "This is Sierra and Dustin."

Dean nodded politely, "Commander's husband, right? Hayden and Samantha's dad?"

Dustin smiled, "Yeah. We haven't really been introduced," he said, extending his hand. Dean took it and the two men shook hands. Dean immediately started feeling uncomfortable. Dustin wasn't much older that he was, maybe about ten years, give or take a few. Dean was already in his mid-thirties, while Dawn still wasn't twenty years old. So far, no one had really mentioned it and Dean was afraid this may have been a bad time. He loved Dawn and age didn't matter but not many people saw it that way, and he was afraid that as her parents, Dustin and Sierra may have a problem with it.

Dustin didn't say anything though as he pulled away and took Sierra's hand gently. Sierra looked up at her daughter's boyfriend.

"I'm Dawn's actual parent," she said. "I'm Sierra."

"Uncle Dustin is just Dawn's uncle," Dani explained. She knew he was already aware of that fact, but it felt like it needed to be said again in this moment. "He's been helping Sierra on and off with Dawn."

"Got it," Dean nodded, making sure to actually remember that. Dustin wasn't a father kind of threat, but that didn't make him any less threatening. Of course, he doubted Dustin would really choose this moment to pick on the boyfriend.

The Earth Sensei turned to Dani, "How is she?" he asked.

Dani shrugged, "Not awake. When I crossed dad in the hall he said she made it here in time."

"They're still looking for brain damage, though," Dean added. Before coming in to see his girlfriend he had questioned all the doctors about Dawn's condition and they all told him the same thing. She was stable, but they didn't know what state she would be in when she woke up.

"As long as she's alive, I don't care," Sierra said, walking over to the bed slowly. "I can't lose her again."

Dustin looked at his older sister, "She's a fighter, Sierra," he told her. "If she can survive Venjix, she'll make it out of this."

Sierra nodded and turned to Dean, "Do you know about her and Venjix?"

"She told me," Dean said. "It doesn't bother me. We talked about it a while ago."

"Good," Sierra said before there was a knock on the door. David came in slowly, holding a stack of scans and papers in his arms. He gestured for everyone to take a seat.

"We've got some results back, and I wish I could say they were all good," David started.

"Good news first," Dustin insisted. At least if he heard the good news now, it wouldn't be overshadowed by the bad news.

"Dawn should make a decent recovery," David stated. He looked at the other people in the room. They shook their heads.

"_Decent_ recovery?" Dean asked. "That's our good news?"

"After some testing we found out that Dawn's been drinking _a lot._"

Dani raised her hand slightly, "I know you guys are trying to work on my confidence with intelligence… but even _I_ know that, dad. When Greg and I found her she was surrounded by bottles!"

"We think there may be some minor brain damage," David said. He noticed Dawn's family beginning to worry, so he quickly added: "However, it shouldn't be too bad."

"Define too bad, doc," Dustin frowned. David set his clipboard down and sighed as he leaned against the wall.

"Okay, you older folks… how many of you have had wild nights and you've completely forgotten what's happened?" he asked. Dustin raised his hand almost instantly, showing no shame in admitting that sometimes he had a good time.

Dean was slightly nervous about raising his hand. Already he was much older than his girlfriend. He didn't want to fall into the bad books. However, if he was going to be committed to Dawn, he didn't want to lie to her family. He raised his hand.

Sierra's hand flew up almost as quickly as Dustin, surprising her younger brother. Sierra turned to him, noting his look of shock. She shrugged.

"How do you think I wound up with Dawn?" she asked. Dustin frowned and thought for a moment. Suddenly, the night of the big April 2009 party hit him. Sierra and her ex-husband had been gone for a while.

David nodded his head slowly, "Alcohol can cause some memory loss," he said. "When you drink, it tends to be in that moment. It gets to your brain and you blackout. However, Dawn's consumed enough alcohol in so little time that it's possible that it's had a slight permanent affect on the brain."

"Like what, dad?" Dani asked.

"Short term memory loss," Dean stated, turning to the doctor for confirmation. David nodded.

"We won't know for sure until she wakes up," he said, "but the damage in her brain isn't too severe, which we should all be thankful for given the state she was in when she arrived."

Dani turned to glare at Dawn, lying immobile in the bed.

"You're in for a world of pain when you wake up," she hissed. David walked up behind his daughter, wrapping his arms around him.

"You want to encourage her to wake up," he told her. "It's possible that she can hear you."

"Good," Dani said, "then she should know that what she did was totally stupid!"

"Dani, calm down," Dean got up from his chair and approached the bed. He sat down beside Dawn, taking her hand while he looked up at Dani. "We all make some stupid mistakes."

"You overdosed," David reminded her. Dani turned to him.

"That's why I know this is so stupid!" she said.

"You're just scared," David whispered, hugging his daughter. "You're reliving…"

"Whoa," Dean breathed suddenly and the room fell silent. Dean looked down at his girlfriend. He thought he felt her squeezing his hand. "Dawn?"

Sierra rushed over to her daughter's side, taking her other hand.

"Dawn? Sweetie? Can you hear me?"

Dawn stirred slightly as a moan escaped from under her mask. David came over, tapping her cheek gently.

"Dawn, if you can hear me let us know," he said before turning to look at Dean and Sierra. They were both holding Dawn's hands tight.

Suddenly her eyes fluttered open. She pulled her hands free and tried pulling off her mask. Her friends and family watched carefully.

"Dawn, do you remember what happened?" David asked, helping her with her mask. Dawn looked around curiously and shook her head.

"Where am I?" she asked. When she spotted her mother and uncle in the room she frowned. "Mom?"

"You're in the hospital, Dawn," David explained to her, "Do you remember why?"

"I remember having a headache," Dawn said. Her eyes fell on Dani, "I remember being mad at you."

"Thank god," Dani breathed.

"You overdosed on alcohol," David told his young patient. "According to Dani and Dean, you've been stressing out and decided to fix all your problems with alcohol. Do you remember that?"

"Vaguely," Dawn nodded. She sat up in bed and looked around again, noticing her mother and uncle. "Mom?"

"Yeah, sweetie?" Sierra asked.

Dean leaned forward slightly, "Babe, do you remember me?"

Dawn nodded her head, "Yeah…"

"My name?" Dean asked her.

"Dean," Dawn said, almost dismissively. Dean took that as a good sign and breathed a sigh of relief as he took her hand again and squeezed it lovingly. Dawn furrowed her brow slightly as she looked at him. "Where am I?"

"The hospital," he told her.

Dawn nodded slowly, looking around the room again before her eyes fell on Dani. They exchanged a look for a moment before Dani huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Dawn frowned.

"What?"

"I'm mad at you," Dani said. Dawn smirked.

"Does that mean you'll leave me alone?"

Dani tried to keep a straight face as she glared at her friend, but a smile kept tugging at her lips. Suddenly she launched herself at Dawn, swallowing the older girl in a hug.

"I love when you pretend to hate me!" she cried. Dawn laughed and hugged her back.

"Who says I'm pretending," she teased. As Dani pulled away to give her some air, Dawn held her arm. "Hey, Dan… mind explaining where I am and why I'm here?"

Dani frowned, looking at her father for a moment. She turned back to Dawn.

"Uh, we told you. You're in the hospital because you were stupid and drank for almost 24 hours straight."

"Oh…"

David sighed, "Just as a suspected," he said as he picked up Dawn's clipboard. He looked at the others, "I'll be back."

Sierra sat down next to her daughter as David left. She wrapped her arms around Dawn and kissed the top of her head.

"The important thing is you're alive," she whispered. Dawn turned to her curiously but nodded slowly as she leaned back into her mother's arms.


	142. Fix You

"I don't know what we would do without you," Hayden smiled to her sister as Flynn set up the car seat in the back of his truck. Hayden held Adeline in her arms, rocking her gently to keep her settled. Samantha was doing the same with Engel. The two year old had been stressed out and on edge ever since the birth of her cousin.

Flynn hopped out of the truck and nodded.

"First you assist in the birth, and now you buy a car seat for us," he said. "You're super aunt and it's only been two days."

"Anything to help," Samantha nodded. Hayden handed her daughter over to Flynn so he could set her up in the car seat.

Hayden reached her arm out and rubbed Engel's cheek softly.

"How has she been?" Hayden asked. Samantha glanced at her daughter before shaking her head.

"We've had a few long nights," she said, "Engel won't leave my side… literally."

"Bring her over," Flynn suggested. "Maybe she'll feel better after meeting her cousin."

Samantha shrugged, "We can try that. We'll come by in an hour. We're picking up Scotty from work, aren't we Engel?"

Engel clutched her bear and sucked on her thumb as she nodded her head. Samantha kissed her cheek and squeezed her gently.

"Do you want to visit the new baby?" Samantha asked. "We can help Aunt Hayden and Uncle Flynn take care of baby?"

Engel wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and buried her face in her mother's shoulder Samantha rubbed her back as she looked at her family.

"We'll be over soon," she said.

-Afterlife-

"I've packed up your bag," Sierra told her daughter as she set the big black bag down on Dawn's bed. "All the things you need are in here."

Dawn nodded, "Why are you packing my stuff?"

Sierra sighed, "You're going to stay with me for a little while, remember? Until we get you back on your feet. I want to watch over you."

"Is Dean going to be there?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. He's setting up your bedroom. Got get your jacket, Dawn. It's cold outside."

Dawn crawled out of bed and started making her way across the room as Sierra lifted the heavy bag over her shoulder. Dustin was waiting for the two of them in the parking lot and if they didn't hurry up he was going to lose the keys under the car again.

Dawn made it halfway across the room before stopping suddenly. She glanced around with a confused look on her face. When Sierra turned around she noticed Dawn seemed lost. She sighed again, upset with her daughter's condition. When David had come back he informed everyone that Dawn was suffering from short term memory loss. David wasn't sure if the alcohol was going to have a permanent affect on her brain, however, for the next while, everyone was going to have to be patient.

"It's cold outside," Sierra told Dawn, hoping to trigger her memory. As much as she wanted to be patient, she hated having to repeat herself. Dawn looked at her curiously. Sierra pointed to the door, where Dawn's coat hung on the hook. Dawn turned and grabbed it as Sierra gently pushed her out of the room.

Before they left the hospital, David had asked that they stop by his office. He had a suggestion on how to help Dawn with her short term memory.

They knocked on his door and stepped inside. David looked up from his desk with a smile on his face. He practically jumped to his feet and ran for his bookshelf.

"Good, you came," he said, pulling out what appeared to be a game. "Ronny and I used to play this game with Dani when she was little. We hoped it would stimulate her brain and help her in school."

Sierra grabbed the box, "Concentration?"

"Yeah," David nodded. "You set all the cards out and you take turns flipping them. You have to match up the cards using your memory. It's perfect for Dawn."

"This game is for kids," Dawn frowned, looking at the doctor. "And anyways, I won't have time to play. I have to get back to the center."

"You're not going back to work, Dawn," Sierra said. "I've told you this before. We're closing the center until you're ready to go back. You are not ready."

David pulled Sierra away from her daughter, "I know this is frustrating, but you need to be really patient with her. She's not doing this on purpose."

"I know… it's just hard," Sierra sighed. "My daughter's not all there and… ugh!"

"I went through this with Dani," David said. "She suffered from retrograde amnesia after an accident. It was pretty bad too. She couldn't even remember Ronny and I."

"I guess I should be happy she's okay," Sierra breathed, looking over her shoulder. Dawn held the game box in her hand and read the instructions, obviously keeping herself occupied while Sierra and David talked.

David nodded slowly, "She had a lot of alcohol in her blood," he said. "Much more than anyone should ever have. Hopefully we find the people who supplied the alcohol so we can figure out just how much she drank and what it was."

"I guess I'm lucky she's not dead or disappeared," Sierra said. She turned back to Dawn and grabbed her by the arm gently. "C'mon, you. Dustin's waiting for us in the car. Thanks for all your help, David."

"It's my job," David nodded as he waved goodbye. He was about to turn back to his desk when there was another knock at the door.

"Dawn's going home?" Leanne asked as she stepped in. "How is she?"

"Some anterograde amnesia," David told her. "She'll have some troubles with her memory. The alcohol had a pretty bad effect on her memory, though she's handling everything pretty well."

Leanne shook her head, "You don't want to know what happened to me the first time I drank."

"You didn't wind up in the hospital, did you?"

"Thankfully I was escorted home by the cops," Leanne chuckled. "Although the yelling I got from my father was pretty brutal. Maybe a night in the hospital would have been better."

David smiled, "Knowing your father, it might have been. So, how's the good job? The one where you bring new life into this world instead of making sure it doesn't leave at a young age?"

"Adeline?" Leanne frowned. "She's healthy. Hayden and Flynn took her home this morning. Her organs are fully developed and she's growing like every other child. I'm not worried."

"There's goes your perfect attendance at birth," David smirked. "I heard Samantha was the one who helped with the delivery."

"She'll never look at her sister the same way again," Leanne chuckled.

David shook his head as he laughed, "This family is really something special, isn't it?"

"Special doesn't begin to describe us, David," Leanne told him. "And I've seen some very special things before."

-Afterlife-

Engel stared at her cousin, who was sleeping soundly in Hayden's arms. Babies didn't do much, even when Engel poked their cheeks. They just slept and cried. This visit was quickly becoming boring.

"No play?" Engel asked her Aunt. Hayden shook her head and chuckled.

"Not yet, Engel. She's still just a baby?"

"No play, no fun," Engel pouted as she crawled off the couch and back to her mother. Samantha picked her up and sat her down on her lap.

"She can be fun," she told her daughter. "Babies can be very fun."

Engel looked at her mother in disbelief. Samantha's smile fell from her face.

"Just wait a little while, okay?" she said. "Addie will be a lot funnier when she's bigger. You'll see."

Hayden could feel Addie beginning to stir in her arms and assumed it was almost feeding time. She reached for the blanket Flynn draped over the back of the couch, as well as the nursing pillow.

Suddenly, Addie began to cry, startling Engel. The toddler's eyes widened as she turned to her cousin and stared for a moment. She placed her hands over her ears and started crying as well.

Flynn walked into the room, putting his own hands on his ears, "Whoa, what happened in here?" he asked.

"Sorry," Samantha said as she tried to calm her daughter down. "She's been like this since the birth. She's not a fan of crying, screaming or loud noises."

"Have you tried explaining to her what happened during the birth?" Hayden asked as Flynn covered her with the baby blanket. Engel had already been present during the birth; she didn't need to see breastfeeding as well.

"She's two years old, Hayden," Samantha frowned. "She thinks the stork delivers babies."

"It's just a suggestion," Hayden said. "Just tell her that when a mommy has a baby, the mommy is… well the baby comes out of… it's… Okay, this is hard."

"Yeah," Samantha nodded. She adjusted Engel in her arms. Now that Addie was no longer screaming, Engel was calming down. "Scott and I are handling it and Mike and Vanessa are going to take her this weekend. Engel's going to have so much fun with her daddy and Nessie. Right Engel? What are you going to help them do?"

"Plan wedding," Engel answered, sticking her blanket in her mouth. "Me be flower girl."

"That's right," Hayden nodded. She looked at Samantha, "When is that again?"

"You've still got a few weeks," Samantha laughed. Flynn breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't even had his daughter home for a day and he was already exhausted. He had spent the entire morning getting the nursery completely ready and making meals in advance for himself and Hayden.

"Good. I'm pooped."

Hayden held up her daughter, "You and her both. You're turn to play parent."

Flynn looked from the kitchen to his wife, "But I… how is that fair?"

"I'll take the next load," Hayden said. She pushed out her bottom lip, "Please, Flynn? You and Addie can spend some quality time together."

Flynn frowned, "Fine. But I'm taking a helper," he said. He took his daughter from Hayden and then looked at Engel. "C'mon, lass. Want to help me change her diaper?"

"Stinky."

"I'll let you hold the baby after," Flynn said, bribing her niece. All girls loved holding babies. It was part of the mothering instinct they developed at such a young age. It was like playing with dollies, but better.

Engel jumped off her mother's lap and ran after her uncle as they walked up to the nursery.

-Afterlife-

Dawn glared at the cards in front of her while her mother, uncle and Dean waited patiently. She reached out cautiously, grabbing the first card. She flipped it, revealing a picture of a shoe.

"Oh," Dustin breathed. He had flipped the matching shoe earlier and remembered exactly where it was. If Dawn didn't get it, he could earn himself another pair. Sierra nudged him, trying to keep him quiet.

Dawn scanned the cards. She remembered a shoe popping up earlier; she just had no idea where it was.

"Take your time," Dean encouraged her. "We have all night."

Dawn nodded and reached for the card in the top right corner and flipped it slowly. Her face lit up when she recognised the picture of the shoe.

"AHA!" she cried, collecting her first pair. Dustin groaned while Sierra and Dean congratulated her. Dawn smiled as she set her pair down, "I guessed right."

"Try not to guess, sweetie," Sierra said. "Remember, we're trying to work on your short term memory."

"Yeah, yeah," Dawn nodded, waving off her mother's concern. Sierra frowned.

"Dawn, listen to me…"

"It's just a game," Dawn said. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is you need to work on correcting your own mistake," Sierra told her. Dawn groaned, letting her head drop onto the coffee table.

"I'm sorry, mom… I know I made a stupid mistake…"

"A stupid mistake?" Sierra shouted. Dustin reached to grab her hand as she jumped to her feet. Sierra pushed his hand away as she glared at her daughter. "Do you know how close you came to dying, Dawn? I almost lost you again!"

"I'm sorry…"

"And now we have to take care of you? Do you know how lucky you are right now, Dawn?" Sierra yelled. "Do you know how fortunate you are to have a family who will support you through this? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out on the streets for your kind of behaviour?"

"Sierra," Dustin whispered, hoping to calm his sister down, but she wouldn't hear it.

"The least you could do, Dawn, is try to fix yourself! This isn't a game. This is serious! Everything you've done is serious!"

Sierra stormed off without another word. Dustin turned to his niece and sighed. He kissed her cheek before running off after his sister.

Dawn pulled herself up on the couch and laid down on her side, resting her head on the arm rest. She wanted to forget about this fight with her mother. She wanted to forget about everything that had happened. She realised she made a big mistake and was trying to live with it. She was also realising that this mistake affected more than just her.

Dean lifted her for a moment and took his spot on the couch, letting Dawn rest her head on his lap.

"We will fix this," he whispered, rubbing her arm gently as he noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" she asked. Dean nodded.

"Yeah, you kinda did," he said. "But we'll get through this. I promise."

He leaned over, kissing her cheek. Dawn let out a small sob.

"I feel like such an idiot."

"Well…"

Dawn looked up at him but didn't say anything. Dean shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry, babe."

"Dani won't even talk to me," Dawn whispered. Dani hadn't stayed long after getting an update on Dawn's condition. She was happy her friend was awake, but when the happiness wore off so did the temporary forgiveness. Dani had bolted out of the room, almost in tears, and Dawn hadn't heard from her since… at least, as far as she could remember.

"Didn't Dani try something like this?" Dean asked. "She's scared. Like your mother is. We all were scared."

"I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," Dean smiled, kissing her cheek.

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" Dawn asked. Dean chuckled slightly and nodded, answering like he had a few moments before.

"Yeah, you did. But we'll get through this. I promise. I'll fix you."

Dawn took his hand and held it close to her chest and she shut her eyes. Dean sat with her as he glanced over at the game on the coffee table. He let out a long sigh as he thought about the future. Taking care of Dawn wasn't going to be easy. If the damage was permanent he would have to work with her so she could adjust to her new life. He would also need to help her look at finding a co-worker to help her at the Center. She couldn't handle all this work alone, and it would be much harder with memory problems.

He would also need to keep an eye on her. Just because she was out of the hospital and away from work her life wasn't going to be easier. In fact, it was going to be much more stressful.

He lowered himself on the couch, taking her in his arms as he rested beside her. Dawn rolled over, hiding her face in his chest as she shut her eyes, trying to sleep. He held her close, rubbing her back and kissing her cheek as he did.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.


	143. Penny For Your Thoughts

"Hey, do you know what's weird," Hayden said as she finished feeding her daughter and set her down into the crib. Flynn was over by the dresser, sorting through the clothes he and Hayden had already gone through and trying to figure out which ones didn't already have vomit on them.

"What?" Flynn asked.

"I've heard from everyone about the baby except for Dawn," Hayden commented. Flynn looked to her, over his shoulder, nervously. He still hadn't told her about Dawn's accident. When he had found out he was still in a little bit of shock, and things didn't make a turn for the better. He took off because he couldn't deal with the situation anymore. Ever since, he had been too busy taking care of Adeline to mention it to his wife. He also hadn't received any updates to remind him to tell Hayden, making it a little harder to break the news.

"About that…"

"Someone did tell her, right?" Hayden asked. When there was a silence she turned to Flynn. "My cousin does know I gave birth, right?"

"Dawn doesn't know much right now, Hayden," Flynn sighed. He pointed to the door, "We should go before we wake Addie up."

Hayden turned back to the crib and leaned against it as she watched her daughter sleeping, "But she's so cute! I'll be quite, I promise!"

Flynn chuckled as he walked to the door, holding it open, "I know that but we need to talk."

Hayden turned to Flynn, "We need to talk? I just gave birth to your child, Flynn. You can't break up with me. Is there someone else? Is it Dawn?"

"Hayden, I'm serious," Flynn said when he detected a hint of laughter in her voice. Hayden furrowed her brow as she followed Flynn into the hall and downstairs. He pointed to the couch, telling her to take a seat. Hayden did so; noticing Flynn was completely serious and slightly upset.

"Flynn…"

"Dawn's been under a lot of pressure," Flynn started, trying to recall the details as well as he could. He didn't want to get anything wrong. "Because of that, she started doing something stupid and wound up in the hospital the night after Addie was born."

Hayden's jaw dropped in shock as she listened, "Wha… what… why? What did she… is she okay?"

"Last thing they told me was that she had alcohol poisoning," Flynn said. "I'm not sure if she's away yet or not but they were looking her over for brain damage."

Hayden was silent for a moment, but Flynn knew that wouldn't last long. She jumped up to her feet suddenly and started pacing. She chewed on her nails as she let the information sink in. She reached for the phone after a minute.

"I have to call…" she trailed off as she started dialling the number for the hospital. Flynn watched, reluctant to stop her.

-Afterlife-

"I'm sorry, sir," the woman at the cash said as she held a credit card in her hand, "The card belongs to a Miss Dawn Matthews."

"I don't give a fuck!" the man shouted, slamming his hands down on the couch, "Swipe the card now!"

"Sir, it's illegal to use someone else's card," the cashier informed him. "Even if you know the person…"

"Swipe the card now or I'll shoot!" the man pulled out a gun from his jacket and pointed it at the cashier. Valuing her life over her job, the cashier swiped the card through the machine and handed it back to him. Customers began to scatter at the sight of the gun, alerting other workers of a problem inside the store.

The man grabbed his things, ready to leave when he bumped into someone else. He tried shoving that person out of the way but felt a hand grab his wrist.

"We don't take kindly to people like you," Dillon shouted, forcing the man to the ground.

Ziggy jumped over beside his best friend and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Give up the card and nobody gets hurt!" he said as the grocery bags swayed on his arms.

The man chuckled as he got to his feet, "Who are you clowns?"

"Dillon McKnight, SPD," Dillon stated. Ziggy poked his head in.

"Ziggy Grover… just visiting," he said, "but I could kick your ass with a little…"

"What are you doing?" Dillon frowned when Ziggy started jogging in place.

"Warming up," Ziggy said. "Becca says it keeps you from hurting yourself. It gets the muscles all…"

Dillon shoved his car keys into his friend's hands, "Just put the groceries away and go find Summer and the doc."

"But, I can help!"

"Not if you waste time stretching," Dillon sighed. He grabbed the man by the shirt and started pulling him away from the cashiers. The man, not wanting to go to jail, pulled away from Dillon and started running towards the exit. Ziggy smirked, sticking his foot out to trip the man.

As he crashed to the ground Ziggy turned to Dillon with a goofy grin on his face.

"Aha! See, I can totally…"

Dillon simply pointed. Ziggy looked to the man and saw he was trying to crawl away. He grabbed the man's ankle, squeezing it in a death grip. The man howled in pain as he felt some of the bones crushing. Dillon rolled his eyes and grabbed him again, throwing him back into the store to let security deal with him.

Ziggy stood next to his friend, "We make a great team!" he smiled, holding his hand up. Dillon glared at it for a moment before letting out a sigh. He high-fived his friend as Summer and Rebecca walked back into the store.

"We found those vitamins Becca was talking about," Summer said. Her eyes were still reading the label on the bottle, so she failed to notice the after-math of the chaos in the store. Rebecca tugged on her arm as she glanced at the boys.

"What happened in here?" she asked.

"Some guy was trying to use someone else's credit card," Ziggy said, as if it were nothing. He wrapped his arm around Dillon's shoulder. "We stopped him."

"Sir," the security guard called as he approached the group with the credit card in his hands. "SPD?"

"Yeah," Dillon nodded. He pointed to Summer, "I work for her parents, directly."

"Then I should give this to you," he handed the card over to Dillon. The former Black Ranger nodded.

"I'll take care of it," he said before the man pulled out other items from his pocket.

"We have other items we believe he stole," the security guard said. He pulled out a few dollars and a Corinth ID. "You'll have to hand this over to Commander McKnight…"

"I'll take that," Summer frowned, still confused as to what went on. "Mom can hand it over to Aunt Kaylee direct…"

Summer's words trailed off when she noticed who the ID belonged to. She quickly snatched the credit card, reading the name.

"What?" Rebecca asked when she noticed a worried look on her friend's face. Summer showed her the ID.

"How did Dawn's card and ID end up here?" she asked.

-Afterlife-

"Well, the good news is that Dawn's home," Hayden said as she put down the phone and flopped onto the couch, beside her husband and daughter.

"What's the bad news?" Flynn asked.

"Aunt Sierra just told me she's got memory problems. Short term."

"That's frustrating," Flynn said.

"I guess. Apparently she remembers everything from before the accident, but after that it just doesn't stick."

"How is she?" Flynn asked.

"My Aunt?"

"Well, Dawn, but now that you mention it."

"Dawn's fine. She wants to go back to work but that's not an option right now. Aunt Sierra didn't sound very okay on the phone," Hayden explained as she glanced at her daughter. She looked at Flynn, "Maybe we should stop by."

"I don't think they need visitors," Flynn frowned.

"I'm not a visitor," Hayden said. "I'm family. And maybe Addie can help cheer everyone up. Who doesn't love babies?"

"Rebecca," Flynn stated simply, causing Hayden's smile to fall. "But… I guess even she's warming up to them."

"My point," Hayden nodded as she started packing a few things in a bag for Adeline. Flynn watched his wife.

"Are you sure you're okay to leave the house?" he asked. "You did just give birth. Don't women usually try not to move?"

"Women who weren't numb for the entire thing," Hayden nodded. "Yeah."

-Afterlife-

"Hey, Dawn. Hand me the remote," Dustin asked his niece. Dawn looked up at him before searching for the remote. It was somewhere on the couch, she remembered that much. Suddenly, she furrowed her brows and leaned back, fixing her eyes back on the TV.

"Why are you watching this?" she asked her uncle. Dustin chuckled.

"I don't know. Hand me the remote. I'll change the channel."

Dawn nodded and started her search for the remote once again. Dustin smiled as he watched. He understood this was a serious problem, but at times it was rather funny when Dawn forgot what she was doing, as she was doing it.

Dawn grabbed the remote and held it up, suddenly forgetting why she had it in the first place. Dustin swiped it from her and changed the channel.

"Thank you," he smiled before there was a knock at the door. He tilted his head back.

"Can someone get that?" he shouted. Sierra walked past his, swatting his arm.

"You're really turning into the lazy uncle," she said. Dustin frowned.

"You obviously don't know how much effort it takes to be a stay-at-home father!" he told her. "I'm running around all day with Chris. This is my vacation."

Sierra shook her head as she opened the door, surprise to see Summer, Dillon, Ziggy and Rebecca standing on her door step. She welcomed them in and pointed to the living room.

"Dawn's in there," she said. "Have you guys heard about the incident?"

"We're here to… what?" Ziggy frowned. "What incident?"

"Is Dawn okay?" Summer asked, concerned for her best friend. She was already worried enough after finding some of Dawn's belonging with a thug in NewTech. Apparently now Dawn was involved in an incident.

"Uh, come in," Sierra said. She led them to the living room, where Dustin was chuckling and Dawn seemed to be looking around for something.

"Seriously, Uncle Dustin!" Dawn grumbled. Dustin laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes. Dawn glared at him as a low rumble escaped her throat. Dustin looked at his niece.

"I swear to god, don't you remember the crazy dog running through here? He tried to bite your hand!"

"That did not happen!"

"Did so! You just forgot!"

"DUSTIN!" Sierra shouted when she heard her little brother was playing a cruel joke on her daughter. Dawn smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aha!" she shouted. "I was right! I have brain damage, that doesn't mean I'm stupid. If a dog was in here, there would have been evidence."

"Brain damage?" Summer and Ziggy asked, alerting Dawn and Dustin of their presence. Dillon chuckled.

"I knew there was something wrong with this family."

Summer heard him and nudged him in the ribs.

"They aren't psychos!"

"Hey, Uncle Dustin… where's my bowl of chips?" Dawn asked, looking around the room. A smile crept onto Dustin's face.

"Well, you see, there was this big dog that…"

"Dustin!" Sierra screamed, slapping the back of his head.

"Dawn, what happened?" Ziggy asked, approaching his friend as Dawn searched everywhere for her bowl of chips. Summer grabbed her hand gently and slowly turned Dawn towards the coffee table, where a bowl sat, filled with chip crumps. Dawn turned to Dustin with a frown.

"I knew it."

Sierra decided to jump to the point. Her brother and daughter weren't taking this issue seriously. Someone was going to have to if she wanted her daughter to recover.

"Dawn thought it would be a great idea to drink, and drink, and drink, until Dani and Greg found her unconscious body in a dark alleyway and rushed her to the hospital with alcohol poisoning," she said, eyeing all the kids to make sure they were paying attention. "The alcohol's given her brain damage and Dawn is currently suffering from short term memory loss. In a few minutes she won't even remember that she had a bowl of chips in the first place and she'll get up in search of the bag that's currently in the garbage."

"Alcohol poisoning?" Rebecca asked, turning to Dawn for confirmation. Dawn looked at her friends and nodded slowly. Rebecca clenched her teeth, "Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Whoa, doc cares?" Dawn asked, looking around at her group of friends. "I thought she was still just warming up to her husband."

"You are the only family I have," Rebecca snapped. "I do care about what happens to all of you."

"Why would you drink?" Summer asked her friend.

"Better question," Ziggy interrupted before Dawn could get a word in, "Where did you get the booze? Even when I was with the cartels, they refused to supply me alcohol? And trust me; no one is a bigger douche-bag idiot than some of the member of the cartels."

Dawn scratched the back of her neck nervously, "I uh… kinda with I could answer those questions. You see, I was really drunk and out of it… I would believe you guys if you told me I danced the chicken dance in my underwear."

"Wait five minutes," Dustin smirked. "She'll ask why you guys are here and you can still get her to believe it."

Sierra growled at her little brother. Dustin turned to her and sighed, "Sie…"

"Dustin, just shut up," she roared.

"There's no point stressing out over this," Dustin told his sister as she stormed off again. "Have a little fun, take the stress off. Laughter is the best medicine! Why do you think I'm never sick? Kaylee's always making me laugh!"

Dawn frowned as she watched her mother and uncle take off. She turned to her friends.

"Mom's not really happy with me right now," she explained. The four nodded their heads.

"I'm not very impressed either," Dillon said. "And I'm the poster Ranger for bad behaviour!"

"Look, I know it was stupid but…" Dawn was interrupted when the doorbell rang. She finished her sentence as she went to answer it, "I was in a really bad place, guys. I wasn't thinking straight before I started drinking and once I started it was just… baby?"

"Baby?" Ziggy, Dillon, Becca and Summer chorused as they rushed over to the door to see what had made Dawn utter the word baby. As they approached the doors they saw Hayden hugging her cousin. Down on the ground, at Hayden's feet, was a carrier, and inside slept a tiny baby girl.

As Dawn pulled out of the hug she knelt down to look at the baby. Flynn walked in with a bag full of baby gear, only confusing everyone further. He smiled, happy to see Dawn on her feet again.

Summer pointed to the baby.

"Hayden…"

"Sammy didn't call you, did she?" Hayden smirked. Summer shook her head. Hayden looked around the room, at Dillon, Ziggy and Becca. All of them were in shock as well.

"When did this happen?" Dawn asked, standing up straight once more as Flynn lifted the carrier and brought it inside.

"The day you were getting drunk," Hayden frowned. "You realised you missed the birth of your cousin/niece, right?"

"I…"

"Don't worry, we can't hold a grudge," Flynn assured her, as well as the rest of the group. "I missed it, and Hayden almost did."

"How did you almost miss the birth of your own daughter, mommy?" Summer asked. "Wasn't it painful?"

"For all of five minutes," Hayden nodded. "I had been numb for two days and started having my contractions then. I couldn't feel anything. Suddenly Engel was running away from me because I wet myself. Turns out, my water had broken a while before and I was in the process of pushing out a baby. It was a terrifying experience for all four of us… but Addie's sleeping it off so…"

"You were numb?" Dawn frowned. Hayden nodded again.

"Yep. I couldn't feel anything. I thought, for the first time it was going to be fun… but not having any feeling sucks. Looking back, I wish I had been able to feel everything."

"It makes her feel alive," Summer explained. She had heard the numbness speech time and time again. She, Sam and Mike always thought it was a blessing to be immune to pain, but Hayden had always thought it to be a curse.

"When I'm numb I don't feel… real?" Hayden frowned, trying to find the right word. Dawn chuckled, understanding her friend's predicament. Suddenly, she heard a little voice screaming inside her head.

"_It's not real! Take it off! Get it off, now! It's not real! It's not real!"_

"Dawn?" Hayden called, waving her hand in front of her cousin's face. "Earth to Dawn? Do you read?"

"It's worse than we thought!" Ziggy cried, grabbing Dawn in a hug. "The damage has spread! We're losing her!"

Dawn shook her head, "What?"

Ziggy grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "You're going to be okay. You need to…"

"I need to go to work," Dawn breathed, pulling away from Ziggy.

"I don't think that's a good idea, lass!" Flynn called after her as Dawn grabbed her jacket. "You'll forget where you're going on the way there."

"I need to go to work," Dawn said. "Before I forget… I know how to help Emily."

"What?" Hayden frowned. "Dawn, you have to help yourself first. Take a few days off. I'm sure Emily will understand."

"No, you don't get it," Dawn said, reaching for the door handle. "Emily's upset because of her arm and I know why! She's…"

Just as her hand touched the door handle the thought slipped her mind. Dawn could feel herself losing it and tried to recall the idea she had before it was gone completely but there was nothing she could do. She slumped forward slightly, letting her head fall against the door.

"I had it…" she breathed.


	144. The New City

Ziggy stepped forward as Dawn started pounding her head against the door. He had just learned she was brain damaged, he assumed beating herself on the head wasn't going to do much. Gently he grabbed her arm, pulling her away.

"I'm sure it'll come back to you," he said gently. "You're still under a lot of stress. How about we go sit down and just relax. Maybe play with the new baby."

"I just got her to sleep," Flynn groaned.

Dawn shook her head, "I don't want to play with the new baby…"

"Maybe we can get the idea back," Hayden suggested. "Did the hospital give you any memory tricks? A way to recall what's been lost?"

"David gave me that game of concentration," Dawn pointed to the game sitting on the coffee table. "But it's still pretty hard for me. I don't think I'm ready to play it."

"I don't think I'll be much help in that game," Rebecca said. "She remembers far too little, I remember far too much."

"Then you guys will be one team," Summer smiled. "Dillon and I can be another, Hayden and Flynn can be a third and Ziggy and…"

"I can play with the baby!" Ziggy beamed as he picked up Addie's carrier and brought it into the living room. When he set it down he pulled her out carefully and cradled her in his arms. Adeline squirmed slightly as she woke up, but didn't make a sound.

"I'm game," Flynn nodded, clapping his hands together as he knelt in front of the coffee table and started getting the game ready.

Hayden placed her hands on Rebecca's shoulders as they all walked into the living room.

"Now remember, Bec, be patient with her. None of your 'you're stupid' comments. We want to encourage her."

Rebecca glared at Hayden, "I know what I'm doing. She's not the first brain damaged human being I've dealt with."

Hayden nodded, "Good point."

"Alright, who's ready to kick ass?" Dillon asked, already in game mode. He pulled a pillow from the couch and set it down beside him so his pregnant wife could be comfortable. Summer wasn't too big yet, but she was definitely on her way, and Dillon had a good feeling this one was a boy. A big, strong boy. "Who goes first?"

"Youngest to oldest?" Summer suggested, looking around the table. "That's how we played when we were kids."

"Score!" Hayden called, reaching for her first card. Summer swatted her hand away.

"Ah, teams," she reminded her cousin. "Youngest combined age."

"That would be us," Rebecca smiled. She looked at Dawn, "Pick your card first. I'll choose the second."

Dawn reached out, choosing any card. It was the first turn; it really didn't make a difference.

-Afterlife-

"Okay, so tell me again how you broke it?" Dani asked as she stared at the mangled bike before her. With Flynn taking a few days off to care for his wife and daughter, she had to take over working the garage, even with her hand not completely healed. Thankfully, RJ and Kelly were nice enough to spare their daughter.

Jason bit his lower lip, "Well, Dad and I thought it might be fun to ride around in the wastelands while Mom helped Aunt Kaylee with plans for the new city and..."

"You took a tumble," Hannah smirked, interrupting her cousin. Jason frowned.

"I did not! Mind your own business!"

"Between the hours of 9-5 this is my business," Hannah smirked. "And you might want to own up to taking a tumble. If not it looks like you can't ride for shit."

"Why did you choose her over Flynn's dad?" Jason frowned as he looked at Dani. Dani shrugged.

"Mr. McAllistair's busy planning his wedding today," she said. "And I missed my younger cousins. It's not fun when I'm the baby of the group all the time. I don't get to do this."

"Do what?" Hannah frowned before Dani smacked her on the back of the head. Hannah gasped, but laughed when Dani reached over and smacked Jason as well.

Dani leaned back on her stool and smiled, "Yes. Being the oldest is good."

"Will you fix my bike or not?" Jason frowned, rubbing his head. "I don't have all day! Maddie and I are meeting up for dinner."

"Ooh," Hannah smirked. "Meeting up? Is that code for something?"

"What?" Jason frowned before realising what his cousin was getting at. He shook his head. "Ew! NO! God, no! She's my cousin!"

"She's my cousin too, but we all hardly see her," Dani said. "And anyways, she's not blood."

"Yeah, technically, if Greg hadn't been taken to the soup factory thing, he and Dani would be cousins," Hannah pointed out, causing Dani to frown.

"That's gross."

"It's true," Hannah smirked. "Your parents see each other every weekend."

Dani eyed her blonde cousin for a moment before turning back to Jason, "I think you and Maddie would make a cute couple. And you already know each other pretty well."

"Maddie's smart, though," Jason said. "Like, Greg and Rebecca smart."

"And are you a moron?" Dani asked. She could see Hannah nodding her head from the corner of her eye. As she waited for Jason to answer, she smacked her co-worker on the arm.

"I'm not an idiot," Jason frowned. "But…"

"No buts," Dani interrupted. "I think it's cute. You have the okay from Hannah and me."

"It's just dinner, though."

"Yeah, but dinner is fancier than lunch," Hannah pointed out.

"But it's not as committed as early breakfast. That's further in the relationship. When you really don't care what the other person looks like."

"Yeah," Hannah nodded. "Dinner means that you both have a day to get ready and plan ahead."

"Lunch is just… sharing a table and eating food."

"Boring."

"Even when you're married."

Jason lifted his bike and turned it around. Dani frowned.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To Storm Chargers," Jason said. "You girls think about this stuff too much."

-Afterlife-

Dawn stared at the cards on the table. Once again, she was trying to search for the shoe. Rebecca had flipped the card almost fifteen minutes ago, and Dawn was trying to recall where she had seen the other half.

"This game is getting boring," Dillon sighed, resting his head on his hand.

"Take as long as you need," Ziggy encouraged Dawn as he bounced Adeline and made funny faces.

"Just pick one and we can continue the game," Dillon groaned. "Flynn's almost back from taking a shit!"

"He's washing the barf from Addie's shirt," Hayden frowned.

"For fifteen minutes?"

Hayden rolled her eyes before touching her cousin's hand, "Good luck with the baby, Summer."

Rebecca decided to get this game going again, without discouraging her team-mate.

"Dawn, do you remember what card was flipped right after Adeline threw up?" she asked. Dawn turned to Rebecca and shook her head before it clicked. That was when she saw the missing shoe.

"Yeah!"

"Great. Do you remember what it smelt like in the moment you flipped the shoe?"

"I'm going to guess that it smelt like vomit."

"Yeah," Summer nodded, hoping they would get off topic before she threw up again.

"Try to think back to what you did when you smelt the vomit," Rebecca said. "Where do you see your hand going? Close your eyes if it helps."

Dawn decided to do as she was told. After all, it couldn't hurt. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the smell of vomit. It was rather disgusting, but Dawn was ready to try anything if it meant improving her memory.

"Uh… I went to the left?" she said.

"Go for it," Ziggy encouraged. Dawn nodded, reaching for the left side of the game as she tried to think of a more specific location. Trusting her instincts, she grabbed a card and lifted it.

"That's a tea pot," Dillon frowned as the card was turned. Dawn dropped it, as well as her head, onto the table. Rebecca turned the card over, rubbing her friend's back. Hayden looked around. She remembered where the other shoe was, and she wanted to make sure it was okay with everyone else if she told Dawn. Summer nodded, Dillon didn't seem to really give a damn, and Rebecca had the memory of an elephant.

She pointed to the card right beside the tea pot.

"You were so close," she smiled. "It was on the left side, though. That's a start."

"But I can't get it," Dawn groaned. She pushed herself up, "Mom's right! I am a screw up!"

"Dawn…" Hayden whispered as Dawn bolted from the room. She was about to chase after her cousin when her daughter started crying. Ziggy held Addie up.

"It's coming out the other end!" he said, furrowing his brow in disgust.

"I'll go after her," Summer said, chasing her best friend while Hayden took Addie out to get changed.

"I don't understand why she's so upset," Rebecca sighed. "She's making quick progress."

"She's probably frustrated," Ziggy said. "She's not actually trying to remember where the shoe was. She's trying to remember how to help that Emily kid and close isn't good enough."

"But close is progress," Rebecca said.

"She'll keep hitting bumps," Dillon breathed. "We just have to make sure she doesn't back-track."

"Back to alcohol?"

"Yeah."

"What if we turn this house into one giant memory game?" Ziggy asked. We can make it so that she's always unconsciously working her memory."

"Good idea, Ziguardo, but how are we going to do that?" Dillon frowned. "Do you know how the brain works?"

Ziggy shook his head but pointed to his wife, "Are you forgetting about her?"

"Mnemonics," Rebecca smirked. "Lots and lots of them."

"And checklists!" Ziggy smiled. "Like in the morning… when Dawn brushes her teeth she can check it off! If she forgets, she just has to consult the list and bam! Her answer!"

"How is she going to remember to make a list every morning and what the hell is mnemonics?" Dillon asked, eyeing the other couple like they were from another planet.

"We can go as Dustin and Sierra for help," Rebecca smiled. "They would know exactly what Dawn needs to work her brain!"

"This is so exciting!" Ziggy exclaimed as he bolted for the stairs.

-Afterlife-

"The stadium's looking good," Kaylee said, "But I want this to be a city, not a pit-stop."

"Are you sure we'll be able to do this?" Tori asked her sister. "You do know how long it takes to build a city, right?"

"I'm sticking with the thought that Rome was in fact built in a day," Kaylee said. "Unfortunately we have nothing from the Romans anymore."

"You're not calling this new city Rome, are you?" Blake frowned as he said on a rock, playing with his helmet. Ever since he had sent Jason back to Corinth to fix his bike, he had nothing to do.

"Kayleeville," Kaylee smirked.

"Kira's not going to like that," Tori chuckled.

"Well, tough it," Kaylee said. "We're not calling it Rome. We already have a Corinth. No need to recycle anymore city names."

"Why not?" Blake asked. "That's a good idea. What city used to be right here?"

"No clue. Geography died in the Venjix battles," Kaylee shrugged. "Which is why we're not recycling names. We are calling this land Kayleeville."

"That's a stupid name," Kira said, walking over after parking her car a little ways back. "Can you not come up with something better? This is the first city that's being build after the Venjix. It's going to have amazing history. And you want to give it a lame ass name?"

"Kaylee is not a lame name."

"Sorry to break it to ya, Kayl, but it's getting old."

"You're getting old. And what kind of a name is NewTech, anyways? Now that's a stupid city name."

"Guys," Tori frowned, rubbing her temples, "How about we actually get started on this city before coming up with a name."

"For now you can just call it City –X" Blake suggested. Kaylee shook her head.

"No temporary names," she called. "And City – X is a shit name."

"I agree with that," Kira nodded.

Blake got up, "I'm going home. You two are impossible."

"You'll have to drive Jason to dinner, then," Tori told her husband. "He's got a date with Maddie."

"A date?" Kaylee and Kira gasped. Tori shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Well, he doesn't want to call it a date… but what else would it be?"

"That's so cute," Kaylee smirked. Kira decided to take this moment, while Kaylee was distracted.

"So is the name Kiropolis," she said. Kaylee smiled and nodded before catching herself.

"No, no way in hell are we calling it Kiropolis!" she said. "Did you lead the team of Rangers that saved the world _twice?_"

"No, but…"

"Then shut up and help me with the blueprints for Kayleeville," Kaylee said as she pulled out blueprint paper from her bag and laid it on the ground.


	145. Memory Aids

Kira scoffed as the contraction crew worked around her. She had been in charge of observing progress of the new city and found the job to be rather boring. Most workers were volunteers, but all were very well trained and disciplined. They knew more about their jobs than Kira did, making her observations rather useless.

Ronny approached her with a sandwich in one hand and a key in the other.

"Look what I have," she smiled, waving the key in Kira's face.

"You bought another car?" Kira smirked. Finally there was something to do and someone to talk to.

"Try 25 new cars," Ronny said. "I posted a signup sheet in Corinth when I first started building the track and so many people were interested in racing."

"So what's with the key?"

"It's my key," Ronny said. "My key to my track. The Master key. Opens all doors and it's the only key that works to open the top office. The racers and my employees are all going to have card keys. Swipe and go!"

Ronny pulled a swipe key from her wallet to show Kira. The Rockstar nodded and smiled. With the Race Track up, citizens from Corinth and Newtech were going to come out into the new city and would slowly begin to populate it, once residential and commercial areas were built, of course. However, with the way things were progressing, it seemed like they weren't going to have to wait very long.

"So, Kayleeville, huh?" Ronny asked, breaking the silence. Kira turned.

"No, no way in hell am I letting that name pass," she said, shaking her head and stomping her foot on the ground.

"I like it better that Kiraopolis."

"Yes, but you little sisters are all stupid," Kira frowned. Ronny looked down at her.

"That worked twenty years ago," she said. "Now there's no difference with only a few months."

"There should be," Kira sighed.

"Have you guys chosen a commander for the city yet?" Ronny asked. Kira turned to her curiously.

"We haven't even chosen a name," Kira frowned. "Or really agreed on the blueprints. Why on earth would you think we chose a commander?"

"Hey, I was just wondering," Ronny shrugged. "Do you have a theme for the city?"

"A theme? Ronny, theses are…"

"NewTech is technology central," Ronny started to explain herself, before Kira could insult her intelligence again. "When I tried to make toast at my sister's house a few weeks ago, the toaster asked me how I wanted it! In words, Kira! It said: 'good morning Ronny, sleep well? How would you like your toast?'"

"Yeah, Boom's idea," Kira smiled." I've used it a few times. It's pretty handy. No more burned edges."

"It's scary," Ronny stated flatly before jumping to her next point. "Corinth military central. Laws are strict compared to NewTech and the military doesn't just accept new soldiers. They run them through trials and the weak ones flunk out. Only the best of the best become soldiers and it takes years to work yourself up."

Kira nodded, "That's probably a better system than what we have…"

"You just hire," Ronny frowned. "Any clown can work in NewTech."

"Hey, we don't hire clowns," Kira said defensively. "They scare Ben. He'll actually run screaming if there's a clown in the building."

Ronny looked at the land before her, "This city needs something special," she said. "Pick your commander and work on it."

"You'll be out here all the time…" Kira started. Ronny shook her head.

"I have a track to run," she said. "I can't run a track and a city. And David can't move away from Corinth, unless they want to lose their full-time doctor."

Kira pouted, "Damn… I guess we'll need to start handing out applications."

-Afterlife-

Summer chased Dawn out of the house and onto the streets, finally catching up with her friend a few blocks down. She grabbed Dawn's arm and pulled.

"Stop running," she said. Dawn turned swiftly.

"What?" she snapped. Summer looked at her.

"Can we talk?"

"I guess," Dawn shrugged. "How's life."

"Not that," Summer frowned. "Can we talk about you and what happened in there? Why do you think you're a screw up?"

"Mom said…"

"Your mother would never call you a screw up," Summer interrupted. Dawn glared.

"You barely know my mother."

"She's my Uncle Dustin's sister and Hayden's Aunt, and just by looking at them and you I know that it's genetically impossible for your family to degrade someone like that."

"What makes you so sure?" Dawn asked.

"Uncle Dustin's one of the nicest people I've ever met," Summer said. "He knows there's always more than meets the eye, especially when it comes to people. You've never heard the story of Marah, have you?"

"No," Dawn shook her head. Summer smiled.

"And you know Hayden. She can be annoying, but she would never call you a screw up."

"But my mom…"

"Even if she did use those words," Summer said, "I doubt she meant them. You made a mistake. You _screwed_ up. You're not a screw up. Anyone who thinks so can burn in hell."

Dawn leaned against a nearby fence, "I just wish I could remember stuff," she said. "I don't want to believe there was a dog in my living room. I don't want to ask the same question over and over again. I hate concentration; I don't want to have to play it."

"We'll work on that," Summer smiled. "I promise. Even if this is forever, you're going to be regular Dawn in no time. Maybe a few memory gaps here and there, but we're all patient and accepting, right? Even Dillon's worried about you."

"Even Rebecca," Dawn nodded. Summer laughed.

"Yeah. I've never seen her so concerned. Even when Ziggy burned off his eyelashes.

"What?"

"That's a story for another time," Summer smiled. "Actually, it would make a good bedtime story… maybe when I tell you, you can tell it to Emily or Engel. Work your memory a little. I'll even write down a few key points just in case you forget something."

"Do you think it'll work?"

"If it doesn't just make up and ending. Kids won't know the difference. Don't worry about it so much."

"I guess…"

"C'mon," Summer tugged on her friend's arm. "How about we…"

Summer trailed off when Dawn clutched her hand. The yellow Ranger turned and saw her friend looking down the street at three boys in the distance.

"Hold that thought," Dawn growled before taking off. Summer groaned loudly as she chased Dawn. She stopped suddenly and let out a small scream when Dawn tackled one of the boys to the ground and punched him in the face.

"Dawn!" she shouted.

"Dude!" one of the other boys shouted, "Get off him, babe!"

The two boys grabbed Dawn and lifted her off their friend. Dawn pulled away from them. Summer rushed over, pushing Dawn away.

"What the hell?" she growled in a low voice as she addressed Dawn, and only Dawn. Dawn pointed to the three boys.

"They did it!" she shouted.

"Did what?"

"Hakuna Matata," Dawn answered. Summer furrowed her brow.

"I know where that's from."

"Lion King," one of the boys smiled proudly. Summer turned to him.

"Shut up," she looked back at Dawn. "What's Hakuna Matata?"

"They gave me some of the alcohol," Dawn said. "They introduced me to it and had drinking nights and invited me along. I was with them when I passed out. Dani and Greg said they saw three people running away."

Summer's eyes widened as she turned to the boys. They exchanged looks with each other.

"We didn't want to get caught, though," Buck said. "We're underage, babe!"

"You're under… you're her age, aren't you?" Summer asked, pointing to Dawn as she did. The boys shrugged.

"What's it to ya?" they asked. Summer crossed her arms over her chest.

"If we were in NewTech right now I would have the entire military force at my beck-and-call," she muttered under her breath.

"Wait, dude, how are you not locked up?" a boy asked. Dawn was about to answer but stopped herself. She wasn't really sure. She couldn't remember talking to the military about it. Then again, she couldn't remember much.

"I wouldn't worry about her if I were you," Summer smirked. She turned to Dawn, "Do you remember where they drink?"

"Yeah," Dawn nodded, "Vaguely. But I could probably find it."

"You can't join us," Buck frowned. He pointed to Dawn, "Not after you attacked me!"

Summer smiled, "Not even if I'm of age and can supply you with more alcohol than what you can steal from your parents?" she pulled out her ID from her wallet and was careful to cover up her last name. She didn't need the three boys knowing she was Commander McKnight's daughter.

Buck read the birth year and date with a smile. Summer had just turned 21.

"Fine," he said. "But you get the good stuff."

"Just get lost," Summer put her ID away as the boys rushed off. Dawn wanted to chase them but Summer held the back. "What's better than being caught red-handed by Corinth Military?" she asked.

"You're not seriously going to supply alcohol to minors, are you, Summer?"

Summer smirked, "You obviously don't realise I have a plan."

When it clicked for Dawn she smiled, "I obviously didn't realise."

"I'll call Aunt K or the Colonel," Summer said, touching her friend's arm. "We'll let them deal with it, okay? Until then why don't we just head back to your place?"

"Fine with me," Dawn shrugged. "I'll probably just forget I saw them in a few minutes anyways."

"You haven't forgotten so far," Summer smiled.

-Afterlife-

"You see, in here we've included the stop-light system," Ziggy smiled, pulling Sierra and Dustin into Dawn's bathroom. He pointed to three circles stuck to the corner of Dawn's mirror, one red, one yellow and one green. "This was my idea."

"How does this work?" Sierra asked. She had to admit being impressed by all the work Ziggy, Rebecca and Dillon had put in. Their ideas really were going to help her daughter.

Ziggy pointed to Dawn's shower curtain, "See, its read. First thing on the light is the first thing she should do in the morning."

"The circles are also removable," Rebecca said, peeling off the red circle. "If Dawn does forget, we've written shower behind this one."

"What's yellow?" Dustin asked. Ziggy smiled, picking up Dawn's yellow toothbrush.

"Colour coded," he said happily. "After she showers, she'll need to brush her teeth. It's perfect!"

"And green?" Dustin asked. Ziggy pulled out a green make-up bag.

"I had to buy this for her… but it's green!" he said. He placed the bag on the counter and crossed his arms as he looked at his accomplishment. He was rather proud. "You see, guys? It's not a direct reminder. She'll still have to think of what the colours mean, but there is a link! It's perfect."

"I'm pretty impressed," Sierra smiled. "The checklist in the kitchen. All those acronyms you came up with… sticky notes."

Dustin chuckled, sticking one onto his forehead, "it says doofus."

Sierra pulled it off his head and tossed it in the garbage. Dustin pouted as he handed the block of notes over to his sister.

"I'm just having fun."

"You and Kaylee really are the perfect match, you know that," Sierra laughed.

"I think this stoplight one is genius," Ziggy smiled, "If I do say so myself."

"Of course you would," Dillon frowned, leaning against the doorframe. "Now can we go? There are sticky notes everywhere and I feel like I'm living inside the rainbow."

"But, I want to show Dawn all our hard work," Ziggy pouted. Rebecca held up a finger, indicating to Dillon that he should wait a moment.

When she turned back to Ziggy she saw him writing something down on a sticky note. She read over his shoulder.

"You do not live in a rainbow… Ziggy, do you really think she'll need to be reminded of that, of all things?"

"You never know," Ziggy shrugged, placing the note on the mirror. "We might really lose her."

Dillon threw his hands up in the air, "I'm gone."

As he walked down the stairs he saw Summer and Dawn were already home. Dawn was holding Adeline in her arms for the first time as she took notice of all the memory aids on the first floor.

"What have you guys done in here?" Hayden whispered, jogging up the stairs to Dillon. "It looks like neon jelly-beans threw up in here. Every time I turn around I'm scared I might have a seizure."

"It's a constant memory game," Dillon said, brushing past Hayden. "Ziggy and Rebecca thought it was a great idea."

"This is way better than concentration!" Dawn beamed. Dillon cocked an eyebrow.

"I was the one who suggested it," he smiled, stealing the credit before Ziggy and Rebecca could claim it.

Ziggy heard Dawn's voice and rushed downstairs to greet her. He led her through the rooms to show her all the aids he and his wife had come up with and pointed out all the checklists and blank pads. The checklists were so Dawn remembered whether or not there was still something to be done, while the blank pads were so she could write down ideas before they escaped her mind. Ziggy specified that they were everywhere, just in case she remembered her solution to Emily's problem.

Dawn hugged him, "You're amazing, Ziggy."

Ziggy lit up like a Christmas tree as Rebecca, Dustin and Sierra came down the stairs, "I'm amazing!" he whispered to his wife. Rebecca laughed and shook her head.

"I'm really going to have to get used to this," Dustin breathed, looking around.

"I'm looking for the pot of gold," Flynn chuckled. Dustin gasped.

"Good idea! First one to find it keeps whatever's in it!"

"Oi!" Flynn shouted as Dustin turned around and began searching the upstairs. "It was my idea!"

Hayden glanced to her daughter in Dawn's arms, "If it's true that girls marry men who are like their fathers, then you are so screwed, Addie."

Sierra walked down the stairs and hugged her daughter, "I think this will really help you, Dawn," she said. "If anything, it'll teach you to be independent, in case this is permanent."

"And I won't be bugging you with memory blanks and questions," Dawn nodded. Sierra squeezed her daughter.

"It doesn't bug me," she said. "I'm sorry I've been yelling. I just… when I got the call that you were in a very serious condition I panicked. Never scare me like that again."

"Told you," Summer smiled as she stole the baby from her best friend's arms. She still hadn't gotten the chance to play with her new niece.

Dawn smiled back before spotting a pile of paper dolls by the phone. She picked them up and glanced at them, one by one.

"What the hell is this?" she asked.

"My idea," Rebecca said. "As your friends we worry about you. So we've created paper versions of ourselves and the rest of your family and placed them by the phone. Short term memory can store up to seven things, and phone numbers are seven numbers. On the back are our numbers so you can call. The way the doll works is you look at the number before dialling, then put the doll down and try to remember the numbers. It's a short and easy game."

Dawn smiled as she pulled out the Dani doll, "Aw, look. She comes with her own noose."

"Removable," Dillon pointed out. "That way you can hang her over and over again when she starts bugging you."

"On the noose there's Greg's work number," Rebecca added. "Just in case you need to tattle on Dani."

"I'm so holding onto this," Dawn smirked.


	146. Engel's Horror

Kaylee stepped onto the construction site with a smile on her face. She tossed a muffin at Kira, waking her from her sleep.

"Rise and shine, favourite sister of mine," Kaylee smiled. "Today is a beautiful day!"

Kira rubbed her eyes before looking up at the sky. "It's overcast," she said. "We're in the wastelands. It's always overcast. And in NewTech it's supposed to rain all day today."

"NewTech sounds depressing," Kaylee frowned before the smile reappeared. "Anyways, aren't you going to ask why you're my favourite?"

"I'm always your favourite," Kira smirked, taking a bit from her muffin. "But go ahead, Kayl-Whale."

Kaylee frowned at the nickname. It hadn't been used in ages. She still didn't understand it. Sure Kayl rhymed with whale, but she wasn't as big as one and though some whales were cute, others were rather ugly. She couldn't even associate her nickname with killer whales because technically they were dolphins. Though, that no longer mattered. Most marine animals became extinct during the Venjix.

"You are my favourite because you gave birth to the most amazing older sister ever."

"I did not give birth to Tori," Kira groaned. Kaylee shook her head.

"Ew… that's nasty and very impossible," she said. "I mean Summer."

"I gave birth to her, yes. I remember panicking because I wasn't told I was having twins until she decided to come out."

"Yeah, I was there," Kaylee nodded. "Anyways, your daughter just helped Colonel Truman apprehend the three teenagers who provided Dawn with alcohol and left her for dead, and she, Dillon, Becca and Ziggy arrested one guy in NewTech who had her ID and credit card. Turns out, he has a gang here in Corinth and we're working on getting him to talk."

"That makes you happy?" Kira asked. Kaylee nodded.

"Why wouldn't it? Have you not met me? If you mess with my family, blood or not, you're going to die."

"Just ask Jordan," Kira chuckled. Kaylee frowned.

"We had a deal."

"I'm sorry. It has to surface sometimes," Kira said.

Kaylee shrugged before turning her gaze to oversee the construction. The good part about having volunteers was that they were willing to work whenever they had time off, meaning construction was happening around the clock. Kaylee smiled when she noticed that most buildings had the foundations done already and the roads were already being worked on. Kira stood up.

"It's moving pretty quickly, isn't it?" she asked. Kaylee nodded.

"Really quickly," she said. "I thought it would be at least a few weeks before we saw progress like this."

"Me too," Kira pointed over to five workmen, "but you see them?"

Kaylee turned to where Kira was pointing and nodded before recognising the figures.

"It's the mutants."

"They realised we were working out here last night and offered to lend a hand," Kira smiled. "They're huge helps, given they can pretty much carry a house, and after living on their own in the wastes for years, they know how to build."

"And the workers just took them in?" Kaylee asked, a little shocked the mutants were getting along with the regular humans. Kira nodded.

"Well, when you threaten to cut back pay for registered workers and write up a criminal report on anyone who discriminates against five people willing to ease the workload, you get a lot of people who suddenly become very accepting. The accents do help, though."

"Kayleeville is going to be brilliant!" Kaylee beamed. Kira shook her head.

"No, no, no, no and, oh, wait… NO! No to Kayleeville!"

"You're such a bummer," Kaylee frowned. "How else are people supposed to honour me?"

"You're already being written into history books," Kira said. "That's more than enough."

"What about the Kaylee?" Kaylee suggested. "You know, like the US Dollar, only Kaylee-fied. That'll be three Kaylees?"

"And make it sound like you're replicating?" Kira shook her head. "No way. One of you is more than enough. If I had it my way, you wouldn't even have been allowed to reproduce, but Tori wanted nieces and nephews so she vetoed it."

"Vetoed? Are there meetings I don't know about?" Kaylee frowned. "Do you talk about me?"

"No… I mean yes," Kira smirked, turning her gaze away from Kaylee. "Once a week everyone gets together and we figure out what we're going to do with you. It costs me eighty bucks, but I get to dispose of your body when you die."

"EEP!" Kaylee squealed like a child as she jumped away from Kira. The Dino Ranger chuckled.

"Yep. As soon as you breathe your last breath, you're mine. I'm thinking of chopping off your head, putting it on a silver platter in the museum and leaving your body for the dogs… or that hobo in NewTech who keeps digging through our trash…"

Kira looked at her best friend who seemed almost terrified. She laughed, wrapping her arm around Kaylee.

"I'm just kidding," she said. Kaylee let out her breath. Kira smirked, "Leanne's disposing of your body and it was only sixty bucks."

Kaylee frowned at her friend, "You're a terrible sister."

"Well right now, you're my favourite. I want to go home," Kira grabbed her stuff from the table that had been set up for her. "Ronny's going to drop by in a few hours. She wants to talk to you about a theme for the city. She'll explain it later but I was thinking about it and it actually sounds like a good idea."

-Afterlife-

Scott walked quickly through the hallways of Engel's school, checking each and every classroom as he tried to find the one his step-daughter was located in. He had been called from work to come and pick her up. The office told him it was some kind of emergency. Samantha couldn't be reached; she was out with Mike and Vanessa, helping them to pick a remote location for their wedding.

"Of all days for the three of them to go off together," Scott grumbled as he unbuttoned his uniform. Hopefully Gem and Gemma would be okay to lead Eagle Squad for the rest of the day.

When he found the classroom he knocked on the door. He saw the teacher waving from the window, letting him in. He opened the door and noticed all the kids were sitting on their naptime mats, all staring at Engel.

"What happened?" Scott asked, stepping over a few children. The teacher sighed.

"Engel's refusing to go to sleep," she said. "She started screaming and crying and hitting a few other children."

"Where are they?"

"Down in the office already," the teacher said. Scott knelt down before Engel, wrapping his arms around her as he picked her up. He figured he owed the teacher an explanation to all this non-sense, if not to relieve the teacher, then to prove that his daughter was not a nut-case.

"I'm really sorry about this," he said. "My sister in-law gave birth a few days ago and Engel was around to hear it. It was out of the blue and my wife and Engel were the only people there to help."

"Engel didn't help, did she?" the teacher asked with concern in her voice. Scott shook his head.

"No. She was in another room. My wife had no choice but to leave her. Engel's still terrified by it. We thought she was okay for preschool this morning. I guess not."

"Just take care of it before she hurts more children," the teacher advised Scott. He nodded his head as he turned to the door.

"What are we going to do with you?" he asked Engel as he sighed loudly. Engel hugged him close.

-Afterlife-

She was so tiny. Flynn couldn't believe just how small she actually was. He realised she was premature, and she was going to be small for a long time, but this seemed almost ridiculous.

He could hold his daughter against his chest with one hand. One hand could wrap itself around his baby girl and keep her warm and safe. It was amazing.

And the way she slept. Just lying there like there was nothing else around her.

Flynn never thought he could fall in love with someone this quickly, but it seemed true. He loved his daughter to death and could never get enough of her.

He turned his head very slowly, as if the movement alone would wake his sleeping girl. He noticed Hayden sitting on the chair a few feet away from him, just staring. He smiled back, but Hayden didn't turn away.

Flynn suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

"You know, the law does allow you to blink," he told his wife. Hayden shook her head slightly.

"What?"

"I could ask you the same question," Flynn chuckled.

Hayden leaned back in her seat, "Sorry. It's just so cute. Daddy and daughter."

Flynn chuckled as he touched his daughter's cheek.

"Glad you enjoy it," he said. Hayden smiled.

"When we're done with her, want a second?" she asked. Flynn looked at her, very surprised.

"You're already thinking of number two? Why don't we deal with this one first?"

"I know, I'm just stuck in cute baby faze! Look at her!" Hayden walked over to the couch and sat down beside her husband. She hugged his arm and she glanced down at her baby girl.

The parents were pulled from their moment with their daughter when there was a knock at the door. Flynn grumbled as he handed his daughter over to his wife and got up to answer it.

"You interrupted cute baby time," Flynn said as he opened the door to find Scott and Engel. Scott smiled in apology as he set Engel down inside the house.

"Sorry, but I'm not really sure what to do with Engel," Scott said. "I had to take her home from preschool because she started crying and hurt a few kids."

"Engel? The kid whose name is on letter away from Angel?" Flynn frowned, pointing to his niece. "You're joking, right?"

"If I were, she wouldn't be here and I would be at work," Scott sighed. "Do you mind if we stay here for a little bit? I don't think I can deal with Engel freaking out on my own."

Flynn nodded and cleared the way for Scott and Engel to walk in. As Engel walked slowly, Flynn poked her nose. Engel smiled as she grabbed her nose and looked up at her uncle.

"No steal."

"I'll get you," Flynn smirked, waving his hand in front of her face. Engel squealed and ran for the living room. She jumped on the couch beside her aunt and buried her face in the sofa cushions. Hayden smiled when she saw her niece and turned to Flynn and Scott as they walked in.

"Flynn, I know we were talking about a second child, but isn't this a little fast?" Hayden teased. Flynn shook his head as he lifted Engel from the couch so he could sit. He let Engel stay on his lap (after promising not to steal her nose).

Scott sat down in the chair and explained to Hayden and Flynn how Engel had been freaking out non-stop ever since Adeline's birth. Hayden and Flynn had already been aware that this had been an issue, but just like Scott and the other parents they believed Engel was slowly getting over it.

As Scott explained his problem, Hayden glanced at her niece. She had suggested Samantha tell her what happened so Engel could at least understand what was going on at that freaky day but Samantha didn't know how to talk to her two year old daughter about giving birth.

Hayden bit her lip as she adjusted Addie in her arms. Engel was already leaning over, observing the baby carefully. She hadn't yet realised that Addie was the cause of her panic attacks. Engel was in love with her new cousin. Hayden hoped that would make things easier.

"Engel," she said softly. Engel nodded without taking her eyes off the baby. "I hear you freaked out at school today."

"Kids yelling all day!" Engel groaned. "No stop. Then dark and 'lone."

"Were you scared?" Hayden asked. Engel nodded again. "Were you scared like when mommy left you on the stool at my house?"

Engel nodded furiously. "'Lone," she said. "Scary!"

Flynn looked to Scott. He was rather impressed.

"Well, Engel's afraid of being alone," he stated. Scott shrugged.

"She's two. She's always been afraid to be alone."

"Engel," Hayden said, looking at her niece, "When mommy left you on the stool she needed to help me. I was the person screaming."

"Me know," Engel said. "Me hear you."

"I know you heard me, but mommy needed to help me. Do you remember when baby was inside my tummy?"

"How out?" Engel frowned. She glanced down at her Aunt's almost flat stomach. Aunt Hayden raised a good point.

"That part mommy will tell you when you're older," Hayden said. "But sometimes it hurts…"

"Sometimes?" Scott frowned. "I know I'm a man and I know nothing, but I definitely know that it doesn't hurt only sometimes."

"If you want grandkids then it only hurts sometimes," Hayden muttered to Scott before looking back at Engel. "Baby Addie hurt me and mommy was making everything better."

"But me scared," Engel frowned. "My mommy, not yours."

Flynn and Scott chuckled slightly. Now it was Engel's turn to have a good point. Hayden shook her head and sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Next time I have a booboo I'll go to my mommy. But do you understand what happened, now?"

Engel shook her head, "No. No more steal mommy, 'kay?"

"I promise," Hayden swore, lifting up her right hand.

"No more freak attacks from you, okay brat?" Scott told his step-daughter. "There's no reason to be scared. Aunt Hayden just had a booboo and was being silly."

Hayden glared at her brother in-law, "When these kids aren't in the room I'll show you who is being silly."

"If you want Engel and me to stop dropping by unexpectedly then you were being silly," Scott smirked. Hayden frowned.

Engel crossed her arms and glared at her Aunt, "Not funny," she scolded.

"I'm sorry," Hayden said. She lifted Addie slightly, "And baby Addie is sorry too. Do you forgive your baby cousin?"

Engel nodded, "Just baby. No know better."

"You're right," Hayden smiled. "Now, Aunt Hayden will let you hold the baby if you promise not to hit anymore of your friends at school? Do you think you can do that for me?"

"They loud!" Engel groaned. "Shut up!"

Hayden and Flynn laughed loudly when they heard Engel say this. Scott turned red as he sunk in his seat.

"Don't tell Sammy she learned that," Scott whispered. "She overheard me talking on the phone."

"You're very rude on the phone," Flynn laughed. He raised his hand, "High-five, Engel."

Engel smiled, hitting her uncle's hand. Hayden chuckled and shook her head. This normally wasn't something you rewarded as parents, but Engel was their niece. They could technically screw her up and it didn't matter.

"I'm so telling Sammy," Hayden smirked. Scott groaned loudly.

"I'm in for shit tonight."

"You're in for more if Engel heard that," Flynn laughed.

Scott clamped his hands over his mouth as his eyes widened. He couldn't believe he had done that. Normally he was better when he was around Engel. Even Dillon was better when he was around Engel.

"Fu…"

"Okay, time to jump in," Hayden said. She nudged Flynn, "Why don't you go show Engel the nursery and put Addie down in her crib."

"Bedtime story?" Engel asked. Flynn shook his head as he lifted Engel off his lap and placed her on the floor.

"Not this time, squirt. Maybe when you go take your nap."

"Shit," Engel grumbled. Hayden's face lit up as she turned to Scott. She couldn't contain her joy.

"It's amazing how quickly they pick up on this!" she laughed.

"I'm screwed," Scott said, slamming the back of his head into the chair. Hayden smirked.

"If you want, you can take credit for curing Engel of her panic attacks. If this works, that is. Maybe that'll take a little heat off you… but one condition."

"What's that?" Scott asked.

"I have to be there when Samantha finds out about Engel's expanding vocabulary."

Scott closed his eyes, "Just shoot me."


	147. Life

Dean held the door open for Dawn, letting her walk into the Garage first. It had been a few days since her house had been decorated with memory aids and Dean had finally gotten to see them after hearing about them over the phone.

Due to Dawn being unable to work, Dean had to divide his time in two. He wanted to be with Dawn for support and encouragement, but he also needed to be with his daughter. Though Emily had agreed to push off any appointments to fix her arm, it was still something that was bugging her.

Dean didn't want to burden either of his girls with the other so he had to keep them apart. He thought it was best. Dawn would feel guilty if she saw Emily, and Emily would feel the same. After all, Dawn had been trying to help her when she got sick.

Today he was with his girlfriend. Emily was staying with Elena and her family for the day. After touring Dawn's house, Dawn had asked if they could go visit Dani.

Dawn had hardly seen Dani since the incident. She had been there when Dawn woke up, and a little afterwards, but once Dani was sure that Dawn would be okay, she had taken off and never returned. Dawn understood why. She didn't need to be told. She had scared Dani, probably most of all. Though Dawn hadn't intentionally tried to kill herself, she had put herself at risk and would have died had it not been for Dani and Greg. It brought up painful memories for Dani from when she was in her own depression.

"Just stay cool," Dean whispered to his girlfriend as they approached the counter. "She might not want to talk to you."

"I know," Dawn nodded.

"And it might frustrate her that you still can't remember stuff short term," Dean continued. "More than it might frustrate you."

"I know."

"She was really worried about you," Dean kept going. "She really cares about you, Dawn. Probably more than anyone else."

"I know, Dean."

"Just be patient…"

"Dean," Dawn interrupted. "I know all this. I have this under control."

"I'm just saying. You get a bit of a temper when you're around Dani. Lord knows why she likes you."

Dawn turned to her boyfriend, "The only reason I'm letting that slide is because I don't want to deal with anything but Dani, I know what you meant and… what are we talking about?"

"Nothing," Dean chuckled before hitting the bell. "Hey, does anyone work here or will I have to go to Storm Chargers?"

"Please do!" a voice called before Hannah rushed out from the back. "I still get paid even when I don't work there."

"Is Dani Marks here?" Dean asked, a little surprised to see a new face in the garage. Hannah nodded.

"She's in the back working on Jason's bike," Hannah looked to Dawn and smiled, "I heard what happened. How are you feeling?"

Dawn could remember meeting Hannah a few times before. She nodded her head, "I'm fine. Thanks."

"You know her?" Dean asked. Dawn nodded.

"She's another cousin," she said.

"RJ and Kelly's kid," Hannah smiled. "Uh, Dawn's Aunt's sister and brother in law… unofficially."

"That's a long relationship," Dean chuckled.

"That's what's starting to happen," Hannah nodded. She pointed over her shoulder, "I'll go get Dani. She may not want to talk though."

"Please try," Dawn begged.

-Afterlife-

Kaylee left Mamello in charge of overseeing construction for a few hours back at the site while she traveled through the wastelands with Austin and Caleb in search of more fertile land. The Alphabet Soup grounds and the Oasis were already proof that life was starting to grow, and Kaylee was starting to wonder what else was out there, beyond what they could spot on their computers and satellites.

She sat shotgun in a car, resembling a golf cart, while the two mutants showed her around, staying away from areas where the radiation levels were still high. Though their bodies were immune to it, Kaylee's was not.

All Kaylee had really seen were a few flowers growing here and there, as well as some grass pushing through the sand and glass grounds. Though, she was starting to wonder what the wastelands looked like even further out. Corinth and NewTech were only two cities, and the world was so big and separated by water and mountains. Those were things Venjix couldn't have possibly destroyed.

She began to wonder what life was like overseas. If anyone had survived. Maybe Corinth and NewTech were just two of many cities to have survived the Venjix.

Kaylee jerked forward as the cart came to a stop. Caleb and Austin hopped out and ran over to a sand mound. Kaylee followed them.

"What is it?" she asked.

Caleb pointed into the distance, "Water," he said.

"There are lakes and ponds everywhere," Kaylee shrugged. "I've seen a bunch already. They're all lifeless, though. Too much radiation."

"No," Austin shook his head, "It's further down. A lot farther."

Kaylee squinted as she gazed into the distance, "I don't see anything."

Caleb ran back to the cart and picked it up. He carried it over to the sand mound and set it down beside Kaylee.

"How long until we need to be back?" he asked.

Kaylee checked her watch, only to realise it wasn't going to work this far out.

"I don't know, but they can't worry too much about us," she said. "As long as we're back before the end of the day… uh…"

"We'll tell you when that is," Austin nodded. He and Caleb were used to the time in the wasteland. They knew the difference between night and day. Kaylee smiled.

"Great. So how long until we reach the lake?"

"Not a lake," Caleb corrected her. "I hear the ocean."

"The…" Kaylee trailed off. She hadn't seen the ocean in years. Not since before the Venjix. She remembered when she was younger and the ocean was one of hers and Tori's favourite places to be. Tori enjoyed it more than Kaylee, but it was still Kaylee's favourite place to get away from the world. There was a man-made ocean in Corinth, but it wasn't the same as the real thing.

"Come on," Caleb smiled as he sat in the back seat. Austin took the wheel. "Want to be the first human to rediscover water?"

Kaylee nodded her head.

-Afterlife-

"Do you know what the scariest part was?" Dani asked after listening to Dawn's apology over and over again.

Dawn shook her head, "For me or you?"

"For both," Dani said. "I don't know if you realise this, but you would be dead, no doubt about it, if what happened… didn't."

"I know," Dawn nodded. "And I'm so thankful you're an annoying…"

"I didn't come after you," Dani said. "I went to the hospital to see Addie. Greg was the one who ran after you. He was worried. I thought you were going to be fine. If he didn't come after you, and if I didn't follow, you would be dead."

"I know that, Dani."

"If just Greg had gone, I don't know if he would have known what to do," Dani said. "Dad's told me thousands of stories about people who drank too much and died. He told me that he always needed to act quickly because once the alcohol is absorbed there is much that can be done. And if Greg hadn't off gone after you, neither of us would have been there. And if we were even a few seconds late, you would still be dead and it's just…"

"It worked out," Dawn assured her friend. "There's a reason it did. You can't focus on the ifs, Dani. Just be happy you made it in time."

"You shouldn't have let it get that bad," Dani frowned. "Dean and I wanted to help you, and we tried! You just shut us out."

"How is that any different from what you did when you tried to kill yourself?" Dawn asked. "I thought you would understand how hard it is…"

"I murdered someone," Dani hissed. Her temper was starting to get the better of her. "I knew before hand that the fifth shot was going to kill and it did. There was nothing I could do. I sunk into a deep depression and no one knew about it, not even me. You had people willing to help you."

"I wasn't thinking right," Dawn began until Dean pulled her away.

"I think you've both had enough," he said. "You're both still panicked."

Dani took a deep breath, "Just…"

"Go?" Dawn asked. Dani shook her head.

"Don't do it again," she said. "None of us want to lose you. You're our killer robot sister."

"I know, Dani," Dawn chuckled. Dani threw herself into Dawn's arms.

Dean watched the sight, "Next step: check Dani for bi-polar disorder."

"Heather and Hannah taught me a few meditation techniques to calm down," Dani smiled as she pulled away from Dawn. "The red hair scares them."

-Afterlife-

"It's beautiful," Kaylee whispered as she stared out into the ocean. Caleb stepped up beside her.

"It's black," he frowned. "I don't know what colour the water was in America, but back home, it was blue."

"Details," Kaylee smirked. "It's still beautiful. Maybe in a few years we can get started on cleaning it up. We can build a city here next to the water… Isn't that where most civilisations start?"

Austin nodded, "Water is a powerful element."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Kaylee smiled, "I great up with her."

Austin turned to the woman but she waved it off and pointed further down the beach, "If we follow the shore we may be able to find some trace of life. Plant, animal… maybe human?"

"Mutant," Caleb said. "Any human who's survived this long outside the cities might be like us."

"Maybe worse," Austin added. "We were lucky to find the oasis. This is minimal radiation poisoning."

"I assure you, we have a surgical team working every day to come up with ways to restore your appearance," Kaylee said. "They just don't want to fuck up. I won't let them."

"Don't worry too much about it," Austin smiled. "We're beginning to cope with our differences. Dawn thinks we'll soon be able to ease ourselves into society."

"You may want to start in NewTech," Kaylee suggested, "They're a little more open to stuff like this."

"I hear their former commander was a dog," Caleb nodded, "and before that, a bird."

"NewTech is Corinth's special little brother," Kaylee laughed. "At least, that's what I think."

"NewTech's been far more advanced for years," Austin said. "They've been developing technology and weapons long before…"

Austin stopped suddenly as his ears picked up a sound. He turned his head in the direction of the noise. Caleb heard the noise as well. He grabbed Kaylee's arm, pulling her in close. Something didn't seem right.

Kaylee looked around. She couldn't hear anything, but she trusted the two mutants. She looked at Austin.

"What's going on?" she asked only seconds before a spear appeared from nowhere, piercing right through Austin's chest. The mutant collapse, landing on his back as a pool of blood began forming around him.

"Austin?" Caleb asked, dropping beside his brother.

Kaylee gulped, "Is he…"

"Before he hit the ground," Caleb nodded. "It pierced his heart."

Kaylee knelt down beside the fallen mutant and searched the beach for a rock or shell; anything with a point. Caleb took her hand, "He's gone. Nothing will save him."

"I thought you guys were like… invincible?" Kaylee asked. "Like Hayden?"

"It went right through him," Caleb explained. "Name anyone aside from your daughter who could survive…"

Caleb suddenly stopped as his ears twitched. He pulled Kaylee to her feet.

"We need to get out of here," he whispered. Kaylee looked around.

"What's going on?"

"You were right," he said. "There is more life out here."

Kaylee frowned sadly, "Sorry Austin. We're going to need this," she whispered before pulling the spear out from his body. Caleb tugged on her arm.

"We need to go," he said. "We're surrounded."

"Say your goodbyes," Kaylee nodded, stepping away, giving the Kiwi the privacy he needed to say goodbye to his brother. Caleb touched Austin's face, kissing his forehead.

Kaylee scanned the area, looking for signs of movement as she waited for Caleb to finish. She noticed the water moving awkwardly as well as the sand. She shivered slightly as Caleb got to his feet.

"I'm ready. My brothers will be expecting us."

"Take my hand," Kaylee said, holding her hand out. Caleb grabbed it.

"Side effects may include nausea, heartburn, indigestion and loss of limb," Kaylee warned him as she shut her eyes, "It's zwopping time!"

A Zwop noise sounded on the beach as Kaylee and Caleb disappeared in a green light. Seconds later another spear hit the ground, right where they had been standing.


	148. The Beach

Kira tapped her foot impatiently as she stared out into the horizon. Kaylee was supposed to be back hours ago. When the blonde commander returned from her journey to nowhere, Kira was going to have a lot of yelling to do. Kaylee needed to learn to be punctual when leaving the zone of communication. Anything could happen and with no way of knowing where Kaylee was or what time she was going to be back, Kira had no idea if she needed to send out help or not.

Mamello, Olivier and Takeo approached Kira from behind. Mamello placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Something is wrong."

Kira turned around. She saw the three remaining mutants wincing in pain. Takeo was rubbing his head, like he was suffering from a migraine.

"Don't tell me it's Kaylee…" Kira frowned. Mamello shook his head.

"Austin is dead."

Kira's eyes widened, "What?"

"We've lost him," Takeo said. "We can't read him. We got a message from Caleb telling us he died."

"Caleb told you… what about Kaylee?"

"She's fine. They're headed back," Olivier said just before there was a green light. Kaylee and Caleb both fell from the skies, landing on their backs.

The three mutants ran to help their brother up while Kira walked over to Kaylee. She tapped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. Kaylee coughed.

"A little help?"

"Mamello told me you were supposed to be back hours ago," Kira frowned. Kaylee laughed nervously.

"About that…"

"It was our fault," Caleb said, pulling Kaylee to her feet suddenly. Kaylee stumbled as she tried to find her balance. "Austin and I heard the ocean and we took her out further and longer."

Kaylee shook her head, "No… well, yeah, but I was still responsible."

"What happened to Austin?" Olivier asked as he picked up the spear that had fallen from the green light. "Is this his blood?"

Kaylee nodded, taking the spear, "We were by the ocean when…"

"Wait, you made it to the ocean?" Kira interrupted. Takeo pointed a look at her. He was more interested in his brother's fate than water. "Sorry," Kira whispered.

"All we know is a spear came out of nowhere and pierced Austin," Kaylee said.

"Didn't you do anything?" Takeo asked. "Your blood…"

"He was dead before he hit the ground," Caleb explained. Takeo had a bit of a temper and for him to keep calm it was best if Caleb explained the story. "The spear pierced his heart. There was nothing we could do."

"So you left him?"

"We were surrounded," Kaylee started by Caleb held his hand up. Austin was his brother; this was his story to tell.

"I heard movement, all around us. The water was moving, the sand was moving, and there were footsteps. We didn't see anything, but there's definitely more life out there."

"More of us?" Olivier asked a little hopefully. It would be nice to have more people like him. The more numbers, the easier it would be to fit into society.

"I doubt it," Caleb sighed. "If they were like us, they wouldn't have shot at us."

"Unless they were aiming for her," Takeo said, nodding his head in Kaylee's direction. Kaylee crossed her arms.

"So the Academy's not yours anymore. Cry me a river and get over it."

Takeo scoffed. Though he would never attack or harm the humans intentionally, he was still very angered over the events of the Thunder Ninja Academy. If any of the humans, especially the ones he was mostly involved with, were to injure themselves or die, he wouldn't care. He wouldn't hurt, but he would never help.

"Tell your sister she's lucky," Takeo said. Kaylee glared at him until Mamello stepped between the two.

"That battle is over," he said to both Kaylee and Takeo. "We have a new problem on our hands and we'll need to work together this time."

"I'll call B-Squad," Kira pulled out her communicator and took a few steps away.

Caleb looked to the commander, "Wouldn't this be a job for a higher team? Like A-Squad?"

"Last time a team was A-Squad they went AWOL and then betrayed all of SPD, tarnishing A-Squad's reputation. Now B-Squad is the top team and A-Squad… squashed?" Kaylee explained.

"Who are you calling, then?" Mamello asked. Kaylee grinned.

"Eagle Squad."

-Afterlife-

Scott sat down on his couch with a beer in his hands. He kicked his feet up, threw off his shoes and relaxed. Beside him, Engel sat in the same position, only she had a juice box in her hands.

"Ah," Scott sighed in content as he closed his eyes. Engel did the same.

"Ah," she mimicked. Scott opened one eye and turned to his step-daughter.

"Are you copying me?" he asked her. Engel giggled.

"Copy me?"

Scott frowned playfully, "So, that's what you're up to. Well, copy this, copy cat."

Engel watched as Scott stuck his tongue out. She did the same. Scott smirked and pulled his tongue with his fingers, extending it as far as it would go. Engel did the same. Scott left his tongue hanging but puffed his cheeks. Engel did the same.

Scott held his hands up against his cheeks. Engel did the same. Scott pressed his hands into his face, forcing the air to escape, making a farting noise and squirting Engel with his spit. Engel chuckled, losing her position.

"Again!" she laughed. Scott smiled.

"Again!" he laughed.

Engel shook her head, "No, you again!"

"No, you again!" Scott repeated.

Engel frowned and crossed her arms, "No fun."

"No fun," Scott crossed his arms. Engel stuck her tongue out and spat on her step-father, like he had done. Scott whipped the spit away and chuckled.

"I'll stop," he said. He grabbed his beer from the armrest and took a sip. Engel picked up her juice box and did the same.

"Yummy?" she asked. Scott nodded.

"How about you?"

"Yummy."

Scott reached for the TV remote on the coffee table, "How about we watch some sports?" he asked. Engel nodded and leaned back in her seat as her step-father turned on the TV. Suddenly she heard a beeping noise coming from his bag in the corner. She set her juice box down and ran over to it.

"What are you going, Engel?" Scott called when he saw her going through his work bag. Engel pulled out a communicator.

"Shut up," she told it. Scott frowned. He set down his beer and the remote before kneeling beside Engel. He wrapped one arm around her as the other took the communicator from her.

"Remember," he told her as he fiddled with the machine, "No saying that word. If mommy hears you we'll both get in trouble."

He hit the button on the side, "Scott Truman, Eagle Squad."

"_Scott, it's Kaylee. We need you and your team out here ASAP."_

"Uh, okay," Scott said as he turned to Engel. Now he needed to think of somewhere to drop her off. Samantha was out for the day helping her sister with the new baby. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

-Afterlife-

"Do I really have to stay behind?" Kira groaned, looking at the Mutants. "I want to see the water."

"Unless you want to freak the people out, someone's going to have to stay here and make sure they believe everything is okay," Olivier explained to the NewTech Commander. "This is your regular shift, you need to stay back. If they suspect anything is wrong, they may panic."

"But… this really isn't fair," Kira pouted as Kaylee walked back. She just finished up with her call to Scott and they were all waiting for their teams to arrive.

"B-Squad shouldn't go too far," Kaylee said. She pointed out into the distance and traced an imaginary line across the horizon, "We'll need to set up a new perimeter. Nothing gets in or out."

"You're using my team as security guards?" Kira frowned.

"If I'm going out there I need people who know me, know what I'm saying and know what I mean," Kaylee explained. "Sam, Heather and Ryan understand me personally, but none of B-Squad knows how I lead or how to take my orders."

"If you were going out, she would send you out with your team," Caleb said.

"It's not like your jobs aren't important," Kaylee nodded. "They'll be the middle men. If we have a problem, they'll come help. Back-up is just as crucial as the initial team."

Kira sighed, "You make a good point."

"And Eagle Squad is the team who dealt with us," Mamello pointed out. "They seem to have experience in city-slickers/survivor relationship."

"But if I remember correctly, that relationship went south from the start and didn't start to turn around until a while later," Kira said.

"Commander!" Bridge called as his team trailed behind him. Kira turned to face them. Bridge, Z, Ryan, Samantha and Ben stood in a row before their commander.

"Heather's not coming," Ben said. "She's staying home with Joey."

"That's fine. We're still waiting on Eagle Squad," Kira informed her team. "Until then you can talk with the mutants. They'll tell you what's going on."

"I'll tell you everything I know," Caleb waved the team over. Samantha frowned.

"Aren't there supposed to be five of you?" she asked.

Caleb, as well as the other mutants, lowered his head, "I'll start there."

Kaylee faced the city of Corinth and growled, "C'mon, you guys. Where the hell are you?"

"Kaylee!" Scott called, arriving from a different direction. Kaylee jumped when she heard her name but quickly recomposed herself and turned to her squad.

"About time."

"Sorry. I was taking care of Engel and had to find somewhere to put her."

"Not the cupboard I hope," Gemma frowned, turning to Scott. He sighed.

"No, not the cupboard. She's with Chris and Grandude, uh, I mean Dustin."

"Did you tell him it was for a mission?" Kaylee asked. Scott nodded. "Good," Kaylee continued, "one less call to make."

"Kaylee," Mamello called, approaching Kaylee with Ben in tow. The Black SPD Ranger was carrying the spear and a handheld computer. "Ben ran a scan on the blood on the spear. He found something of interest."

"What is it?" Kaylee asked.

Ben held up his computer so Kaylee could see, "It wasn't the spear that killed Austin… though it eventually would have. There was poison and radiation in the blood."

"Your blood is poisoned with radiation, though," Kaylee said to Mamello. She didn't see a problem with this. Mamello shook her head.

"More than what should have been in Austin already," Mamello specified.

Kira heard this and gulped, "Are you sure you don't want me to go out there?" she asked. "A little back-up for right away?"

Kaylee shook her head, "I don't think…"

"But it's just you four and the mutants going against the unknown and their poisoned radiated spears of doom. I don't feel right letting you go off like that."

"I've faced worse," Kaylee shrugged. She saw the worried look on Kira's face. "I'll be fine. And if things get bad I can still Zwop."

"I guess," Kira sighed.

Kaylee hugged her sister, "Everything will be fine."

"So, we're going out against the big bad unknown?" Gem asked, already bouncing with excitement. He looked at his sister, "That's so cool."

"What's going on?" Gemma asked.

"We'll tell you on the way," Kaylee said as she waved to the mutants to follow her. "It's a long walk."

-Afterlife-

Kaylee stood on the beach, just a few inches from where Austin's body should have been. She looked up at Caleb and the mutants and then back to Scott, Gem and Gemma. They were trailing behind, exhausted from the walk.

"It was right here," Kaylee said when Eagle Squad finally joined her. "Austin died right here."

"Are you sure you have the right spot?" Takeo asked. "All this sand looks the same."

"Even I'm sure," Scott said, kneeling down. He grabbed some sand in his hand, letting it fall through his fingers, "There's some blood still in the sand."

"That would mean that whatever killed him…"

"… took care of his body," Gem and Gemma said, their eyes wide. Scott looked up and nodded.

"That, or Austin got up and walked away," he said before turning to the mutants, "but you guys would know if he did, right?"

"He's still dead," Olivier nodded. "Very dead."

Kaylee pointed to the ground, "You guys look for clues," she said. "I'm going to have a look around. Maybe whoever, or whatever, was here left some kind of marking."

Scott nodded, letting his mother in-law wander off while he examined the sand around the spot Austin's body should have been. He was looking for clues. Footprints, dropped tools or weapons, anything to show that Austin had been dragged or carried away.

Takeo glanced over his shoulder as Kaylee wandered down the beach. He placed his hand on Olivier's shoulder. The French mutant nodded, letting his brother run off.

"Kaylee," Takeo called, when he caught up with the commander. Kaylee turned around.

"What?"

"We have no idea what we're up against," Takeo said. "You shouldn't go alone."

"Thanks," Kaylee smiled. She pointed further down the beach, "I think I see something over there. Can you see it from here?"

"It's shinning… it looks like the tip of a spear," Takeo said. Kaylee took off, running down the beach. Takeo grunted before following her. He had more stamina than a regular human being, but even he was getting tired. Kaylee never seemed to lose her energy.

"You must have been a handful as a child," he commented when Kaylee finally stopped and dropped down in the sand. She picked up the weapon, noting that it was, in fact, the tip of a spear.

Kaylee shrugged, "I've always been a handful. I have no idea why the Ranger powers kept choosing me."

Takeo pointed to the weapon, "What do you think it means?" he asked.

"It means there's something out here smart enough to make tools," Kaylee said. Takeo nodded before ripping the weapon out of Kaylee's hands.

"It's identical to the spear that killed my brother," he said. "Be careful with it."

Kaylee frowned at Takeo, "I'm a handful, I'm not a klutz," she held her hand out, "Give it back."

"I should hold onto it," Takeo argued, "My body's a lot more immune to this stuff than your human body."

"So far, one mutant's died, and none of us regular humans have. Your track record isn't helping you at all. And who's to say there's enough poison on here to kill me? It probably just reacted with that's already inside you and that's why your brother died."

"In any case…"

"In any case I'm commander," Kaylee interrupted, playing her power card, "And I'm holding onto whatever we find. We don't need to cover the thing in a million finger prints."

Takeo groaned loudly as he tossed the spear tip in the air, "Whatever. Catch."

Kaylee jumped to catch it, but the weapon was sharper than both she and Takeo realised. When she wrapped her hand around it to keep it in her grip, the edge cut her palm. Kaylee hissed in pain, shaking her hand.

"Ow…"

Takeo took Kaylee's hand and opened it up. He sighed.

"Great, now you've covered it in blood."

Kaylee frowned, "Thanks for the concern," she said sarcastically, "I'm fine, by the way. It's just a flesh wound."

"I agreed to work with you guys and keep the peace," Takeo growled, snatching the weapon from Kaylee. "I never agreed to like you."

"I just want to remind you, you're problem is with Leanne, not me," Kaylee stated. She whipped her hands on her pants. It was the best she could do at this time, until her powers kicked in.

"You've sided with her."

"And you've sided with me," Kaylee said. "So either hold up your end of the deal, or start walking home."

Takeo glared at the commander before shaking his head. He pointed to her hand, "We better get you back. The more people we have who know about that cut, the more people we have watching you."

"I'll be fine. It killed Austin in seconds. It's been a few minutes and I can already barely feel it."

"Fate can take it's time," Takeo said. He shoved the spear tip into one of his pockets as she stepped ahead, taking the lead. Kaylee rolled her eyes as she followed him. Takeo had always been the difficult one.


	149. Into The Ocean

"So, Takeo threw the spear blade at you?" Mamello asked Kaylee and Takeo after hearing what happened to Kaylee's hands. Everyone had regrouped back at the spot where Austin was killed to talk about their new findings. So far there was nothing to report except the new spear blade.

Kaylee shrugged, "Not really."

"It was a bad catch," Takeo said lightly, as if the injury was no big deal. To him it wasn't. He didn't care what happened to Kaylee as long as none of his brothers died. "I threw it in the air and she caught it. It was not my mistake."

"Why are you throwing things?" Gem asked the mutant, raising a good question. Takeo shook his head.

"I forgot you humans aren't as coordinated as us."

"Can you guys stop with the mutant human thing?" Scott asked. "We're all human. You just look different."

"We are different," Olivier said. "We're improved humans."

"We're all the same thing, improved or not. Can we all just work together on this?" Scott asked, directing his attention to Takeo and Olivier. While he had been searching for clues he had been getting a strange vibe from Olivier, kind of like the mutant was mad at him and his team for no reason whatsoever. He refused to help at all. Given the way Takeo was behaving, Scott knew he was the same as his brother.

"I agree with Scott," Mamello nodded. "We are a team. We fight together…"

"Die alone," Takeo interrupted.

Kaylee rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to put up with this anymore.

"If you don't want to work as a team, fine, but don't expect anyone else to go out of their way to help you if you're in trouble," she said.

Takeo nodded, "That was the idea all along."

-Afterlife-

Samantha sat in her father's living room while her brother and daughter played upstairs. Samantha had gotten a call from Dustin informing her that Scott was out on a mission and Engel was with him. A little worried, Samantha cut her day short. Today was Scott's day off. If he was called on a mission it was because it was an emergency.

To make matters worse, Samantha had a horrible feeling in her gut, like something was going to go wrong. She normally felt like this if Hayden was freaking out over something, but she knew Hayden was fine. As far as she knew, Hayden had no idea about this mission. She was still off in her own world with her baby daughter.

"So mom discovered new life and took my boyfriend with her to check it out?" Samantha asked her father. Dustin nodded his head.

"Yep."

"You remember what happened last time they discovered life, right?"

Dustin turned to his daughter, "Don't remind me. I'm still having nightmares and Leanne's still paranoid Takeo's going to turn."

"You're still having nightmares? My wings are still a little sore," Samantha frowned. "What if these people aren't friendly?"

"The mutants are out there with them," Dustin said. "If they run into trouble they'll have back-up and Kira's on standby in the wastelands."

Samantha rubbed her stomach, "I'm just… I have a feeling."

"Good or bad?"

"Bad."

"What kind of bad?"

"Like something bad's going to come out of this," Samantha said.

"It's probably just stress," Dustin said, hoping to reassure his daughter. It worried him when she was scared.

Samantha shook her head, "When I was a kid, Aunt Guinn always told me to listen to my feelings. They were my connection to Earth."

"But you're on Earth now," Dustin frowned. "Does that still apply?"

"I can still hear Hayden's prayers," Samantha said.

"Hayden's fine," Dustin told his eldest daughter, "I was just on the phone with her before you came. She has no idea."

"It might not be Hayden, dad."

-Afterlife-

Gemma looked at Kaylee's hand.

"Remember those scary rats?" she asked, gazing up at Kaylee. "What if the creatures are like them, only smarter?"

Kaylee pulled her hand away from Gemma, "Those rats could kill in seconds," Kaylee said. "I'm still fine."

"I'm just saying," Gemma shrugged. "Back then you discussed the possibility of there being more, uh…"

She paused, turning to the mutants with a nervous look before going back to Kaylee. Softly, she whispered, "… mutated creatures."

"So far the mutation hasn't changed much about the animal itself. The rats still behaved like rats, only they were more aggressive," Kaylee said.

"Same goes for these guys," Gem frowned as he joined his sister and commander, "They're just like us, only more aggressive."

"Exactly," Kaylee said. "So if it were an animal, I doubt it would have the intelligence to build tools, simply because it came in contact with radiation."

"So, you think there are more humans?" Mamello asked, joining the twins and Kaylee and holding Gem's water bottle. He passed it back to the younger twin, "Sorry about Olivier. He's a bit of a pain sometimes."

Caleb joined the group as well, "Takeo thinks he sees prints," he said. "They lead into the ocean."

"Atlantians," Gem and Gemma both smiled. Kaylee shook her head.

"Where are the prints?" she asked. Caleb led everyone over to where Takeo and Olivier were kneeling in the sand. Takeo pointed to a barely visible marking in the sand.

"These are what I think are toes," his finger hovered over one end of the print. "This creature was walking towards the water."

"Okay," Kaylee nodded, "So am I supposed to call in a dolphin squad or something?"

"We don't have a dolphin squad," Gem frowned. Kaylee turned to him.

"Tori."

"Oh."

"It's too dangerous for you humans," Caleb said as he looked out at the black water. "One second in there and you might not come out."

"And if you do, you'll look like us," Mamello added. He stepped forward, "Maybe I can see what's down there."

"Are you sure?" Takeo asked his brother. Mamello nodded.

"We're resistant to radiation. That's how we became what we are."

"Only if you're sure," Scott said. "We don't want you going in there if you're not sure."

Mamello pulled off his clothes, stripping down to his underwear.

"I'm positive," he said. "I'll be back. If anything happens, you'll know."

He turned his gaze to his brothers. All of them nodded. Mamello looked back at the water before diving in, splashing everyone watching.

Kaylee wiped away the water with her hand. She felt a slight burn due to her cut, but made nothing of it. The water had radiation, but her powers would heal her soon enough.

"What do we do now?" Gemma asked.

"Caleb, do you hear anything?" Kaylee turned to her New Zealander friend. Caleb shook his head.

"We're alone. Whatever was out here before is gone."

"I guess we wait."

-Afterlife-

Tori ran around the house in search of her book before tripping over the dresses Elena and Emily left scattered everywhere on the floor. She groaned loudly as she picked them up and found her book lying underneath everything.

"Aha," she smiled, tossing the dresses aside, "there you are."

"Tor! Phone!" Blake called from upstairs. Tori glanced up the stairs and saw Blake had nothing on. Her eyes widened for a moment from pure shock before she shook her head.

"Blake, grab a towel!" she said. "Emily's here!"

"Shit!" Blake shouted running back into his bedroom. Tori shook her head as she walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Tori said before listening to the person on the other end.

Jason rushed down the stairs, "Mom! It's gone!"

"Shh!" Tori hushed her son. She pointed upstairs, "Your father."

Jason nodded and ran back upstairs to his parents' bedroom. He knocked and entered, almost at the same time.

"AH! DAD!"

Tori rolled her eyes.

"No thank you, sir," she said before hanging up. She called to her son, "Jason, what do you need?"

"My essay for school!" Jason called from the top of the stairs. "I left it on my desk and now it's gone!"

"Your room is a black hole, son," Blake said, zipping up his pants as he stepped out of the room. "Everything disappears, even the bugs."

"But I left it right there!"

Tori pointed to Jason's room, "There's a pile of underwear on your floor. Clean that up and maybe you'll find it."

"Mom…"

Tori held up her book, "That's how I found this. Now go. I need at least 30 minutes of peace every day. Doctor's orders."

Jason groaned before going back to his room to check for his essay. Tori started making her way to her living room, hoping for at least five minutes of peace. Today wasn't a good day.

-Afterlife-

"He's been down there a long time," Gemma whispered as she played in the sand. She glanced up at the mutants, but more specifically at Takeo. He was sitting in the sand in deep meditation, like it would give him a better connection with Mamello. "Are you guys sure he's okay."

"He's…" Caleb started before grabbing his forehead and dropping to his knees. Kaylee looked up in panic.

"Caleb…"

Takeo's eyes shot open. He glanced out at the water, "He's gone."

"Gone?"

"His body should float up soon," Olivier nodded.

"How long ago did he die?" Scott asked. Olivier turned to him.

"Just now."

Kaylee looked out at the water and saw something floating. Afraid it was Mamello she started making her way closer to the water.

Scott jumped to his feet and grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"We can't go out there," he said. "If the radiation doesn't kill you, something else will."

"We can't just leave him," Kaylee frowned.

There was a splash of water close to the unidentified object, turning everyone's heads back to the water. Kaylee couldn't wait any longer. She jumped in.

"Kayl…" Scott groaned. He turned to the twins, "Samantha's going to kill me."

"That'll make four of us, then," Takeo said, turning his back to Kaylee. "She's as good as gone. We may as well start heading back and inform the others of what we've seen."

"She's not gone," Gem frowned. He pointed to the water, where Kaylee was still swimming out.

"We don't leave a man behind," Scott nodded in agreement with Gem. "Turn back if you want to."

"I'm staying," Caleb said as he looked at his two brothers. "We're a team, guys."

Takeo looked to Scott, "You said it yourself, Red, if the radiation doesn't kill her, something else will."

"Kaylee's a fighter, though," Gemma said. She turned to the water and saw it coming together to create a wave. Kaylee was trapped in the middle of it, but seemed to enjoy her ride. When she washed up on shore, she giggled and spit out some water.

"That was fun. I haven't surfed like that in years!"

"What did you see?" Caleb asked her, helping her up to her feet. Kaylee shook her head as her expression darkened.

"You don't want to know."

"We already do," Takeo said. "It was painful."

"A far from pleasant death," Olivier added. "We at least deserve to know what's happened to our brother."

Kaylee nodded and looked at the three brothers.

"Whatever's out here came from down there."

"Dolphin squad?" Gem asked excitedly.

"A real dolphin squad," Kaylee nodded. "Tori, Mike and Jason are all water ninjas. They can go down there and figure out what's going on."

"It's dangerous, though," Scott frowned. "If those things got to Mamello…"

"He had no idea what was coming," Kaylee interrupted before Scott could finish. "Tori and the kids will be better prepared and they'll have more numbers."

"If you're sure," Caleb started. Takeo frowned.

"Of course she's sure," he said. "We've already lost two of our brothers. It's time she lost one of her sisters."

"That's the spirit," Gem muttered, crossing his arms.

-Afterlife-

Tori turned the page of her book before the phone rang again. She was impressed. She had reached 6 minutes of uninterrupted peace.

"Tor!"

"I got it!" Tori shouted to Blake as she reached over and picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"_Hey, it's Kira. I don't know how to say this, so I'll just spit it out. You and the boys are needed for a mission."_

Tori frowned, switching the phone over to her other ear as she put her book down.

"A mission?" she asked.

"_Kaylee's out discovering the world and she's run into a problem. There's something in the ocean and who better to figure out what's down there than you."_

"I'm flattered, but I'm still iffy on having sex after my heart attack… I don't know about a mission…"

"_That's what I thought at first, but if you don't go, Kaylee's going to go at it alone. You know her…"_

"Who's with her?" Tori asked, assuming Kaylee wouldn't go exploring by herself.

"_Well, Eagle Squad, Mamello and the mutants, but…"_

"But?"

"_Something tried to eat Mamello, apparently. I've got B-Squad widening the scan to cover the ocean, but we'll have no idea what's down there until someone checks it out."_

"And they want me and the boys?"

"_Only if you're up for it," Kira said. "I don't want you going out if you're still not feeling up to…"_

"It's my sister, Kir," Tori stated.

"_This is unknown, though."_

"But I know she's my sister, and if I don't go out there to help her, she'll try this alone. She's not stupid, but sometimes…"

"_I get it. I'll be waiting for you in Kiraopolis. I'll tell Kaylee you'll be taking your time."_

"Thanks."

"_And Tor, take your time," Kira pressed. "I don't want you having another attack."_

"I won't. I'll be fine," Tori said before hanging up the phone. She shouted upstairs to Jason, "Screw your homework, Jase! Your Aunt needs you!"


	150. Confined

Mike stared out at the black water with worried etched on his face as he accepted the protective suit Kat from SPD made. Kira knew about the dolphin Squad missions and knew that any humans going down into black water would need protection.

Bridge tugged a bit on the suit as he handed it over to Mike, "You seem worried," he said once he had Mike's attention. The Green Ranger nodded.

"You really expect us to go down there?" he asked his Aunt. "There's some unknown man-eating monster, and your first instinct was to send three of the people you hopefully love the most down to see what's going on?"

"We'll be fine," Kaylee said. "The four of us are going down and Caleb and the others have agreed to jump in the moment we start to notice anything strange going on."

"Speak for yourself, brother," Takeo growled, turning his stare to Caleb. "I won't hurt them, but I won't help them. You felt what that monster did to Mamello. Who's to say he… it… they aren't ravenous mutant eating monsters!"

Caleb looked at his two brothers, both supporting each other as Olivier nodded in agreement with Takeo. He groaned, rolling his eyes before turning back to Kaylee.

"I'll jump in after you," he said. "And when my brothers realise how this could affect us in the Oasis, and hopefully us in Corinth and NewTech soon, they'll help you out too."

Kaylee nodded, "Thanks, guys."

Olivier scoffed, "Whatever."

"So, are you ready?" Sam asked as she looked at her family dressed in the suit that covered them from head to toe.

"It's sticky," Jason whined. He pulled on the fabric and watched it snap back and glue against his skin. Mike chuckled.

"Either you wear this or I get to tell my friends that both my little siblings are blind," he said. He pointed to the black water, "Do you remember what the radiation can do to someone."

"Kill them?" Jason gulped.

"You'll be fine," Tori assured her son before turning back to Kaylee. "So, uh, why exactly are we Dolphin Squad and when the hell did we sign up."

"There is no Dolphin Squad," Kaylee said. "When Colonel Truman came up with the squads he thought we only needed an aerial squad because there was no land or sea to protect outside the dome… I made it up."

"Dolphin Squad," Gem chuckled.

Gemma nodded, "It sounds playful."

"It does," Mike smiled.

"It's serious," Kaylee said. "At some point I hope the planet will be completely restored, and we can't do that if there are things or people attacking us."

"It'll slow down construction," Ryan smirked. "You know, people dying all the time in the middle of their shifts. Talk about sleeping on the job."

Sam smacked her husband, "This is serious! Your cousins and Aunts could die, and you're cracking jokes."

"They said Dolphin Squad was playful!" Ryan pouted, pointing to the twins. Samantha rolled her eyes.

Z stepped forward with a bag. She placed it on the ground and pulled out lights.

"These will attach to your helmets when you're swimming," she said. "Kat made them knowing the water was black. You'll need all the light you can down there."

"I like Kat," Kaylee smiled to Kira as she took her light from Z. "She sounds nice."

Kira nodded, "Are you guys ready to go?"

"I'm not ready to die," Jason said.

"You won't die," Tori assured her son again. "I'll make sure of it."

"Stay safe," Caleb said. He clutched the communicator that Kat upgraded as he waved to his friends going into the water. Takeo stepped in behind him and whispered into his ear.

"If you go down there, she'll let you fall, just like she let Austin and Mamello. She's protecting her own species."

"That war is over!" Caleb shouted, turning around aggressively and shoving his brother aside. "The humans are nice people."

"They're pathetic," Olivier muttered. Caleb growled.

"If you're not going to help then get lost!"

"We're not leaving you, brother…"

"If you're not going to help our friends, you're not my brother," Caleb said before turning his back on Takeo and Olivier. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. We'll always be connected, whether we like it or not."

-Afterlife-

Dolphin Squad was able to swim down into the black ocean, using their lights only to keep them from bumping into rocks and other underwater obstacles. Tori led the way, deeper into the water's depths. Only a few seconds into her swim she had felt something different about the water and was using her senses to figure out what it was.

Soon, the team of four surfaced in an underwater tavern. Kaylee swam to the rocky ledge and pulled her up before proceeding to help her sister and nephews from the water.

"Is this the place giving you weird vibes, Tor?" she asked her sister. Tori nodded her head.

"Yeah, definitely this place," Tori said as she pulled Jason from the water. Kaylee pulled off her suit. There was no sense keeping it if she wasn't going to be in the water anymore. She turned.

"I'm going ahead," she said. "You guys coming?"

"Yeah, one second, Kayl," Tori nodded as she helped Jason out of his suit. Kaylee started her way deeper into the cave. Before long, Mike could no longer see her light. Only darkness.

"Aunt Kayl?" he called, his voice echoing of the walls. Tori turned to her son.

"Where is she?" she asked him. Mike shrugged and pointed.

"She got a head start."

Tori groaned loudly. She picked up her light, "Watch your brother," she ordered Mike.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

"To find my stupid sister!"

"Wait up!" Mike called, pulling Jason to his feet as the boys took off behind their mother.

-Afterlife-

Kaylee placed her hand on the wall for guidance. Her light was already beginning to fade, something she never accounted for when she started this underwater mission. She could no longer hear Mike, Jason or Tori, nor could she see their lights anymore.

"Guys!" she shouted, tapping her light against the palm of her hand, hoping it would start up again. She spun for a moment, hoping to find her was back. "Guys? You were right behind me!"

She took a step forward, in the direction she thought would lead her back to the water, when she suddenly hit a wall. She held her hands up against it, having no memory of a wall being in front of her. She turned around again walking slowing. There could only be so many walls. At some point she would find her way back.

Almost as soon as she started walking she hit another wall. Panic started to set in. Kaylee couldn't see anything. She reached her arms out on both sides.

More walls.

"Guys," she whimpered, hugging herself close as she backed up into another wall. "Tori?"

When her back hit the wall she could feel two more rocky walls pressing up against her arms. Her heart began to race as well as her breathing. She clutched her chest with her hands.

"Tori?" she whimpered again as she tried to stand. She wobbled on her feet, trying to feel for a way out.

"Tori!" she shouted when she couldn't find an escape and fell all four corners of the cave closing in on her. "Tori!" she shouted again.

Kaylee suddenly found herself too weak to stand. She dropped back down to the ground and curled up, making herself as small as possible. She felt she was losing the ability to breathe, like there was no more oxygen left. Before too long she was gasping for breath, like a fish out of water.

Panic quickly took over and Kaylee could feel her senses failing her. She laid on the ground motionless.

Lights began to shine around her as three figured approached her slowly. One light shone down on her body, particularly on her hand.

"She's been cut," one of the figures said in a deep voice.

"That's the mark of our weapons," another added, his voice equally as deep.

"Don't trust her," the final one said, his voice was the deepest of the three. He shone his light on her body, "She's from the surface world."

"You mean…?"

"The Venjix," the third voice said.

"She doesn't look like a robot," the first figure pointed out. "And she doesn't look like she could be a human survivor. The other two were completely deformed."

"I don't know… how else would you explain how she survived her swim underwater _and_ the lack of blood around the wound," the second one said.

"Not to mention the fact that she should be long dead," the third one said. "That poison would kill any human in a matter of seconds. Pick her up, take her back."

The two figures did as they were told and they grabbed Kaylee, dragging her away.

-Afterlife-

Tori, Mike and Jason heard Kaylee's cries from their part of the cave and ran as quickly as they could; following what they believed was the source. It was hard to tell with the echoes, but their ninja training developed their ears to pick up sounds and identify them. Tori could generally tell the difference between Kaylee's real voice and her echo.

They reached an opening in the cave and stopped to catch their breath. It wasn't an opening so much as a spot where the path widened, forming what resembled a room. Tori leaned against the rock to catch her breath while Jason trailed behind, exhausted.

Mike spun around, trying to find any clues that would lead him to his hand. He spun too quickly and almost lost his balance. As he threw his in front of his body to stop his fall, he dropped his light. It rolled on the ground for a brief moment before stopping. Mike pushed himself up and went to grab it when he noticed a footprint in the ground. It was smaller than his and looked like the print of a shoe.

He shone the light in the direction the shoeprint was headed and noticed it led to a small space where part of the wall came out, forming little secluded room. When he checked the prints on the ground, he noticed they were scattered everywhere, like whoever had been down here was trapped in this small space, unable to find their way out.

"Mom," he whispered, waving his mother and brother over. As they joined him he pointed to the ground, "That's Aunt Kaylee's shoes."

"Where is Kaylee then?" Tori asked.

Jason shrugged, "Stuck between a rock and a hard place."

Tori glared at her youngest son, "That's not funny."

"C'mon, mom," Jason pouted, shrugging his shoulders. Suddenly his light flashed on something different. He pushed past his mother and knelt down, touching the dirt. "It was shifted," he whispered.

"What?" Mike asked, approaching his little brother. Jason stood up and shone the light down on the ground, showing his brother and mother the trail.

"It looks like she was dragged away," he said.

"By what?" Mike asked. "We're the only ones down here."

"You remember Aunt Kaylee asked us to come down because she thought were weren't the only ones here, right?" Jason pointed out.

"There have to be more footprints then," Tori said, keeping her gaze on the ground as she looked around, close to the trail where she and her sons assumed Kaylee had been dragged away. Tori could already picture what happened to Kaylee, based on where her footprints stopped. Suddenly she found what she had been looking for. "Boys!" she called her sons over and pointed to the ground, where a footprint similar to the one they found on the beach, was marked.

"There's something down here," Jason whispered. Tori nodded, pulling out her communicator.

"They have my sister," she growled.

-Afterlife-

When Kaylee woke up she was still in a dark room. There was a little light, allowing her to see the shapes around her, but not enough to make out what they were.

Her panic settled a little when she stood up and felt she could walk around, unlike where she had been before, but her relief was short lived when she felt something tugging on her wrists and ankles. She touched her wrists and she could feel the shackles that had been placed when she was passed out. She turned around, following the chains until she reached a wall. Panic set in once again and Kaylee started tugging, hoping the large shackles and chains would simply snap when she pulled.

She back up until she felt the tug again and pulled harder. Her heart raced for the second time that day and Kaylee felt her chest beginning to tighten.

She didn't hear the squeaking of her prison opening up as a figure walked in.

"Pull all you want," he said, startling an already scared Kaylee, "You'll never get out."

Kaylee whimpered and sunk to the ground as she started to sob. She continued to pull on her restraints.

The figure sighed loudly, "Persist if you want. I have all day."

Kaylee did just that. She continued to pull, almost like if she tried hard enough, the impossible would happen. She figure sighed again and leaned against the wall of her prison, just watching her.

Kaylee pulled roughly with one arm before completely giving up. She threw herself forward so she was lying on her stomach and started crying loudly. The figure began to groan.

"Wimp," he muttered, turning his back on her as he left the prison. He slammed the door shut and locked it. At the very moment the lock clicked he heard Kaylee's screaming get louder.

"What happened in there?" another figure asked, his body covered from head to toe in armour. The first figure shrugged.

"I doubt she's a robot," he said. "She's in there throwing a temper tantrum."

"A temper tantrum?" the guard chuckled. "She's not a child, I can tell you that."

"Whatever you do, don't fall for it," the figure said, placing a hand on the guard's shoulder as he walked past. "It's likely a trap or an escape plan. As long as we have her where she want her, she's not a threat."

"Are we sure she's one of the others? Maybe she's just a lucky…"

"She doesn't look like the other two we've collected. She must be a robot designed to look like us."

"Whatever. As long as I don't have to go out there again to collect another one," the guard tapped his foot against the cave walls, scraping off some of the sand that stuck to his large and oddly shaped boot. It was shaped like a foot, only slightly bigger, with a special room at the end for toes. Almost like a glove version of a boot. "Those first two things were creepy looking, and this one won't shut up."

The guard slammed his fist against the door to the prison, "Quiet!" he shouted.

"We'll figure what she is and if she's a threat to humanity. Until then, block her out. If we want answers, we'll need to keep this one alive."


	151. Dolphin Squad's Mission

Everyone stood huddled around the communicator as they received a message from Tori.

"_Someone's taken her. We'll need as many of you down here as possible."_

Kira looked up at Eagle Squad and B Squad, "You heard her, guys."

"How are we going to breathe until we get down there?" Ryan asked.

"Until you figure it out, I'm going down," Caleb said, pulling off his clothes. He turned to his brothers, "Now the time, if you want to help…"

"We're only going for you," Takeo said as he nodded to Olivier, and both stripped off their clothing. Caleb led them to the water and dove in.

"The mutants are down," Kira told Tori, "We still need to wait until there's another way down. We're not water ninjas."

"_Just hurry up."_

-Afterlife-

The door to Kaylee's prison opened up as the figure walked in. Just for kicks, he held the door open and watched as Kaylee jumped to her feet and tried to run for escape, only for her restraints to pull on her wrists and ankles and yank her back forcefully onto the ground. A sob escaped her lips. Kaylee didn't know what to do with herself.

The figure chuckled before slamming the door and he heard Kaylee whimpering.

"You're claustrophobic, aren't you?"

Kaylee couldn't find her voice. As she could do was curl up into a ball and shake.

The figure shook his head, "Terrible programming on your master's part," he said as he pulled out a blade. "Did he mess up somewhere?"

Again, Kaylee didn't answer. The figure played with the blade, and Kaylee could see it shinning in the dim light. It didn't help her fear.

"Maybe you'll talk if there's something in it for you," the figure said. "The sooner you tell us who you are and what you and those other two freaks were doing, the sooner we'll end this miserable sentence."

There was still nothing from Kaylee, and the figure was growing impatient. He had waited a day for her to calm down, but it seemed he was going to get nowhere with this one.

"Maybe the claustrophobia works to your advantage," he mused. "You're not going to talk… I might just have to kill you."

Kaylee shook with terror, but never once turned to get a look at her figure. She was too busy trying to keep herself alive.

"Maybe I'll move you to a small cell," the figure said. "Tighten the leash a little bit. That should be fun."

He knelt down beside Kaylee, getting right up in her face, "Talk."

-Afterlife-

Caleb looked down at the prints in the dirt, "She was dragged off?"

"Jason seems to think so," Tori nodded, "And I agree."

"Aunt K's claustrophobic," Mike explained, "It hasn't been bad over the years, but apparently she was spinning around in that hole for a while. It could have triggered it again and the monster took off with her."

"You live inside a domed city, and you elect a leader who doesn't like enclosed spaces?" Olivier chuckled, "Tell me what the logic there is."

"Her husband and a plastic duck," Jason muttered. Olivier turned to him, a little surprised. Jason shrugged, "It's true. She calls it Ducky."

"The duck, not her husband," Tori specified before she stepped forward, "You ready to follow the trail?"

"Don't need too," Takeo whispered, tugging on his ear, "I hear something."

"It's probably our echo…"

"It's not," Takeo took the lead, "Follow me."

-Afterlife-

The figure stepped out of the prison, alerting the guard. He jumped to his feet.

"So?"

"You wanted her to shut up," the figure groaned, slamming the door shut, "She didn't say a word."

He wiped his dagger against his pants, cleaning off the blood. The guard pointed to the instrument.

"You…"

The figure nodded.

"Are you sure it was coated in poison?"

"Of course I'm sure!" the figure shouted. "I'm not a fuck up!"

The guard noticed the streaks of blood on the figures baggy pants, as well as the stains on his hands.

"She bled?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe she is human," the guard suggested. "Maybe there really is a city up there."

"The Venjix Empire?" the figure groaned. "How long do I have to waste my time with you? If any humans survived, they live, breathe and work for Venjix! It doesn't matter if she bleeds or not. She's a robot!"

-Afterlife-

"I hear human voices," Olivier whispered. He quickly turned to face Tori, "And it's not our echo."

"What are they saying, then?"

"Her blood."

The colour drained from Tori's face. Mike grabbed her hand.

"Mom…"

"Which way?" Tori asked the mutants. The all pointed straight ahead. Tori stepped forward, but Mike held her back.

"Mom…"

"I'll go with her," Caleb offered. "You boys stay back in case we need you."

"You don't know how many there are!" Jason frowned. Caleb turned to him and smiled.

"Two," he said before nodding to Tori, "Ready?"

Mike reluctantly let go of his mother's hand. It was situation like this that would cause her to have another heart attack and down here she wouldn't get any help.

Tori bolted ahead, following Caleb through the cave maze until she could hear her sister's kidnappers for herself. She picked up her speed, impressing Caleb as she followed the source of the noise. Before long, she felt herself running into someone. She grabbed him and slammed him against the rock hard wall of the cave. Caleb rushed in after her, grabbing the other person.

"Where is she?" Tori hissed, slamming her victim hard against the wall before getting a good look at him. It was man, a regular human man, with jet black hair and dark eyes. He wasn't much taller than Tori herself, making it easier to lift him off his feet. However, he hardly struggled.

Caleb held the armoured man in his grip. His man was struggling, trying to get freed. Caleb didn't want to waste time with a coward, so he tossed him, with one arm, into the wall.

The guard's helmet fell off, revealing a head of blond hair, now stained with blood.

"Another robot and a freak," the man with black hair said when he looked at Tori. "Venjix made you all alike, didn't he?"

"Where is my sister?" Tori shouted.

Jason, Mike, Olivier and Takeo appeared from the darkness after having heard all the noises from their hideout. Jason ran over to his mother while Mike looked around. Olivier and Takeo leaned against the wall.

Jason touched his mother's arm, "Mom, he's human."

"I don't care," Tori hissed. "I'll kill him in an instant if he doesn't tell me where Kaylee is."

Caleb grabbed Tori's arms, pulling her away from her man.

"You're not a murderer," he told her before glaring at the man, "But I am."

He grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and held up his fist, "Talk to her, or I'll smash your skull with a punch."

"Unlike your _sister_, I'm not afraid."

"Have it your way," Caleb told the man before letting his fist fly. The man slumped down and laid motionless on the ground.

"Mom!" Mike called as he pointed to a door. He pressed his ear against it and knocked, "Aunt K?"

His hand slid to the doorknob and he twisted it, surprised to find it was unlocked. He pushed the door opened and held up his light. It flashed on Kaylee, who was lying flat on the ground, "Aunt Kayl!"

Tori pushed past her son and dropped beside Kaylee, scooping her up in her arms. Kaylee reacted almost instantly, wrapping her arms around Tori, taking comfort in her sister.

Mike approached his mother and Aunt and shone his light down on the two of them, giving Kaylee the chance to finally see. Jason shone his light in the prison and even picked up his mother's light. The more Kaylee could see, the less she would fear.

Caleb stood by the door, holding it open. Takeo and Olivier approached him.

"You murdered him," Olivier whispered. Caleb nodded.

"It's not the first time we tried," he said. "It's the second time I succeed, though."

Caleb pointed to the body of the guard, "He's dead too."

"You killed for the humans," Takeo frowned. He wore a disgusted look on his face. Caleb nodded.

"The humans are good people."

"They stole my father from me… they stole my school!"

"The man who did that is dead," Caleb reminded him, "And he's dead because of you. You have just as much blood on your hands as I do. Difference is, I'm not still out to kill the woman most innocent in this affaire!"

"That school belongs to my family!" Takeo growled. Olivier couldn't help but agree.

"What family?" Caleb asked his brother, his voice now a low growl. "You can take it back, but in a matter of years, you'll still have to pass it on. Save yourself the trouble and let go."

Caleb turned back to the prison, "I doubt there were only two of them," he said. "We'll need to come up with a plan."

"Back to the surface," Mike said. "We'll fight them on our turf. No more surprises."

"I say we just get Gem and Gemma to blow this place up," Jason said. "There are four more oceans; we can live without this one."

"You want to blow the water to bits?" Mike frowned. "How's that going to work?"

"Gem and Gemma will figure it out."

"Boys," Tori whispered, "Not now."

Caleb walked over to Kaylee's chains and ripped them from her arms, leaving only the shackles. He could have tried to rip them off, but he risked hurting Kaylee by doing so.

"We'll go back to the surface," he said. "We'll figure out what to do up there with everyone else."

-Afterlife-

Kira draped a blanket over Kaylee's shoulders while Tori continued to hold her tight. Kaylee shivered, both from being wet and from fear. It was a long trip up to the surface and there were very few ways to dry everyone off once they were up. Most were left to air dry.

Tori rubbed the blankets on Kaylee's arms to warm her up slightly when she could hear Kaylee's teeth chattering. She pulled her little sister in closer to her body.

Bridge was the first to break the silence, "So… they were human?"

Caleb nodded, "Just like you."

"What are we going to do now?" Scott sighed, putting away his blaster as he sat on a rock. "We can't attack humans."

"They attacked us, it's only fair," Takeo shrugged.

"I think it's just a misunderstanding," Jason spoke up. "That one guy called mom a robot."

Mike looked down at his little brother, "Yeah, but the last misunderstanding we had was with them," he said as he pointed to Takeo and the other mutants. Jason gulped.

"This looks bad."

Kaylee muttered something barely audible under her breath. Tori hugged her sister.

"What was that?" she asked, pulling Kaylee's hair back behind her shoulders.

"I don't feel good," Kaylee whispered. Suddenly her body jerked forward and she threw up. Jason and Ben jumped back and out of the way, afraid to be hit with the projectiles. Tori rubbed her sister's back and looked up at Kira.

Kira was slightly worried. Tori smiled softly.

"She used to do this when she was little and got really scared," she assured the yellow Ranger.

"Is it always that colour?" Sam asked her Aunt as she pointed to the red in the dirt. Tori looked over Kaylee's shoulder and shook her head.

Caleb knelt down beside Kaylee and wrapped the blanket back around her securely. He placed one arm around her shoulder and the other under her knees before he lifted her up.

"It might have something to do with the injuries, the poison and the radiation in the water," he said. "We should take her back to the cities."

"Mike and I will go get Ducky," Sam said, gazing over at her cousin. Mike nodded, ready to help.

Jason whined, "Aw, man. Does this mean I have to go to school?"

"After you're checked out by the doctor for radiation poisoning," Tori said. "We should all be checked."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kira nodded.

"We'll stay out here," Scott said, standing up with Gem and Gemma beside him. Bridge nodded.

"If those guys come back, we'll need to hold them off," he said. "NewTech and Corinth aren't ready for an attack."

"You guys…"

"We'll be fine," Z smiled, interrupting her commander. "This is part of the job."

"On our way back we'll get the RPM Rangers," Mike promised. "The more help, the safer we all are."

"We'll wait right here," Gem said. "If we're not here, something's happened and we're in trouble."

Mike nodded, "I'll remember that," he turned to Sam, "Ducky then Aunt K then here. I'll race you."

"You forget, I'm the twin with super speed," Sam smirked, taking off in a flash of light. Mike grinned.

"She's always forgetting I'm a ninja," he said before ninja streaking back to the city.


	152. Kaylee's Fate

Dustin fiddled with Engel's car seat as he tried to fit it in to the back of his car. He and Samantha had received the news of Kaylee's adventure in the wastelands and were wasting no time getting to the hospital to visit her.

Samantha chewed on her nails as she waited by the car. Something didn't feel right at all about this. Her stomach was in knots. She had tried to warn her father earlier, but he didn't listen. Now something was hurting her mother and her feeling was getting worse.

"No, daddy!" Christian said, reaching over from his car seat to help his father buckle Engel's seat in. "Like that, see?"

"What would we do without you, buddy?" Dustin said in relief before pulling Engel up and buckling her in. He slammed the door shut and turned to Samantha, "You ready?"

Samantha nodded and rushed into the passenger seat. Hopefully there was still something she could do to help her mother. She had already lost one.

Just as the car pulled out of the driveway, Mike and Samantha hopped the back fence. Dustin and Samantha didn't see them as they pulled away, causing the two cousins to groan loudly.

"Dammit," Sam said, kicking the dirt. "Now how are we supposed to get in?"

Mike walked up to the door and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. He let out a breath and turned to Samantha.

"Hayden's got a spare key at her place."

"She also has a new baby. Should we really bug her?" Sam asked. Mike shrugged.

"I didn't like hearing the news, but when mom had her heart attack I was glad everyone told me," Mike said.

"But shouldn't Uncle Dustin or Senior tell her?"

Mike pointed to the car driving off in the distance, "I doubt Hayden's the first thing on their minds, right now. At least she'll still be hearing it from family."

"Good point," Samantha nodded. "I'll race you again."

"No shoving, this time!" Mike called after her as she took off.

-Afterlife-

Caleb stood up when he saw Kira coming back into the waiting room after having been with Kaylee.

"How is she?" he asked. Kira shrugged.

"Panicked. She doesn't like the small room and she won't let Tori leave her side. It sounds like there's a murder going on. Security's been called to keep people away and calm, especially in the rooms next to hers."

"Why don't they just sedate her already?" Takeo grumbled.

"Tori's talking her into it but Kaylee's refusing to let anyone near her, especially if they have a needle in their hands."

"Don't you know the doctors here, though?" Olivier asked. "Can't you get one of them to talk her down?"

"David's off work right now and Leanne's tied up," Kira said. "There's nothing we can do."

Takeo shifted in his seat slightly before standing up, "I'm going for a snack."

A feeling of vengeance hit Caleb and the Kiwi jumped up from his seat and rushed Takeo, pinning him against the wall.

"I told you to drop it," he hissed.

"Mamello made a promise for us," Takeo growled. "He promised he'd keep us under control. I never made any promises that I would side with them! That Academy is mine and I still have an honour killing to do!"

Kira walked over, "You're not still mad at Leanne, are you?" she asked.

Takeo pushed his brother away and turned to Kira, "Her father took something from me. I need to take something from him."

"Her father's dead!" Kira shouted, until she realised it was frightening the other patients. She grabbed Takeo's arm and lowered her voice. "If you kill Leanne you'll just be reuniting her with her father. The way I see it, by leaving Leah alone, you've taken her away from her father. Whatever you believe in, Sensei Omino can't be with his daughter, just like you can't be with your father."

"But I…"

"If you even think about hurting Leanne I'm going to make sure that you're never allowed inside Corinth or NewTech city walls, and your brothers are going to be welcomed with open arms. If you murder her, you're going to live out the rest of your miserable mutant life alone in the wastelands with no one to keep you company, do you understand me?" Kira growled.

Takeo nodded. Kira continued to glare at him for a moment before turning around. Olivier walked over to his brother.

"She's small, but I don't think I would mess with her," he said.

"She's right, though," Caleb sighed. "Before this whole Venjix thing, I believed in heaven. I believed that no matter what you did, when you died you went up to heaven. Whether you share my beliefs or not, if you kill Leanne, she'll get to see her father again, and he'll get to see her. Truth be told, she's probably miserable enough without her father around. That's enough to kill her slowly."

Takeo scoffed, "Fine."

"Now will you work with them?" Caleb asked his brother. "Forget what they've done, and what we've done for that matter and focus on what they're doing. They're good people, and right now they're the only ones who see us for what we truly are."

"Mutated monsters?"

"Humans."

Takeo sighed loudly as he turned to Olivier. Both nodded and smiled at their brother.

"Okay," Takeo said. "We're good."

-Afterlife-

Hayden handed over the spare keys to her parent's house to Mike, "Are you sure mom's going to be okay?" she asked, worried.

Mike nodded, "Aunt Kayl's a trouper, Hayden," he assured his cousin. "And worse come to worse, I'm sure you can sneak a few ounces of blood into her system."

Hayden sighed, "Flynn still won't let me. Not while I'm still breastfeeding. He's super paranoid about stuff like this."

"That's a worst case scenario," Sam smiled. "Aunt Kayl's got her own healing factor, anyways. I'm sure she's just terrified and that's why she's sick. You remember how sick she got when the bathroom door locked her inside for two hours."

"She's never locked the door since," Hayden chuckled. "I've accidentally walked in on her many times since then."

"Well, Ducky will help her out," Mike said. "Then Sam and I are going out to the wastes to help our teams."

"I'll let you guys know when I hear news about mom," Hayden nodded. "I'd go to the hospital, but I don't want Addie near anyone with radiation. I'm nervous about you two just inside the house."

"She'll heal."

"I'm still nervous."

"We'll get out of your hair then," Mike said. He opened the door and Samantha walked out. "Good luck, Hay."

"You'll need it more than I do."

-Afterlife-

Leanne pulled herself up from the couch when she noticed her break was over and walked to the sink to dump the rest of her coffee out. She had just finished delivering quadruplets and needed some rest, as well as peace and quiet, something the poor parents weren't going to hear for eighteen years starting today.

Just as she turned to the door she noticed David rushing in.

"Whoa, I thought you had the day off," she said. "What are you doing here?"

David held up a small hand-held computer, something all doctors kept on their person at all times in case of emergency.

"Paged in. Ronny's already working on a number of ways to burn this hospital down."

"I'm sure Cam's thinking the same," Leanne nodded. "I should have been in NewTech, closer to him for a dinner date, but apparently you guys were short staffed here today, and there were four extra patients."

"Four?"

"Quadruplets," Leanne nodded, "I just gave birth to them this morning."

"Wow, you look great!" David chuckled. He walked to the lockers and opened his up. He threw on his jacket and pinned on his ID.

Leanne smiled before her computer went off, "I'm needed ASAP."

David's computer beeped again, "Me too."

"There you are!" one of the nurses called as she rushed into the break room with a file in her hand, "We've been looking for you."

"I told you I was on break," Leanne said.

The nurse shook her head, "Both of you. The Commander's in and we've got some bad news for her."

"What kind of news?" David asked, reaching for the files. The nurse handed them over without a word.

Leanne stood behind David and read over his shoulder. David was slightly quicker and once he reached the bottom he slammed his hand over the file and placed papers on top of it.

Leanne frowned, "Hey, I wasn't done."

"You don't want to read it," David assured her.

"Yeah, I kinda do," Leanne nodded, "out in wastelands, huge absorption of radiation and an unknown poison, interference with her regeneration abilities, what else?"

"Everyone thought it was best if the Commander heard it from you two," the nurse said. "Seeing as you're both family and such."

"Heard what?" Leanne asked.

"You can have another look," the nurse continued. "You can try more tests. Both of you have more knowledge on powers than the entire staff, you'll know if there's something we missed."

"No," David shook his head, "Most doctors here have been briefed and they've covered everything."

"There's something you're not telling me," Leanne said. "I need to know."

"I'll go talk to the Commander and her family. I'll set everything up for when you talk to her," the nurse said. She turned to the door and left.

"David…" Leanne started before David handed her Kaylee's file. He walked her back to the couch before she could read it and sat her down. While she finished the document, David wiped his eyes.

The papers suddenly dropped out of Leanne's hands. David dropped down beside her and hugged her.

-Afterlife-

Dustin squeezed Ducky, trying to make his wife smile as he sat on her bed with her wrapped in his arms. Kaylee clutched onto Ducky as she took comfort in having her family around her.

_QUACK!_

Tori opened the last window, hoping it would help give Kaylee the illusion that she wasn't trapped in the room.

Samantha sat on a chair looking up at her mother, the bad feeling in her stomach growing worse as time went on.

Tori sat beside her niece, "Engel and Chris…"

"With Aunt Kira," Samantha answered. She stood up, "Mom…"

Dustin hushed her, "Not right now, Sammy. Give your mother room."

"Dad, remember that feeling…"

"You were right, sweetheart," Dustin nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"No, dad…"

The door to the room opened as David and Leanne walked in. Tori stood up to offer them a seat, assuming they had been on their feet all day. Both doctors shook their heads.

"It's just family in here?" David asked.

Tori nodded, "The nurse told us you were coming… what's happened?"

"The radiation's poisoned Kaylee's blood," David started. "It's been absorbed and infected every cell."

"That's… not good news," Tori frowned, turning to Dustin before looking back at the doctors. "T-there's always good news…"

"The doctors have been over every option," David continued, looking to Samantha, "Nothing's going to help."

"I figured as much," Samantha sighed. "I kissed her when I came in and…"

"Nothing?" David asked. "That's what we've got here too."

"It's the radiation, isn't it?" Dustin asked, squeezing Kaylee tighter. David nodded his head.

"Okay," Tori said, "but there's always good news… what's the good news."

"It'll still take some time… but…" David trailed off as his eyes filled with tears. He pulled off his glasses to wipe them away. All eyes turned to Leanne.

She shook her head, unable to find the words to say it. She walked over to Kaylee while jotting something down on the back of the documents in her hands. She took Kaylee's hand in hers as she turned it around slowly.

_I'm sorry_.

It didn't quite clue in for Dustin, partly due to denial, and partly because he had no idea what Leanne was doing. Kaylee, however, understood immediately. Leanne had done the same thing when she told Kaylee Samantha had died.

Kaylee's grip on Ducky tightened.

_QUAAAaaaaa…_

Mid-Quack, his squeaker failed, dying suddenly.

"We're really sorry, Kaylee," David finally spoke, breaking the painful silence in the room. "We'll double check everything, but I doubt it's going to change the outcome."

"What outcome?" Samantha asked. The question had been on her mind since Leanne and David walked in and she wanted an answer. David turned to her but Dustin shook his head as the pieces fell into place.

"Sammy, go wait outside with Aunt Kira."

"But…"

"Go," Dustin ordered.

"Dad, I'm not a kid!"

Dustin crawled off the bed and walked to the door. He ripped it open and pointed into the hallway.

"GET OUT!" he shouted to his daughter.

Samantha looked at her mother, then to her father. She sighed loudly and walked into the hallway.

Dustin turned to David and Leanne. His body beginning to shake in pure anger, "Both of you get out," he growled.

David stepped forward, "Dustin, I know this is hard…"

"OUT!" Dustin yelled.

"C'mon," Leanne whispered, pulling David out of the room.

Tori stood up, "I'll leave as well…"

"No," Kaylee whimpered and Tori turned around. She saw the papers Leanne dropped, with the words _I'm sorry_ printed on the back. Her heart sunk and her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her baby sister.

Dustin slammed the door shut and sunk to the ground. He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head as he sobbed loudly.


	153. Slipping Away

Bridge looked out at the water as Scott walked up behind him.

"Do you really think they're coming?" Scott asked his fellow red. Bridge shrugged.

"I don't know. We got Kaylee back; surely they'd be looking for her."

"What do we do if they don't come up?" Gemma asked.

"Consider ourselves lucky, I guess," Z said. "Who knows what these guys can do. They've killed two already and they almost killed Kaylee."

"We just wait, I guess," Bridge sighed.

-Afterlife-

"Sammy…"

"Get lost," Samantha growled, pushing her brother aside when he came to comfort her. She rested her head in her hands as she sat down on the chairs.

Kira walked over with Engel, trying to hand the young child off, but Samantha wouldn't take her.

"Call Vanessa," Samantha grumbled. "I don't want to play mom today."

"Mommy?" Engel called, reaching out for her mother. Samantha shook her head.

"No."

Kira sighed and walked over to Caleb. She handed Engel over, as well as the baby bag.

"Take her to Mike and Vanessa's house," she said. "The address is in the bag. I trust you, and only you."

Caleb took the child and nodded. Kira turned around, back to Samantha. The young Angel obviously wasn't in a good state. She sat down beside her niece and wrapped her in her arms.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," Samantha whispered, "They just walked in, said nothing but bad things about mom and…"

"What kind of bad things?" Kira asked. Christian came back over, curious as to why his sister was crying. Kira pulled him in, holding him close as well.

"Just bad things, okay?" Samantha said. "Then dad kicked me out! I just wanted to know…"

"Hey, shh," Kira hugged her niece, "It'll be okay."

"I tried," Samantha muttered softly, "I tried to help, it wouldn't work. They said nothing will."

"Call your sister," Kira said, reaching for her cell phone. Samantha took it and stared at it for a moment before throwing it across the room. The phone shattered when it hit the wall. "Sammy…"

"It won't work!" Samantha shouted, pushing her Aunt and brother away. "It won't work! They said they've checked everything."

"What's happening?" Christian asked as he started to panic. He had never seen his sister in such a state.

Tori finally came into the waiting room. She picked up Christian and looked to Kira, "I'm, uh… going to take Sammy and Chris back to Kaylee and Dustin's."

Kira nodded, "Probably a good idea," she said as she looked over at Samantha. She was clearly upset and in bad shape. Kira still wanted to know what had happened, but she wasn't going to get a straight answer from Sammy. "Tori…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Tori whispered as a fresh set of tears formed in her eyes. "Just call Hayden and…"

"You're getting all the kids?"

"This is serious, Kira," Tori snapped aggressively and Christian's eyes widened in terror. He'd never seen his Aunt so mean towards his Aunt Kira.

"Tori…"

"Just phone the other kid!" Tori shouted and Christian started to wail. Tori balled her fists before setting him down. Christian ran straight to Kira, hiding behind her legs.

"Okay," Kira said, giving in. "But I'll need your phone. I lost mine."

Tori ripped her phone out of her pocket and threw it at Kira, "Take the bloody thing. I don't need it."

Kira dialled a number.

"Blake? Can you come pick Tori up at the hospital? … No, she's fine, I promise. Thanks."

Tori growled, "Not Blake…"

"You're not driving," Kira stated, ripping the keys from Tori's hands. "Whatever happened in there is obviously hurting you and it's not safe for you to drive."

"Give me the fucking keys," Tori hissed. "Call Hayden, and give me the keys."

"Tori, calm down, you're going to give yourself another…"

"I don't give a damn, Kira!" Tori shouted. "Kaylee's dying and there's nothing we can do about it!"

Kira's face fell and her jaw hit the floor as she stared up at Tori. She suddenly launched herself into the blonde's arms as Tori began to cry.

-Afterlife-

When Blake arrived at the hospital he found Tori, Samantha and Christian in tears. He tried to ask what happened, but no one would answer. Without pressing the subject he got his family into the car.

Kira waited for them at the hospital doors. When Blake was sure everyone was safely in the car he walked over to Kira.

"Look, whatever's happened…"

"Just be there for them, okay?" Kira said, still wiping away her own tears, a job made impossible by the constant production. She was deeply worried for her friend, her best friend, and unless a miracle happened, nothing would ever be the same again.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Blake asked. "Staying here…"

"Dustin's probably no better than those guys," Kira nodded. "I'll stay back with him and Kayl… keep them company, you know?"

Blake sighed, "I guess…"

"I'll be fine," Kira forced a smile, "When have I ever been one to give into my emotions?"

Blake nodded before hugging his friend, "Okay. You take it easy, though," he said before turning around. Kira did the same and entered the hospital. When she was behind the door, Blake pulled out his phone and dialled Conner's number. Kira wasn't as strong as she pretended to be.

-Afterlife-

When she got to Kaylee and Dustin's place, Samantha stormed up the stairs and into her bedroom.

"Samantha…" Tori called after her niece, but she knew nothing was going to bring the Angel down.

Christian tugged on her pants, "What's happening?" he asked.

Tori looked over to the kitchen, where Blake was looking around for some food. He still didn't know what was going on, but he had never seen his wife, niece or nephew in such a state and assumed he was going to be playing father to them for a while. He wanted to make them something to eat, whether they were going to eat it or not (though Christian did have the appetite of a hungry lion).

Tori pointed to the living room, "Just go play until your sister gets here," she ordered the young boy.

"Mommy okay?" Christian asked.

Tori nodded. She couldn't tell him the truth yet. She didn't think she would ever truly be able to tell the truth to anyone.

"Yeah, buddy," she said. "Mommy's fine."

Satisfied with this answer, Christian ran into the living room and dumped his toy box. Normally Tori would have been bothered by the mess, but there was no sense picking on the small details. The young boy deserved to have as much fun as he could before his heart was smashed.

Christian grabbed his big truck and all his power Ranger action figures. He lined the Rangers up against the villains. He placed his father's action figure on top of the truck and had him run over all the bad guys, his favourite game, and Gem and Gemma loved to play it as well when they had the chance.

"You won't get away with this!" he shouted, holding Dustin up. He grabbed the Venjix doll.

"Oh no, all my files are being deleted! Help me, Tenaya 7!"

He grabbed the Tenaya 7 doll, "No way, Venjix!" he made her cry. "I'm a good guy now! I'll never work for you again!"

Tori couldn't help but chuckle as Christian slammed Dustin and Dawn against Venjix, killing off the virus in his own creative way.

Blake walked over with a plate of reheated leftovers, most of which were finger foods. He offered the tray to his wife.

"Take something," he whispered quietly. Tori shook her head.

"I'm not hungry," she said. Blake pulled her into the living room.

"Chris, come and get it!" he called, almost joyously. Christian dashed over, popping the small snacks in his mouth until Tori pulled the tray away. Just because she wasn't hungry, didn't mean she wasn't going to eat it later.

"That's enough," she told him. Christian grabbed one more snack before going back to his toys.

Blake sat down on the couch, "Please, Tor, before Hayden gets here… what happened?"

"I can't say it," Tori shook her head sadly as the tears threatened to fall. Blake touched her arm.

"Babe… you look like Kaylee just died… is that…?"

Tori nodded her head slowly, "Kinda… dying."

That was easier to say, Tori found. Easier than just blurting it out, like it meant nothing. Blake's face fell as he wrapped his wife in his arms. He couldn't imagine how much this was hurting her. He knew if anything happened to Hunter he would be in pieces, though that was just from his perspective, the younger sibling perspective. Tori and Hunter had it differently. They were taking care of Kaylee and Blake and had a bond and feelings for their younger siblings that Kaylee and Blake would never feel.

"Tor…" was all he could manage to say to her as Tori started sobbing loudly. He didn't need to know what happened, how it happened or if there was anything that could help. The '_what ifs'_ were useless at this point. It was just the '_what'_ that meant anything. Kaylee was dying. That was all that mattered.

Christian looked up from his game. His Aunt was crying again. He knew something was wrong.

He reached over to the Green Power Ranger toy, his mother's toy, and held it in his small hands. He never played with the girl Ranger toys. They were girls; girls were yucky. They had cooties, or so his buddy Hayden said. Even mommies had cooties.

But something was wrong with his mother and Christian forgot all about the disease. He held the toy in his grip and walked over to his Aunt and Uncle. He crawled up on their laps and just sat with them. He let Tori wrap her arms around him, kiss him and play with his hair. He let Blake pat and rub him on the thigh gently. All he needed, and all they needed, was someone close.

The front door opened and Hayden walked in quietly. She had no idea what was going on, but Kira told her it was bad news and she was to meet with her Aunt and Uncle at her parent's house. She dropped Adeline off at the garage so Flynn could care for her while she was here and rushed over.

She stepped into the living room but Blake pointed upstairs.

"Go get your sister," he said, hiding Tori and Christian's faces. Hayden didn't need the news broken yet.

Hayden nodded and bolted up the stairs. Samantha was going to be in one of two places, the bedrooms or the bathroom.

The pink Ranger didn't feel like walking in on something private, so she decided to go to the bedrooms first. She walked to her sister's room and knocked.

"Sammy?"

There was no answer. Hayden knocked again.

"Sammy? It's Hayden."

Hayden heard some shuffling from behind the door before it opened. Samantha didn't say anything or make eye contact as she pulled the door open. She simply let her sister in, walked back to her bed and hugged her angel teddy bear to her chest.

Hayden looked around the room. She hadn't been in there since she moved out. It had been a guest bedroom before Samantha came back to Earth a few years ago, but once it was converted, Hayden felt she wasn't allowed to go in without permission, even after her sister moved out.

She looked at the many pictures in the room. Most were scroll paintings of Sam and Engel, before Engel died and was reincarnated, but there were some photos of Sam and her birth family.

Many of the decorations were angel related: figurines, posters, the blankets and pillow cases. Samantha was an angel after all. To top it all off, the room was coloured in a light shade of pink. Pink was always Samantha's colour. It never truly belonged to anyone else in the family but Samantha. Hayden only wanted there to be an RPM pink so she could have the position and honour her sister.

The room seemed rather peaceful. Hayden finally understood why her sister was always so rested when she lived here, even after Engel was born – or rather, appeared. However, Samantha didn't seem at peace.

"What's happened?" Hayden asked, sitting beside her sister on the bed. Samantha shrugged. She could talk to her sister, but no one else.

"Something bad."

"What?"

"Dad won't tell me. But it's something to do with mom. She's in the hospital."

Hayden frowned. She had no idea of any of this. "What?"

"She was out in the wastes with Eagle Squad and NewTech Squad… I don't know the details. All I know is she's sick and no one's telling me what's going on."

Hayden had her suspicions when she heard this, but she didn't want to voice them out of fear of upsetting Samantha, and fear of learning the truth.

"Is she okay?" she asked her sister.

"She's awake," Samantha nodded. "She's fine for now… but I'm getting the impression that it's not going to last."

"You mean, she'll get… sicker?"

"I think she's dying," Samantha said, getting straight to the point. If her father wasn't going to tell her, or Hayden, it was best Hayden heard it from her, not from anyone else downstairs. Christian wouldn't fully understand what's happening until it happened, and Tori and Blake were different. They were old.

Hayden didn't seem all that surprised to Samantha, but Samantha figured she had just assumed right away. Hayden could pick up on these things easily.

Hayden finally spoke, "I could…"

"I've already tried," Samantha said, "and nothing. There's too much radiation and poison. It interferes with the healing cells in her body, and it would interfere with our powers in her body… at least that's what I've come up with. Whether that's true or not, that doesn't change the fact that mom's probably dying and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Mom's don't die," Hayden whispered. "Aunt Tori had two heart attacks and she didn't die…"

"My mom died," Samantha said. "I'm raising her, remember?"

"But… you had a spare mom. I… I don't have… if mom dies, that's…"

"Yeah," Samantha nodded. "Which is why I wish someone would just tell me what's going on! I don't like not knowing."

There was a knock on the door, "Girls?" Blake called. "Are you coming downstairs?"

Samantha shook her head, "No."

"Sammy…"

"Hayden, no," Samantha growled, grabbing her sister's arm. She pulled Hayden back onto the bed and held her protectively. She didn't want to find out the truth from her Uncle Blake or her Aunt Tori. She wanted her father to say it. She wanted to hear it from him.

"Samantha, this is hard for all of us…" Blake started

"I already know…"

"No, Sammy…"

"She's dying!" Samantha shouted and Hayden whimpered. The younger girl hid inside her sister's arms.

Blake sighed sadly, "Samantha, please… we can talk about this… about what's happening and what this means."

"It means nothing!" Samantha screamed and Hayden's eyes started to tear.

"Sweetie…"

"Go away!" Samantha yelled and a sob escaped Hayden's lips.

Tori came upstairs, holding Christian in her arms. She and Christian heard the screaming and it reduced them both to tears once again. They needed to be upstairs.

"Samantha," Tori whispered. She noticed Hayden crying in Samantha's arms, "Calm down, Angel, you're scaring Hayden."

Samantha hugged her sister protectively. "Go away," she hissed to her Aunt and Uncle. She obviously wasn't going to let Hayden go, not now. And Hayden didn't seem to want to leave. Without a mother to run to, Samantha was the only thing she had to hold on to.

Christian felt differently as he buried his head in his Aunt's shoulders. In the absence of his mother, Aunt Tori was the next best thing. Tori held him close and rubbed his back.

There was no sense in trying to speak with Hayden. She was dependant of her sister at the moment. Tori had seen this all before. It was a hard thing to deal with: two young girls who felt alone were going to rely on each other, and no one else.

She remembered what her uncle Max did so many years ago. As Blake tried to reason with them, she grabbed his arm.

"Let's go," she whispered gently.

Blake turned to her, "But…"

Tori pulled him out of the room and closed the door, "They'll come to us when they're ready."

She bounced Christian gently, "How about Uncle Blake and I order a monster pizza for you, buddy?" she offered. "We'll invite Jason over and you two boys can play war and Power Rangers and anything you want."

Blake nodded, tickling his nephew's sides gently, "Whoa, awesome!" he said, masking the pain he felt with fake happiness; anything to help Christian feel better. "We'll make a huge fort in the living room, with sheets and blankets."

Christian didn't say anything. Blake wasn't going to give up. He took his nephew from Tori's arms. She specialised with the girls. He knew exactly what Christian needed. He had been in the young boy's shoes. Granted, he wasn't as young as Christian, but it was all the same.

"How about you and I look for some sheets?" he asked, walking to the closet. "We'll make a huge fort. No girls allowed."

Christian smiled, "Can we eat pizza inside the fort?"

"Anything you want!" Blake nodded.

"Will mommy and daddy eat the pizza?"

"Uh…" Blake frowned. He hadn't seen that one coming. He didn't want to say no, but Dustin wasn't coming home tonight and it would be a while before Kaylee would be home eating pizza… if she was ever coming home. "Pepperoni or ham on the pizza, meat-monster?"

"Both," Christian whispered.

Tori smiled gently, "I'll call Jason and get him to pick up a pizza," she said to her husband. "You go build the fort."

Blake nodded and kissed his wife as he grabbed all the sheets he could and rushed downstairs with his nephew. Tori took a breath as she tried to figure out where the phone was.

The girls had one in their rooms, but Tori wasn't going to step in there. There was one all the way downstairs, but Blake and Christian were blocking it now that they were building a fort.

The only other one was in Kaylee's bedroom. Tori wished she had taken her phone back from Kira as she walked into her sister's room. She grabbed the phone and ran out before the tears could fall.

She walked back over to the door of Samantha's bedroom and leaned against it as she called her son. She sunk to the ground and burst into tears when she told him what happened and why he needed to visit.

Jason didn't argue. His family came first. He promised his mother he would be over as soon as he could to help out with Christian.

Tori leaned her head against the door as she hung up. She tried to keep calm, but she could hear Samantha and Hayden talking on the other side.

She still didn't know all the details about Kaylee, such as how long she had to live. But one thing was sure; whether it was ten minutes or ten years, it wasn't long enough.


	154. The Colonel's Offer

Conner and Kira sat quietly with Kaylee and Dustin. Not a word had been spoken since everything had been explained to Conner. Everyone was just happy to sit down and enjoy the presence of their best friend.

Conner never explained why he in Corinth city, or who he left in charge of NewTech. None of that really mattered to Kira. Her entire city could burn down, her home, all her possessions and her money, and she wouldn't give a damn.

She had just been told her best friend was dying. It was going to be a while before the poison worked its way through her system entirely, and David and Leanne promised that the medication they were putting Kaylee on would slow down the process, but that still didn't change a thing. It was impossible to look at Kaylee without imagining her dead.

The Corinth Commander just rested in Dustin's arms and played with the blanket. She didn't know how to take the news. There had been a moment where she had gotten angry with everybody and as a result Kira had a few bruises on her arms from trying to calm her down, but now there was very little movement from her aside from her fingers twirling the blanket around.

Dustin was lying right behind her. He had one arm wrapped around her while the other played with her hair. He couldn't say anything. Anytime he tried, he would choke on his own tears.

Kaylee rolled over so she was lying on her back. She sat up, finally.

"What about those people…"

Kira furrowed her brow, "Kaylee, don't worry about them."

"They think Venjix is still alive," Kaylee said. She shuttered as she thought back to what her capturer said when he kidnapped her. "He kept saying we were robots, or working for Venjix. They don't know he's long dead."

"Eagle Squad and B Squad are standing guard at the shore," Kira told her best friend. She reached out, grabbing Kaylee's hand, "You don't ever have to worry about them again."

"They're just scared," Kaylee whispered, turning to Kira. "You can't fight them."

"Kaylee…" Dustin breathed, squeezing his wife's arm gently. "These are the guys who killed you."

"Their weapons have poison," Kira nodded, "We know that much. They tried to kill you down there… and they're slowly…"

"Don't say it," Dustin growled. Kira shook her head.

"I couldn't."

"I don't care," Kaylee stated, turning to Kira. "Fix this."

Kira nodded. Suddenly, the underwater mission turned into a lot more than just a mission. She was going to do all she could to make sure Kaylee's orders were followed. Peace between the two cities and the underwater world and no more deaths in this battle.

There was a knock at the door before Colonel Truman and Vasquez walked in. They stood away from the bed.

"We just heard," the colonel said and Kira could hear something in his voice, like he had just been crying. "If you want to retire… spend this time with your family, I'm more than ready to consider your replacement."

"Wait…" Kaylee frowned. "You've been planning my replacement? I'm only 43! I've been planning yours, old man."

"You put yourself out there," the colonel stated. "I needed to be prepared."

Kaylee nodded, "Good thing… I guess."

The Colonel fiddled with his hands nervously as he tried to say the words, "Your, uh… daughter, led the city brilliantly that time you went missing. With Vasquez as her second in command, I think she would flourish as Corinth's Commander."

"My… Hayden?" Kaylee asked, assuming so only because Samantha had never led the city.

"She's Corinth's Princess already. Most citizens already take her word for law and are comfortable following her orders. In the military, we already believe she can handle the responsibilities and are prepared to back her up."

Dustin growled, "You're not asking my daughter."

"She doesn't have to start now," the colonel assured him. He realised this was a huge responsibility and had no intention of starting Hayden as Commander until things settled down and she could fall back into her normal routine. The pain of her mother's fate would always be a burden for her to carry, but it would get easier over time.

"You're putting the world on a 19 year old's shoulders."

"I wouldn't propose the idea if I didn't think Hayden could handle it," the colonel said. "And Vasquez will be second in command. She's ready to help Hayden out around the clock."

"Uh, for commander stuff and even babysitting," Vasquez nodded.

"Talk to her about it," Kaylee said. "If she agrees, it's her choice… but don't push the matter," Kaylee's voice darkened as she finished her sentence. She glared at the colonel.

He got the message and nodded.

-Afterlife-

Summer walked up to Kaylee and Dustin's house, alone. She heard the news and knew this was where she needed to be. For all of her time as a Ranger her Aunt Kaylee had been her second mother. Summer was hurting just as much as Hayden, Christian and Samantha and she needed to be with her second family.

Dillon agreed to let her go. He wasn't one for big scenes and women crying. He also couldn't handle men crying. He opted to spend the time with Ziggy and Rebecca, much to Rebecca's dismay.

However, Rebecca and Ziggy were deeply affected by the news as well. Kaylee had been a mother figure to them and it was hard to hear she was going to be leaving them soon. They had promised to house Dillon and not cry around him if he promised to help them out over the next few days and not get angry if they broke the second part of their deal.

Summer knocked on the door. Normally she would just walk in, but that didn't feel right.

Blake answered the door with a slice of pizza in his hand. He saw Summer and pulled her in.

"I should have expected you," he whispered, waving her inside, "Come in. There's pizza in the fort…"

"No girls allowed," Summer heard Jason say before a pizza box slid out from the wall of sheets. Summer chuckled and shook her head.

Christian recognised his sister's laugh and crawled out from the fort. He ran over to Summer, who swallowed him in a hug.

"Something happened to mommy," he said.

Summer knelt down before him and held him close, "I know."

"Mommy's not home," Christian told her. When he spoke to Summer, he never called Kaylee his mother. He was still too young to realise that Summer wasn't actually his sister. Summer had been living with Kaylee and Dustin before they adopted Christian and for a long time afterwards. Christian and Summer were just as much brother and sister as Hayden and Chris, or Sam and Chris, and they always would be. One day, though, Summer was going to explain the situation; Kaylee wasn't her mommy, but she was still his sister.

"Are you having a fun time with Jason and Uncle Blake?" Summer asked her little brother, changing the subject. Christian nodded.

"We made a fort," he said, pointing to the fort that took up the entire living room. "We're eating pizza inside."

"Sounds yummy," Summer smiled. She turned him around and patted his butt, "Now go back inside, quick. I can smell the chicken wings and Jason's going to eat them all!"

"AH!" Christian shouted as he barrelled his way back into the fort. "Jason! No! We share!"

Blake walked up behind his niece, "The others are upstairs."

Summer nodded, "Thanks."

She made her way up the stairs and saw Tori sitting on the ground, playing with the phone. She walked up beside her Aunt and sat down.

Tori wrapped her arms around her niece, "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you," Summer whispered, "wishing I didn't need to be here."

"Your sisters are inside," Tori pointed to the door. She understood the confusion relationship that was Summer and the Brooks and in this circumstance she knew it was probably better to say sisters then cousins. Summer was probably looking for her sisters… Tori was.

Summer opened the bedroom door and walked in. Hayden and Samantha were passed out on the bed, curled up in each other's arms. Slowly, the yellow Ranger crawled into the bed and placed herself comfortable amongst them. Hayden and Samantha woke up and pulled her in closer.

No words were spoken, just a fresh set of tears.

-Afterlife-

Flynn didn't go home that night. The evening news had passed and he was aware his mother in law was dying.

Hayden wasn't going to be home, and Flynn didn't want to be in an empty house alone with his daughter. He didn't think he could handle being alone. He had already punched the TV when the reporters delivered the news in their usual reporter voice, smashing the screen and scaring his newborn half to death.

Dani had offered to care for Adeline while Flynn calmed down again. Right now the mechanic was working overtime on all the cars in the shop. Possibly the only good thing about the news of Kaylee's fate going public was that so many people felt terrible and wanted to help out in any way they could. Most of them thought it was a good idea to send their cars into the garage to get any and all problems fixed and offered to pay up front. They were supporting Kaylee by supporting her daughter's family financially.

Flynn didn't mind, though. The extra work was what he needed. He was close to Kaylee, and loved her almost as much as he had loved his own mother. He could barely stand his own pain, and it hurt twice as much when he thought about Hayden or looked at his baby girl, who started off life exactly like her grandmother: in a hurry.

Adeline was being rocked by her Aunt Dani and didn't make a peep. It was almost like she knew to be a good girl. She simply rested in her Aunt's arms as Dani rocked her back and forth.

-Afterlife-

After a few minutes, Samantha pulled away from Summer and Hayden. She crawled out from under the blankets and moved to the window. She opened it as Summer rolled over. Hayden had fallen back asleep again.

"Sammy…" Summer whispered so as not to wake the youngest.

"Promise me you'll take care of her," Samantha whispered back as she pointed to Hayden. Summer nodded.

"Of course, but…"

"Mom was in a mission in the wastes. She was kidnapped and hurt by fucking savages," Samantha said. "I'm not letting them get away with this."

"I know, Sammy, but B-Squad and Eagle…"

"She's _my_ mother," Samantha growled. "I'm going to take care of this."

Summer pulled herself out of bed and rushed to the window. She closed it and glared at Samantha.

"You're not thinking right…"

"Neither are you," Samantha said. "If you don't want to hurt the people who've killed my mother, you're thinking crazy."

"I've imagined doing terrible things to them," Summer nodded, "But you can't just leave! You'll do something you'll regret."

"I won't regret anything," Samantha said. Summer grabbed her arm.

"I'm coming with you, then."

"You're staying here," Samantha pulled her arm away from Summer. "You're pregnant and you're looking after my sister."

"I love Hayden to death, but I'm tired of stepping in for you," Summer raised her voice slightly. "Hayden needs you more than she needs me, she always has. Her Ranger colour is pink, not yellow."

Samantha breathed deeply and started to shake. She dropped to the ground and held her head in her hands. Summer sat down next to her and rubbed her back gently.

"Destroying Dai Shi didn't help the first time, did it?" Summer asked gently. "It didn't make the pain go away. What makes you think killing will be any different?"

Samantha leaned into Summer, resting her head on the younger girl's shoulder. Summer smiled slightly and placed her hands on her stomach. Samantha reached over with one hand and did the same.

"He's getting big," Summer breathed. Samantha looked up and smiled. Summer smiled back, "Dillon thinks he'll be big and strong."

"Hopefully mom will be able to meet him," Samantha breathed.

"I'm sure she will," Summer nodded.

Downstairs there was another knock at the door. Blake crawled out of the fort and jumped to his feet as he went to answer it. He checked through the window before opening the door.

"Colonel Truman," he said, letting the big man in. "What are you here for?"

"Could I please speak with Hayden?"

Tori walked down the stairs, hearing the Colonel's voice.

"Uh…"

"Please," the Colonel begged. Tori sighed and stepped aside.

"She's in Samantha's room," Tori pointed to the bedroom door. Colonel Truman walked up and knocked.

Inside, Samantha and Summer frowned when there was a knock at the door.

"Go away," Samantha growled. Colonel Truman walked in.

"Samantha…" the Colonel breathed as Samantha got to her feet. She hugged her father in-law tight.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. Colonel pulled away from her and pointed to Hayden.

"I wanted to ask Hayden if she felt ready to take her mother's position in the near future," the colonel said.

Samantha shook her head, "No."

"Sammy…"

"Shut up, Summer," Samantha growled before turning back to the Colonel.

"It's just an offer," the colonel said. "She has every right to say no and turn me down, but her parents and I agreed that it's her decision to make."

Samantha clenched her fists, "How dare you…"

"Samantha, please just listen. I know it's hard right now but…"

"Will you all stop saying that?" Samantha shouted. "Of course it's hard! My mother's dying! How dare you completely ignore that and come here asking my sister if she wants to replace her mother!"

"We need a leader…"

"I don't give a fuck what Corinth needs!" Samantha screamed, waking Hayden. Summer walked back over to the bed and sat beside the pink Ranger, holding her hand. "I don't give a rat's ass about Corinth city or anyone living in it!"

The Colonel stood strong. He expected some resistance from Hayden and her family. He would never hold this against Samantha, but he knew he was right. He needed to think about the good of the city, and Kaylee. Once someone took up her position, it would be one less thing for Kaylee to worry about. She could focus on her own life, instead of the life of hundreds. It would take time to learn to stand down, though, but the Colonel could only hope Kaylee had that time to learn.

Tori rushed upstairs when she heard Samantha's outburst.

"Sweetie…"

"GET OUT!" Samantha screamed, tears streaming down her face. Tori pulled the Colonel's arm.

"Let's go," she told him, leading him into the hallway. "I'm sorry about Samantha…"

"It's fine," the Colonel said.

Tori turned to the closed bedroom door, "She's not coping well and she's taking it out on Hayden… in a protective way."

"I understand," the Colonel nodded. "I'll try to talk to Hayden alone, next time."

"Be ready for another screaming match," Tori sighed. "I haven't heard a peep from Hayden. If she's anything like Kaylee… it's going to come out."

"She's exactly like Kaylee," the colonel smiled. "Take care of her."

Tori nodded, letting the colonel leave before walking into the bedroom. It was time she helped her nieces out, whether they wanted her there or not.

Summer and Hayden hadn't moved from the bed, but Samantha was walking around, trying to contain her anger. Tori felt like she had to walk on eggshells. One wrong move and Samantha would attack her.

"Sammy," she whispered gently and Samantha stopped pacing. She turned to her Aunt.

"It's not fair," she choked.

"I know," Tori nodded, hugging her niece.

"I want to do it," Hayden whispered. Summer turned to her.

"What?"

"I heard the colonel," Hayden said. "I want to take mom's job. If she can't do it…"

"It's a lot of work," Summer frowned. "My mom's prepping Sam already and that's hours and hours of training and…"

"I want to do it," Hayden stated firmly. "I have to do it."


	155. Learning to Live

Dustin was lying in the bed with Kaylee, holding her sleeping form in his arms. It was all she did now that she was on medication. David assured him that Kaylee would soon adjust to the medicine and she would be back to her normal self in no time, and this phase was only temporary.

Still, Dustin was missing Kaylee. He hadn't seen her truly smile in days. Everyone that appeared on her lips was forced, and he could tell. He hadn't heard her laughing in a long time, either.

Everything was different now that his wife was ill, and everything had changed, but not for the better.

He had gotten a call a while ago that Flynn would be stopping by. He hadn't seen his kids, or grandkids since he sent Samantha away. He hoped that Hayden would be tagging along with Flynn, and they would bring Adeline, but when there was a knock on the door, Dustin was disappointed to see it was only Flynn and Adeline.

"Hey," he whispered, trying not to wake his wife. Flynn smiled and sat down in the chair. He set sleeping Adeline's carrier down beside the bed and carefully pulled her out.

"I thought Addie would like to see her grandparents," Flynn said as Adeline opened her eyes. Dustin smiled softly, touching her cheek.

"She's big," he breathed.

"She's three weeks old," Flynn nodded. "She's surprising me every day. She accidentally punched her Aunt Dani in the face, yesterday."

Dustin smiled again. Flynn looked down at Adeline, who was staring back up at him with a huge grin on her face. She had learned to smile only a few days ago. Hayden had yet to see it.

Flynn stood up and looked at Dustin, offering his daughter for him to hold. Dustin shifted a little so Adeline wouldn't disturb Kaylee and he held the baby in his arms.

Flynn sat down, "We're still looking for a middle name," he said. "Something… symbolic. I brought her here because I thought… maybe…"

"You and Hayden don't want to name her after family, though," Dustin frowned.

"We don't want to take a name," Flynn nodded. "But… with Kaylee's situation and… how long does she have?"

"David told us a few years, give or take," Dustin whispered. "Leanne's betting it'll be somewhere between 7-10 years before she dies. She's always known Kaylee to be a fighter."

"A fighter, eh?" Flynn mused a loud as he stared at his daughter.

"The Hansons breed fighters," Dustin chuckled. "Tori's heart attacks… Kaylee's nearly died so many times before this. Sammy's still with us after dying and have you tried killing Hayden lately? Don't even get me started on Mr. Hanson."

Flynn smiled, "Thanks, Dustin. I have the perfect middle name."

Dustin furrowed his brow as Flynn took Adeline away.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Kaie. Adeline Kaie McAllistair."

-Afterlife-

"I can't believe you took the job," Samantha grumbled as she sat on the couch with the rest of her temporary family. She picked at the food on her plate with her fork. Hayden turned to her sister.

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked.

Samantha shrugged. She didn't have a good reason. It just seemed wrong to steal her mother's job.

"Aunt Kayl wouldn't be able to do it for much longer anyways," Summer pointed out to Samantha. "Her body's being poisoned. It's only going to get worse."

"Remind me why you're here again?" Samantha snapped at Summer. The Yellow Ranger averted her gaze.

"Girls, stop it!" Tori barked.

Samantha muttered something under her breath before taking a bite of her food. Elena whipped around and faced her eldest cousin.

"I heard that!"

"Suck it."

"Sammy!" Tori said, turning to her niece again.

"What's does that mean?" Christian asked Jason. The older boy bit his lip and shrugged.

"Uh, nothing, buddy. Finish your meat."

"Suck it," Christian repeated and Blake didn't hesitate to smack him lightly on the back of the head.

Hayden turned to Samantha, "That reminds me, have you heard Engel's expanding vocabulary?"

"I haven't seen my kid in ages, Hayden," Samantha growled.

"With the state she's in, she probably wouldn't recognise Engel," Jason muttered. Samantha pointed a sharp look in his direction before lunging at him, spilling her plate of food everywhere. Jason jumped out of the way to avoid a beating from his cousin.

"That's it, Sammy, upstairs," Tori shouted. She got off the couch and grabbed the Angel by the arm, leading her to the stairs.

There were a few awkward looks exchanged between everyone downstairs before Blake turned on the TV. Hayden wasn't hungry anymore. She placed her plate on the coffee table and curled up into a ball. She leaned against Summer and rested her head on her cousin's shoulder. Summer leaned into Hayden gently as she finished her meal.

Upstairs, Tori slammed Samantha's door shut and threw Samantha down onto her bed.

"I've had enough of you," she started. Samantha crawled to the top and hugged her pillow against her chest. "I don't care who's dying, this attitude has got to stop."

"He started it," was all Samantha muttered.

"I don't care," Tori said. "It's been a week, Sammy. I know it hurts, but you've got to start moving on."

"You wouldn't know anything," Samantha snapped. "Your parents blew up in space and they were gone for months before that. You didn't watch them die."

"That does not justify your actions," Tori said. "For one, you do not tell my eleven year old daughter to 'suck it', you do not attack your cousin, and would you please grow up and realise that your sisters need you?"

"Hey!" Samantha shouted, jumping off the bed and onto her feet, "I've been there for Hayden and Summer! I've done nothing but support them!"

"Then accept the fact that Hayden's starting to move on," Tori breathed. She took a step away from Samantha and clutched her head, "This is hard on all of us. I have to sit back here and wait for my baby sister to die. None of us are having an easy time."

"I know…"

"So stop acting like you're the only one suffering!" Tori said. "It was fine when the news first hit, but Sammy… it's making life harder for all of us with your defensive, negative and aggressive attitude. Let it go… visit your parents, go have dinner with your daughter… anything but what you're doing right now."

"Spend time with my family?"

"Suffer," Tori corrected. "You're hurting all of us, but the person you're hurting the most is yourself."

Tori kissed her niece's forehead, "Stay up here and just think, okay?"

The blue Ranger walked to the door as Samantha collapsed back down on her bed. When Tori made it back downstairs she noticed an extra pair of shoes at the door. Wondering who was visiting, she walked into the living room.

"Flynn?"

"Hi, Tori," Flynn smiled just as he handed Adeline over to her mother. He looked back at Hayden, "Kaie."

Hayden looked at her daughter with a smile on her face, "I love it."

"What's that?" Tori asked.

"A baby," Christian answered her. Tori chuckled but turned to someone who would actually understand.

"Adeline's long awaited middle name," Blake told her.

Summer pouted as she played with her niece gently, "I'm disappointed."

"We're not naming her Autumn or Fall," Hayden frowned.

"What?" Jason asked, turning to his cousins.

"Summer wants the baby named after her, and the season after summer is autumn or fall."

"It would be cute!" Summer argued. Hayden rolled her eyes. Elena chuckled.

"Then your baby could be named Winter!"

"Exactly!" Summer laughed. "Summer, Autumn, Winter."

"Who's going to name their kid, Spring?" Flynn smirked. Elena's hand shot up high into the air.

Christian laughed, "Spring," he said, his voice bouncing slightly on the last sound. Flynn laughed along.

"It sounds bouncy," he said.

Tori pointed to the kitchen, "Are you staying for dinner?" she asked Flynn. "We've got a bunch leftover."

"Naw," Flynn shook his head. "I'll let you guys get back to whatever you were doing. I was just here because I missed Hayden."

"And I missed you," Hayden cooed in her motherly voice to Adeline as she tickled her daughter's tummy.

"I hope that goes for me too," Flynn frowned. Hayden nodded and smiled. She tickled her husband's tummy.

"Of course it does, cutie-whootie!"

Flynn blinked. His father had warned him about the maternal switch getting stuck in baby mode.

Hayden cleared her throat, "Uh, actually, it's a good thing you're here," she told her husband. "I got a job offer…"

"Okay…" Flynn answered hesitantly, slightly unsure what that meant. Hayden handed Adeline over to Summer.

"Uh, Colonel Truman came by and offered me the position of Commander… mom's position."

"Oh…"

"I accepted," Hayden said. She stood up and grabbed Flynn's arm, "Before you yell about me going to work with a baby… it means everything to me. Taking over for mom and tracking down the bastards who hurt her… I need this job, Flynn."

"No, I get it," Flynn smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "It's an amazing job."

It was Hayden's turn to blink, "I, uh… thought you would go all man-protects-family and tell me I need to put Addie first."

"As long as you do," Flynn nodded. Hayden wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug and smiled brightly.

"I love you!"

Summer held Adeline up on her lap, careful to support the head and neck. Her Aunt had done this a lot with her, and she wanted to see how much it actually worked.

"Mommy will be spending all her time working for the city, and daddy's going to be at work all the time," she told Adeline as the child sucked on her pacifier and threw her hands around in every direction, having very little control at this point. Summer smiled, "They'll be so focused on work, they'll forget all about you. I never will."

Hayden turned around in Flynn's arms, "Summer."

"Yeah?" Summer answered, looking up innocently.

"Are you brainwashing my child?"

Summer shrugged, "Only fair."

-Afterlife-

"Head?"

"Check."

"Spider?

"Check."

"Uh…" RJ frowned as he pulled out a jar containing something black, "this stuff…"

Hannah looked horrified as she checked it off on the list, "Check…"

RJ set down the mystery jar on the side counter, beside the stairs. One thing he loved about JKP was that it was still home for him and his family. After the Venjix he had paid to have JKP and the loft rebuilt exactly the same way as it had been before the attacks.

"What is that, dad?" Hannah asked, pointing to the jar.

"Ask your mother," RJ frowned. He clapped his hands, wiping off the dust from the Halloween decorations. "Do you know what you're going to be?"

Hannah shook her head, "I haven't dressed up since I was 12, dad."

"But this year JKP is hosting the biggest Halloween Party in Corinth city! My favourite waitress needs an amazing, yet conservative, costume."

Hannah rolled her eyes as she made her way upstairs, with her father right behind her.

"I don't know, dad," she said. She opened the door and walked into her home.

"Pepperona's always a good choice," RJ smirked. Hannah frowned.

"That's Aunt Fran's costume. And I'm not dressing up as a slice of pizza!"

RJ grabbed a drink from the fridge and rested on the counter as he tried to help his daughter come up with a great, yet modest, costume for her to wear.

"You know, Aunt Camille's still got a bunch of clothes from back when she was evil," Hannah smirked. "Maybe I can borrow something from her!"

"I… uh," RJ trailed off when Hannah rushed to her bedroom, bolting past her mother on the couch on the way. RJ wanted to stop her, but realised his wife hadn't moved from when he left her this morning. In fact, he never heard or saw her coming down the stairs to leave for work.

Trusting that Camille wouldn't turn his daughter into the Halloween slut, RJ walked over to Kelly. He examined her for a moment before smelling her neck.

Kelly swatted him away, "RJ."

"You didn't shower."

"You're disgusting," Kelly frowned.

"You haven't eaten anything today," RJ pointed out. Kelly shook her head.

"I had lunch."

"Morning breathe, no food smell whatsoever. My wolf senses are still keen."

Kelly shut her eyes, "RJ, you're seriously disgusting me."

"You just lied to me!" RJ gasped. He sat down beside Kelly. "It's Kaylee, isn't it?"

RJ knew the news about Kaylee would upset his wife. Aside from Tori, Kelly had known Kaylee the longest and the two had been in a sister-type relationship for years before the others had come along.

"Yeah, so?" Kelly frowned. RJ pulled her onto his lap and held her close.

"It'll be okay."

"Now you just lied," Kelly whispered. Her voice couldn't go any higher than that. She was afraid she might start crying. "She's dying, it won't be okay. It'll be worse."

"Well, starving yourself isn't going to help," RJ told her. "We're all upset, and scared, but I'm sure if Kaylee found out you sat here all day crying and not eating, she would Zwop right in, tell you to cheer up, threaten to do something painful and then force feed you until you puked."

"Or, at least threatened to do all that," Kelly nodded.

RJ chuckled, "Yeah."

Kelly sighed and leaned against her husband, "I just… I wish I could help," she said. "Her, Tori and the kids have probably heard it a million times, but anything I can do to help them, I want to do it!"

"Well," RJ started. "Last I heard Kaylee was stuck in bed sleeping. I'm sure she needs that right now, but a healthy body makes for a happy mind."

"Yeah? So?" Kelly asked. That was a saying Kelly told RJ all the time when she found him in a meditative state and needed a sports buddy. She couldn't understand why he was using it on her.

RJ smirked, "Well, a strong body would buy Kaylee a little more time, right? The aim wouldn't be to stop this, but to…"

"Prolong her suffering?"

"Delay it," RJ corrected. "With Kaylee's strong spirit and a little encouragement, maybe she can beat the odds. It happens all the time."

"No it doesn't," Kelly sulked. "That's why it's called beating the odds."

"Don't make me dare Ronny to save Kaylee," RJ said. "Even if it doesn't work, it'll give you a special chance to be with Kaylee in these last few moments. Hopefully it'll be long, happy and never ending moments."

Kelly sighed, "You're right."

RJ kissed her neck, "Good, now go work out a routine for Kaylee that'll help. Morning jogs, maybe some of that sexy yoga. I'll invite Dustin to supervise."

Kelly furrowed her brow as she pulled away from her affectionate husband, "I know Dustin will probably be staring at his own wife but… do you want to risk it?"

RJ frowned and shook his head, "No… but I like the sexy yoga idea. How about private lessons, like before Hannah was born."

The phone dropped from Hannah's hands as she stared from her bedroom door, "Gross! I thought I was conceived by sports and pizza. You said you guys were making pizza for game day when you got carried away!"

"We got carried away," Kelly nodded. "There was just no… zebra pants involved."

"Lots of physical activity though," RJ smirked.

"I'm never doing yoga again!" Hannah screamed, slamming her door shut. Kelly winced.

"There goes my favourite yoga buddy."

RJ smiled, "Maybe now Kaylee can fill Hannah's position? You always say being healthy and active can add…"

"Years onto your life," Kelly nodded, getting up from the couch, "I know, I know. I'll help her."


	156. Truth and Lies

Hayden stood, looking out at the water over a large cliff. Eagle Squad and C-Squad had installed a camp a top a cliff so they could have a bird's eye view of the water. Now that they knew where their enemy lived, they knew where to watch.

No one had seen the humans from under the water since they retrieved Kaylee and it worried everyone. They would be up to something big and the longer they hid, the more time they had to work on a plan.

Hayden heard footsteps in the sand and turned around, finding Scott walking over to her. He let out a breath and opened his arms. Hayden walked over to him as he held her.

"I'm really sorry about your mother," he said. "Kira told us what happened… how is she?"

"I haven't seen her," Hayden whispered. "None of us can really bear it. Samantha just left to be with Engel last night, and Uncle Blake and Jason are taking care of Christian."

"If there's anything I can do…" Scott offered. Hayden smiled at him as she pulled away.

"I just want to hurt those who hurt her."

Samantha hiked up the hill, joining the pink and red RPM Rangers. She hugged her cousin briefly before looking out at the water.

"Mom suggested we go down there," she said. "We can try and reason with them."

"I'm not reasoning with them," Hayden shook her head and turned back in the direction of the camp. Samantha turned to Scott with a worried look.

She followed Hayden, with Scott right behind her, "Hay…"

"They killed my mother," Hayden turned around quickly, facing her cousin. "They aren't getting any mercy from me."

"They're human," Scott told Hayden. "Do you really want to live with that? Murder?"

"Revenge," Hayden corrected.

"I'm not letting you hurt them," Samantha stated. Hayden shook her head as she turned to her cousin.

"You would do the same thing if they poisoned your mother," she said. "In fact, you would already be down there ripping heads off. Those bastards should consider themselves lucky that they have to face me."

-Afterlife-

Vanessa held a mug of hot coffee out to Samantha.

"Take it," she whispered. Both women were taking advantage of Engel sleeping in. It wasn't often that it happened. The little Angel had been so excited when her mother arrived the night before and told her she was sleeping over. She had exhausted herself trying to stay up all night with Samantha.

When Engel finally fell asleep, Samantha tried to go to bed as well, but her mind wouldn't shut off. Images of her mother continued to pop into her head as she lied awake in bed. When sleep finally hit, the thoughts didn't stop. They turned into nightmares. Hellish nightmares from the day Engel, her mother, died.

Vanessa still held the mug in her hand. She could see Samantha wasn't going to take it. She set it down on the kitchen table and knelt in front of her friend, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Samantha said, letting her curly blond hair fall in front of her face, hiding the tears.

"I knew you weren't going to be the life of the party around here, but I expected a little more… not sadness."

"Let's just say I'm not coping," Samantha muttered. "It's what everyone else says. Aunt Tori told me to let it go… move on."

"But you can't?"

"How many people watch their mother die twice?" Samantha asked as she looked up at Vanessa.

Vanessa sighed, "That would be hard. I remember when my parents died… it doesn't help when people try."

"No," Samantha shook her head. "And… I mean… last time mom died… she left me with Engel. It was hard to move on, but I was so busy with a baby that… it just happened, you know? I still miss her, really badly… sometimes it's unbearable… and now, mom… she's not going to leave anything behind. I doubt she'll make a baby appear out of thin air."

"You have Chris," Vanessa reminded the Angel, "and your father, and Hayden… Hayden will need you so much from this point on… you know that, right?"

"Mom's like… her best friend," Samantha nodded. "This hasn't been easy for her either. Aunt Tori thinks she moving on by taking the commander position but it's all just… a lie."

"A lie?" Vanessa frowned.

"Mom's got a few years… Uncle Blake got a call from the hospital… it's supposed to be a relief to hear that she's still got years… this isn't over yet… but it is."

"It's not," Vanessa whispered, shaking her head. "Samantha, you get the chance to start again. You know your mom's going to die. All that stuff that's in your head, the stuff you need done… it'll…"

"She had ten years, max," Samantha interrupted, slamming her fist on the table. "Even if she lives the full ten years, Engel won't have had a single graduation. She'll be twelve years old and grandma will just… fade away!"

"Sam…"

"Addie might never know her grandmother!" Samantha screamed. Vanessa jumped up, wrapping her arms around her friend.

Engel walked down the stairs, her blanket in hand as she sucked on her fingers. Her mother's screaming woke her up.

"Mommy?" she called gently.

Samantha took a deep breath and wiped her tears, "Yeah, baby?"

"Why cry?" Engel asked, walking over to her mother. Samantha lifted her onto her lap.

"Mommy's sad," Samantha told her honestly.

Engel offered her mother her blanket, "No sad."

Samantha laughed, "Thanks, Angel, but bankie's not going to fix this."

"Gamma dying?" Engel asked.

Vanessa winced, "I had to tell her something… sorry."

Samantha nodded, "Yeah, Engel… it's Grandma."

Engel smiled softly and wrapped her blanket around her mother's shoulders before cuddling against her mother's chest. She placed her hand over her mother's heart.

"Never leave you," Engel whispered as she looked up at her mother. Samantha felt Engel's warm hand on her chest. Engel smiled, "Never forget. With you always."

Samantha smiled back at her daughter as fresh tears started to fall. She squeezed the young girl and kissed the top of her head.

"You're right, mom."

Engel giggled, "Me not mommy! You mommy! Me Engel!"

"And Engel outsmarts a grown up again," Vanessa laughed as she plucked the two year old out of her mother's arms. "Go upstairs and find the clothes I laid out for you. You have five minutes until school."

"No," Engel whined.

Vanessa nodded and pointed, "Stairs, little girl."

Engel ducked her head as she climbed the stairs lazily. Samantha got up to help her get changed but Vanessa grabbed her arm.

"You called her mom," she asked. "What…"

"When Engel died… that's what she told me," Samantha explained. "She's always part of me and as long as I never forget her… she's never gone."

Samantha looked to the stairs as Engel climbed them, "She's always watching over me… even as a pain in the ass two year old."

Vanessa smiled, "And… it's still a long time coming, but when your mother dies, you'll have a pain in the ass little sister who is exactly like your mother."

"I know," Samantha smiled.

-Afterlife-

Samantha raced after Hayden, grabbing her arm before she could leave the cliff and head back down to camp.

"Okay, you're right," she said. "If someone touched my family I'd hurt them… but I'd have you to think clearly for me, Hay. You'd do exactly what I'm doing now! You'd stop me."

"No. If someone hurt your family, they would hurt my family and I'd kick their ass before you could lay a hand on them!" Hayden said. "My mother, your Aunt, is dying because of them! There's a clock over her head now and…"

"Hayden," Scott whispered, "There's always a clock. We all die…"

"I won't!" Hayden shouted. "Unless someone kills me, I will never die. Mom's got the same powers! She's supposed to live a long, long life. Instead it's cut short."

"The good die young, Hayden," Scott breathed. "I know it's hard…"

"Stop saying that!" Hayden screamed. "Everyone knows it's hard! Addie knows it's hard! That goes without saying and it's really annoying when it is said!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Hayden," Samantha whispered, "please, just… think logically. We can help these people… I'm sure they're just as scared and hurt as you are now. Maybe if we…"

Before Samantha could finish her sentence an arrow pierced her stomach and she dropped to the ground, clutching her mid-section and screaming in pain.

Scott raced over to her, holding her gently as he looked up at Hayden, expecting her to do something. Hayden stared for a moment at her cousin, her body shaking in terror and rage. Suddenly, from underground, a tribe of people shot up from the earth, holding various weapons in their hands.

One man approached the trio from behind a rock, "Grab them," he ordered the others.

Hayden clenched her fists as the rock began to move, "Freeze," she ordered them. The man beside the rock held his hand up. He could see the rock lifting from the ground slowly and didn't want to tempt fate and figure out how she could do that.

"You," Hayden pointed to the man with the bow and suddenly a small rock connected with his forehead, knocking him down as he passed out. Hayden turned to the man beside the rock. He looked like he was in charge. She pointed at him, "You killed my mother."

"The coward?" the man asked. "I never touched her. I heard her screaming from my home. When they finally stopped, I came to see what happened and found two of my men were dead and the prison door was opened. I have no idea how she did it but we need her back."

"You're not getting anywhere near her," Hayden hissed.

Kira and the two squads raced up the cliff after hearing Samantha's screamed. They stopped dead in their tracks the moment they noticed the army around Scott, Sam and Hayden.

Kira's heart pounded in her chest, not only because she was worried about her daughter, who appeared wounded, but she was worried Hayden was going to do something terrible. Something she had promised Kaylee wasn't going to happen.

She had just finished telling the squads no one was allowed to kill. There would be no more casualties and deaths. It was Kaylee's final wish as commander and Kira was going to honour it, no matter what happened.

Half the army of underwater men pointed their weapons at the new arrivals. B-Squad, Gem, Gemma and Mike reached for their blasters, but Kira held her hand up.

"No," was all she had to say for the squads to get the message. She turned to the humans. "We just want to talk."

"We're not siding with Venjix," the man beside the rock said.

"Venjix is gone," Scott said. He had his hand pressed firmly on Samantha's stomach, around the arrow, to keep her from losing too much blood. He turned to Hayden, "help her!"

Hayden didn't seem to hear him. She was too focused on the man before her.

"You lie," he said. "There was no way humanity could survive. Even if humans did live, they're no way they could escape working for Venjix. You're all just his robots."

"She's not a robot," Bridge said, pointing to Samantha. "She's human! She bleeds."

"It's an illusion. You've tricked us! You're trying to get us to trust you!"

Hayden rushed the man suddenly and tackled him to the ground as she started beating him.

"Trust this!" she shouted.

The army of men pointed their weapons at Hayden and were about to shoot, but Kira screamed loudly, knocking them all off their feet before she ran to her niece. She ripped Hayden away from the man before she caused too much damage. She pushed her niece to the ground.

"Stop it!" she screamed. Hayden tried jumping to her feet but Kira pushed her again. "Stop it!" she hissed.

Hayden wasn't defeat yet. She got to her feet as the tears started sailing down her cheeks. She tried to go after the man again, but Kira grabbed her and held her in her arms. Hayden struggled for a moment before giving in.

"Michael," Kira called and Mike ran over, taking his cousin from her. Kira approached the man and held out her hand.

The man held his bleeding nose with one hand as he accepted the help. Kira had, in some twisted way, saved him.

"She's breaking down," he pointed to Hayden.

"She's human," Kira told him. "We all are… we just want to talk."

"She attacked me."

"Can you blame her?" Kira shrugged. "Her mother's been poisoned by you guys and the radiation. She's dying."

"That's a lie," the man shook his head.

Kira tapped her jacket until she found her badge. She showed it to the man as Mike took Hayden's badge from her pocket and handed it over.

"Humanity survived," she said. "Before Venjix took over Earth completely we built two cities. One over the city of NewTech and one over a city we renamed Corinth. Both cities have sheltered humans for years and have blossomed into their own little world. NewTech's continued to develop technology at an extraordinary rate while working around the Venjix codes and fighting off a little-known Venjix general. Corinth spent most of its time fighting the main Venjix army. In the end, we won. Earth has been virus free for almost two years now."

Kira pointed to Hayden, "She's Commander of Corinth City. She took over as Commander when her mother was forced into early retirement. I'm Commander of NewTech City."

The man looked at the group before him, as well as the squads behind him.

"Okay, so you're human," he shrugged. He couldn't deny that anymore. He had seen them bleed and they were display a range of emotion: from terror and anger, to pain and suffering. "How do we know you're not working for Venjix?"

"Look around," Kira said, pointing to the dead world around her. "Venjix took over six years ago. Don't you think that, by now, this place would be littered with robot empires?"

"Come to Corinth," Mike invited. "See for yourself."

The man looked at his army. They far outnumbered their opponents, meaning that if they were being tricked, they could easily turn the tables and kill them all.

"Fine," the man said. "But we keep our weapons."

"Fine by me," Kira said. She turned to Hayden, "For the love of god, don't just stand there!"

Mike pulled Hayden over to Samantha. Scott pulled out a pocket knife and handed it to Hayden. She cut herself while Scott pulled the arrow out.

As Hayden took care of her daughter, Kira started rounding up the men to take them back to the cities. Hopefully they would believe that humanity survived, and that this wasn't an illusion or lie.


	157. Letting Go

Vanessa and Samantha walked the streets of Corinth after dropping Engel off at preschool. Vanessa needed to be at work, but wanted to find something that would keep Samantha's mind off the topic of her mother.

They had done a little bit of wedding shopping and looked at a few dresses, which did pull Samantha out of a gloomy state for a little while, but as they got closer and closer to Vanessa's work, Samantha's smile got smaller and small.

Vanessa pointed to a building, "This is me," she said. "Are you sure you'll be fine? I don't think my boss will mind…"

"Go," Samantha nodded. "Make money. You'll need it for a wedding."

"If it ever happens," Vanessa smiled.

"It'll happen," Samantha said. "And don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll go back to my parent's place or… maybe I'll go visit one of my aunts or uncles or… something. I promise I'll be fine."

"No biting anymore heads off?" Vanessa asked. Samantha laughed.

"I won't. I promise. It's not easy… but moving on… slowly," she said. "Tell Engel I love her and I'll see her soon."

"I will," Vanessa nodded before disappearing inside the building. Samantha turned back to the street and stopped to breathe. She noticed a newsstand on the other side and walked over.

"$2.50," the salesman told her before she could even look at a newspaper. She sighed loudly, pulled out the money from her bag and picked up a paper.

"They've found the monsters?" she said a loud, reading the front headline. The man nodded.

"That's the story. Apparently they found the creeps who tried to murder the commander."

"Former Commander," Samantha corrected him as she tossed the newspaper back at him, "Keep it. I have to go."

"Go where?" the man asked her as she took off.

-Afterlife-

"Do you believe us now?" Kira asked the underwater men as they all sat together in Hayden's office of the command center. The one man and his army looked around in awe. They were wrong. Humanity did survive.

"I guess we have to," he breathed. "But what about those other ones. The ones we kidnapped and killed?"

"They're humans too," Kira said. "They weren't as lucky as the rest of you, though. They suffered from the radiation and that's why they look different."

"When you see them… can you apologize?" the man asked. "We had no idea… we were just…"

"Protecting yourselves, I understand," Kira nodded. "It's a hard thing to deal with. You guys can go back to your water world or you can stay here in the cities. We can blend you right into society so there is no prejudice or misconception about the new people in town. NewTech and Corinth are big, but believe me, well still notice when there's something or someone new."

"We'd like to think about it," the man said. He got up and offered his hand to Kira, "I'm Tim Sanders."

"Commander Ford," Kira smiled as she shook his head. The man turned to Hayden and offered his hand. Hayden stood up but slapped his hand away.

"You're not welcome here," she said. She pushed past him and walked out.

"Meet Commander McAllistair," Mike muttered. He looked to Tim and his army, "Uh, don't worry. She's really nice once you get to know her… but considering your last prisoner was her mother… that might be a while."

Tim lowered his head. Though he wasn't directly responsible for the prisoners, he was well aware of what happened to each and every one of them. He heard what they had done to Kaylee while trying to flush information out of her and knew she had been poisoned with the radiation. Now that he knew she was human, he knew she was going to die, just like the other two.

"I'll go apologize to her myself," he said as he stepped out of the room. He caught up with Hayden who was sitting in the hallway. Hayden stood up when she saw him and gave him a look that killed.

Tim approached her hesitantly, "Look, Commander, I…"

"Save it," Hayden snapped. "Just get your army of murderers and get the hell out of my city."

"I understand your anger," Tim persisted, only making Hayden's attitude worsen. "My men have done some nasty things to your mother."

"I'm not going to forgive and forget," Hayden told him. "Save your breathe. You'll need it for when you go back down into the waters of doom to live out the rest of your lives in a cave of darkness."

"You have to understand how hard it was for us to trust people from the surface world. We still believed Venjix was alive and that if there were any survivors, they would come after us."

Hayden stepped in closer to him, getting up in his face, "I said get out," she hissed. Tim looked down at her. She was tiny, no doubt about that, but she was a tiny ball of anger. Her body was so tense it was shaking. Her knuckles were white, her teeth were clenched and the look in her eyes said she was ready to kill. He'd never seen a woman so wound up and he realised he had to be careful about what he said. One wrong word and she would explode like the bomb she was.

"I am truly sorry, Commander. I wish there was…"

"Get out!" Hayden screamed, pushing him to the ground. She was about to jump on him when two arms grabbed her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"That's enough," her sister whispered, "Let it go."

"Sammy…" Hayden choked. Samantha let her sister go and put her aside. She offered her hand to Tim, "With the way Hayden attacked you, I take it you're the underwater monster."

"Yeah," Tim nodded, shaking her hand. "My name's Tim Sanders… I've uh, cleared everything up with a Commander Ford."

"You wouldn't be here unless you had," Samantha nodded. "I'm Samantha Truman."

"Like the Colonel Truman we met on the way up?" Tim asked.

"He's my father in-law," Samantha told him. "And the Commander's my sister. I also take it you're the one who poisoned my mother."

Tim lowered his head and sighed, "About that…"

Samantha shut her eyes as her hand reached back, taking Hayden's and squeezing it.

Tim continued, "I'm really sorry. We thought you worked for the Venjix… we were just trying to keep ourselves and our families safe. We've got young children who have never seen the light of day. You can understand how we were sceptical to believe anything an outside said was true."

"Look," Samantha said. "I'm doing everything I can to keep myself from hurting you… or letting my sister finish what she started so… I'll stand by Commander Ford's decision, whatever it is, so long as I never see you near my family again. My mother, my father, my siblings or the kids. That's my sole condition."

"I'll take it," Tim nodded. "You'll never have to worry about us again. I promise."

"Thank you," Samantha smiled and she let Tim go back into the room. Hayden suddenly lunged after him; thankfully Samantha grabbed her and pulled her back.

"What are you doing?" Hayden screamed. "You're letting him get away! He killed mom."

Samantha hugged her hysterical sister, "I know Aunt Kira's going to take care of them."

"She invited them to live normally!" Hayden screamed. "She's taking care of them after what they did to mom!"

"Look," Samantha whispered. She wanted to calm her sister down. Just like Hayden she wanted to scream and hurt the people who hurt her family, but it wasn't going to do any good. She had had some time to think about the whole situation after Engel talked with her and she realised that no matter how much she wanted to, hurting, even killing, the people responsible for her mother's inevitable death, wouldn't bring Kaylee back. Samantha placed her hands on her sister's arms and looked her dead in the eye, "This hurts; I know that. If it were up to me, those people would all die instead of mom. The world doesn't work that way though and we can't make it."

Hayden sunk to her knees as she broke it tears. Her sobs echoed in the hallways. Samantha dropped down beside her and held her sister.

"No matter what happens," Samantha continued, "With them, with mom… you don't have to worry about it. Just focus on what you can control and whenever you feel like this is too much just… come to me, okay, sis?"

Hayden shook her head, "No…"

"Hayden, we'll tackle this together, okay?" Samantha said. "Mom's not gone yet and… she'll never really leave us."

"I'm not ready," Hayden whispered. "I can't lose her."

"We'll work on that," Samantha said. "We'll learn to accept it. We'll spend all the time we can with mom and we'll try to learn to live without her. I'll make this easier on you, okay?"

"I don't…" Hayden shook her head. "I don't want this…"

Samantha hugged her baby sister, "I'll take care of you, okay?" she whispered as she held her sister close. "You're not going to face this alone."

Hayden grabbed onto her sister, taking all the comfort she could in the arms of the angel. Samantha slowly got to her feet and pulled Hayden back up.

It hurt her to know that her mother was dying and there was nothing anyone could do, but what hurt Samantha more was how this was affecting her family, especially her sister. Hayden admired Kaylee and had such a strong relationship with her mother. Everything she did, she did because she wanted to be just like her mother. Samantha knew what that was like. She had loved Engel in the same way. It was hard to lose that person.

She walked Hayden back inside her office where the rest of the team was there to greet them. Scott rushed over to his wife. This was the first time he had seen her since the news came out. He hugged his wife and held her close as Samantha started to tear.

Mike approached Hayden and took her in his arms. Hayden used him to hide away from the rest of the world.

Tim looked to Kira, "We're going to go home now, Commander."

"It's best that you do," Kira said. Tim nodded and turned to leave but Kira called him back. She let his army walked off into the elevator so they all weren't crowding it.

"Yes?" Tim asked as Kira walked over to him.

"You kept calling them you're men. Were you always in charge of them?"

Tim nodded, "Yes. They reported back to me and…"

Tim was caught off when Kira punched him in the face and sent him sprawling onto the ground. His first reaction once he landed was to jump up and attack, but he stopped himself. He knew what Kira was doing and accepted it.

He brushed himself off and got to his feet and Kira pointed to the door.


	158. Ready or Not

Dawn leaned against the fence, staring at the children running around on the school ground. Her memory was still slow, but she was slowly getting used to living her new life. The memory aids her friends made helped a lot as she was able to find a little more independence, and the sticky notes kept her from asking one too many questions. However, there was one answer she wanted more than anything.

Dean pulled up in the parking lot behind her. He locked his car and twirled them around his finger as he approached his girlfriend. He had been out all day shopping for a gift for her, and he now held it hiding in his pocket.

He rested his hand against the fence, "What are you doing here?" he asked her. Dawn jumped in surprise as she turned.

"Oh, sorry, I was just… I wound up here and started watching," Dawn said. "I can't exactly remember why I came down here though."

"Happens to the best of us," Dean shrugged. Dawn's memory wasn't a problem for him anymore. It didn't bother him. He always found it cute when she forgot what she was doing or where she was going. He wished she would get better, but he wouldn't turn away if she never got her brain back to 100%. "So, what's going on in that head of yours?"

"I was just trying to remember," Dawn said. "I want to help Emily and I had an idea… but it slipped and… I thought maybe if I watched her, it would come back again, you know?"

"Creepy, but I understand," Dean chuckled. He took Dawn's hand, "Look, don't stress yourself over this. Emily's going to be fine, no matter what happens. She's nine. She had phases. Three weeks ago and she threw a fit because she suddenly hated chocolate ice cream. Now she loves it."

"Are you sure she's not just hormonal?"

Dean covered his ears, "La, la, la!"

Dawn smiled and punched his arm, "Oh, grow up! She's a girl. This happens faster than it does for boys and once it starts, you better be equipped for the ride."

"La, la, la!"

Dawn rolled her eyes, "I guess that's more counselling sessions for her, then. You're lucky you found me, you know that? If you ask my family, this is when a girl needs a woman in her life. That father of the year award isn't going to be much help now."

"She made me that when she was six," Dean pouted playfully. Dawn shook her head.

"Cute."

"And I know I'm lucky to have you," Dean smiled. "You don't have to tell me."

Dean leaned in to kiss his girlfriend when a couple of teenagers skated by on their skateboards. One threw his drink at Dean.

"PERV!" he shouted and the other boys laughed as they rolled off. Dean pulled away from Dawn. Her eyes were wide in shock.

"I should have seen that coming," he said.

"Just ignore them," Dawn said. "They're stupid kids."

"I think one of them was older than you," Dean frowned. Dawn touched his cheek then licked her finger.

"Cherry," she smiled. "You're good."

"This isn't funny," Dean said. He took off his jacket and did what he could to dry off. Dawn pat his sticky shoulders.

"You get the cherry drink off. How about I go get Emily for you?" she said. "You can't go walking into a school of kids tasting like soda. They will literally eat you alive."

"Go," Dean nodded, waving her off. "I'll just… melt…"

Dawn laughed and kissed his cheek before heading inside the school. For a moment, Dean hoped she wouldn't forget she was picking up Emily… or who Emily was, but he pushed that thought back as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a box.

"It's too early…" he sighed to himself.

-Afterlife-

Samantha tossed Hayden a baby blanket.

"Technically, dad's a jerk," she said as Hayden threw the blanket over her shoulder and held Adeline up. She tapped the baby on the back gently, trying to get the young girl to burp.

"He's not a jerk," Hayden said defensively. "This would be hard for him too. He and mom are like… married."

"Really?" Samantha asked with a tone of sarcasm.

Hayden sighed, "I mean they're, like… one, you know?"

"Are you implying….?" Samantha pointed hesitantly to Adeline. Hayden stared for a moment before understanding her sister's question.

"Ew, no! Not one as in literally connected! One like: what happens to mom happens to dad and affects him."

"Good… because mom's dying and that would be… half-necrophilia?"

Hayden raised an eyebrow, "Explain you and Scott, then."

Samantha frowned before her eyes widened, "Dear… ew!"

"My thoughts exactly," Hayden smirked just as Adeline burped.

Samantha rubbed her temples, trying to get back to her previous topic before giving up sex forever, "Look, I'm just saying dad's a jerk because we haven't even heard from him in ages! Last time I saw Chris, I heard him say 'dad who?'"

"That's bad," Hayden frowned.

"Very bad."

"But think about it, Sammy. We haven't gone to see mom, either. It's not like we're free to judge," Hayden pointed out as she carried Adeline over to her crib.

"Then we should go see her," Samantha offered. "You, me and Chris. We can get some real answers and spend some time as a full family, you know?"

Hayden shook her head, "Sorry, Sammy. I can't."

"C'mon. Vasquez promised to support you, right?" Samantha asked. "I'm sure she'll agree to watch the city for a day or two while we spend time with our dying mother."

"It's not Corinth I'm worried about," Hayden said.

"Addie?" Samantha pointed to her niece. "She can come along! It'll cheer mom up, and if things get too hard…"

"That's it," Hayden said. "It'll be too hard. For you, for me… I don't know what'll happen to Chris, but I doubt he'll be a happy camper. I think it's better to wait."

Hayden laid her daughter down for a nap and turned to Samantha. She leaned back against the crib and shrugged.

"It'll just be too hard for me and Chris. Mom won't be the person we know. She'll be… sleeping and weak and… I can't see that… and I don't want Chris to see that."

"It's just like when mom was sick," Samantha said. "She's probably not bad now that she's not terrified. Trust me; that was heartbreaking."

"Then why does Uncle Blake come home in tears after going to the hospital?" Hayden asked. "And Aunt Tori takes hours between visiting the hospital and coming home because she can't handle it."

"That's different."

"Yeah, the difference is they aren't her kids," Hayden said. "Mom's not their mom. They've seen mom weak before. I haven't and neither has Chris. It's too much. We'll see her when she's feeling a bit better."

"Wouldn't you want Addie to visit you?"

"Not if it hurt her," Hayden shook her head. "Don't tell me if you were dying you would want Engel to visit you because that's what _you_ wanted. It would be just as hard for her as it would be for you but no matter what, you're her mother and you need to choose what's best for her, whether she's two, twelve, twenty or eighty-two!"

"I'm not asking for mom," Samantha said. "I think it's best for us."

"I don't," Hayden said. "If you want to see her, be my guest. I'm not stopping you. But let Chris and I chose for ourselves. He's not ready and neither am I."

"Who says he's not ready?" Samantha asked. "You're not him. Don't speak for him."

"I'm not… I just… I don't think…"

"He should be given the choice."

"He's five! He still has trouble choosing whether he wants to wear his underwear under or over his pants or not! Batman or Superman? Carrots or peas? It took him ages to choose which side of the waffle to eat about a month ago."

"Still, it's his choice…"

"What are you going to ask? Chris, do you want to visit mommy? Of course he'll say yes! He doesn't know what that means yet! It'll turn his world upside to see her so…"

"If you're scared, fine," Samantha snapped. "But don't go robbing Chris of time with his mother because you can't handle it."

"I'm not me!" Hayden said, trying to keep her voice low for her daughter. She shook her head, "Never mind, Sammy. Do what you want. Ask him if you think its right."

Hayden grabbed the baby monitor and walked to the door, "If you need a five year old to hold your hand then go for it."

-Afterlife-

Dawn rinsed off the dishes and placed them on the towel on the counter. She pulled the plug from the sink and turned to Dean as she dried off her hands.

"Okay, I admit, the cooking's not as good as mom's… but for a man, it's good."

"Men can cook," Dean argued. "Look at the world's best chefs. Men. Look at the cooks on TV. Women."

"Men seek power, women crave attention," Dawn shrugged. "The world spins on it's side and somewhere it's five o'clock."

"What?" Dean frowned.

"Facts," Dawn smirked.

"That last one was about alcohol…"

"So shoot me," Dawn said. "I'm never going back to that stuff. I still can feel my liver dying and I'm still peeing like a racehorse."

Dean shrugged, "Just making sure…"

Dawn walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You've been distant since the school."

"Are you sure?"

Dawn grabbed her purse and pulled out her sticky notes, "Yep. See, right here. Distant…. Distant…. Distant… funny squirrel… uh, wait… that one was for Emy…"

"You love those notes," Dean chuckled. Dawn smiled proudly as she put them away.

"Yes, but don't change the subject," she said. "Is it about those kids?"

"You remember that?"

"I'm improving!" Dawn frowned. "And stop changing the subject or I actually will forget."

"Alright," Dean sighed. "Yes, it's about those kids. They have a point."

Dawn backed away, "You are a pervert?"

"No."

"Then what?

"I'm old."

"I did notice a few grey hairs…"

"This isn't funny! In a few years I'll hit mid-life! You'll just finally be legally allowed to drink!"

"So?"

"So? That's weird!"

"You think we're weird?" Dawn asked. "That would have been good to mention… oh, I don't know… maybe the time we hugged? Or how about that time we kissed? Oh, wait! Perfect moment! When we have sex!"

"No, Dawn…"

"Save it!" Dawn shouted as she stormed off. She slammed the door behind her as she left.

Emily walked down the stairs and turned to her father, "You messed up, daddy."

"I know," Dean sighed. He leaned against the table. Emily walked over to him.

"I liked her," she said. "I was going to tell you its okay for her to be my new mommy. She's nice and fun and friendly, and she called me Emy, like mommy!"

Dean turned to his daughter, "Excuse me?"

Emily pulled out a box from her pocket, "You threw your sticky jacket in the back seat, remember?"

"So you went through my pockets?" Dean asked, snatching the box from Emily. She shook her head.

"Don't turn this around. You're the one who messed this up."

"Emily…"

"Daddy…"

Dean growled and slammed the box down on the table, "Don't leave the house."

"Where are you going?" Emily asked him as he headed for the door.

"I can't let her walk home alone," Dean said.

Emily raced to the kitchen and grabbed the box as her father made it to the door.

"Daddy!" she called before tossing the box at him, "You'll need this."

"Emily, I screwed up… she won't…"

"Please, daddy. We all know how this is going to end," Emily smirked.

Dean held the box in his hand as he pointed to his daughter, "Do not leave, or open the door, for anybody, got it?"

"Go, daddy! Go!" Emily cheered as her father closed the door and raced off down the street.


	159. Aging Love

As the TV played in the background, Hayden twirled her finger around in a circle over Adeline's head. The young infant was lying on her back on her blanket, staring up at Hayden's finger. Her eyes were spinning in circles as she watched her mother's finger spin around. Every once in a while Adeline would reward her mother's constant finger twirling with a satisfied coo or gurgle, and Hayden would get her daughter to smile by tickling her tummy and making strange "mommy noises", as Flynn would call them.

Flynn watched from the couch with a bowl of cereal in his hands. He was happy to have his family home and… somewhat happy again.

He was a little surprised to hear a laugh coming from the floor. He looked over and noticed Adeline has somehow gotten hold of her own foot and was slowly discovering that it was a fun new toy.

"What's that?" Hayden asked her daughter as she tickled her tummy again. "Is that a foot? Yummy foot?" Hayden giggled as Adeline stuck her foot in her mouth.

"The baby's clean, right?" Flynn asked panicked. Hayden nodded.

"Clean and immune to germs," Hayden smirked. "Relax Flynn. She's safe."

Hayden turned back to her daughter, "Aren't you?" she asked the little girl. "Yes you are. Yes, you are!"

"I'm going to record you one day and play it all over Corinth," Flynn chuckled. He put his snack down on the table before joining his two girls.

"She smiles. I don't care," Hayden huffed. Flynn tickled Adeline's stomach and the infant let go of her foot and started kicking happily. He was amazed at how much she loved to move around. She was a very active child already. Fortunately, he found that the more active she was, the more she slept as well.

Hayden lifted Adeline and rolled her onto her tummy, "Why don't we show daddy what you did for me this morning? Can you do it, baby girl?"

The phone rang as Hayden rolled Adeline over. She looked at Flynn who nodded, indicating he would watch Adeline closely.

"She'll lift her head," Hayden told him as she went for the phone. "Just wait and see. Hello?"

-Afterlife-

Dean walked up to the door of Dawn's house and knocked. He felt like a jerk for standing here. He was sure Dawn would be upset with him, and therefore her mother would be the one answering the door. He knew Sierra liked him, but her protective instincts for Dawn were supercharged.

Just as he predicted, Sierra opened the door.

"Dean…"

"Is Dawn here?" Dean blurted out. In a way, he hoped she would say no so he wouldn't have to deal with the angry mother, but if she wasn't home, then she was on the streets.

"She came home five minutes ago," Sierra nodded. "She's locked herself in her room. _Weird_, don't you think?"

Dean sighed, "She told you?"

Sierra opened the door, inviting him inside, "I want to talk to you."

Dean stepped back and shook his head, "No, I get it. If someone did that to Emily I would… I'm going to go," he said, completely defeated as he turned away.

-Afterlife-

"I can't stress this enough, Sammy, _I told you!_"

Flynn looked away from his daughter for a moment as he averted his gaze to Hayden on the phone.

"What's mommy doing?" he asked his daughter. Adeline was staring at her mother as well. She had located her mother and didn't appear to want to take her eyes off anytime soon.

"He's a boy. They get distracted easily. Show him something shiny."

"Mommy's sexist," Flynn said to his daughter.

"Just take him somewhere else. Out of sight, out of mind," Hayden sighed. "There's nothing else you can do, Sammy. He'll keep asking."

Hayden said goodbye and hung up the phone as she turned to Flynn. She pointed.

"Her head's up."

Flynn smiled, "I know. She's already so big."

"For a preemie," Hayden nodded.

"I'm guessing that was Sammy on the phone," Flynn stated as he picked up his daughter and held her in his arms. Hayden sighed loudly.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"She asked Chris if he wanted to visit mom."

"And…"

"He said yes, and then wouldn't stop telling Sammy all the stuff he was going to do with mom."

"So?"

"According to Aunt Tori and Uncle Blake, mom sleeps day in and day out. And if she's not sleeping she's drugged up drowsy. Christian won't understand that."

"Oh," Flynn sighed.

"Yeah, oh. Now Sammy's backing out and Chris is asking a million questions, all starting with 'why…?'."

"Poor lad," Flynn sighed, shaking his head. He turned back to Hayden, "You don't want to see your mother?"

Hayden shrugged, "I don't… know… I mean, I want to see mom… but… not… you know?"

"Uh, I think…" Flynn frowned. He walked over to Hayden, "Just, take your time, lass. Whenever you want to see her just let me know. I'll go with you if you want."

Hayden smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Flynn."

-Afterlife-

Dean sat in the park, head in his hands as he tried to ignore the world around him. The sun was setting behind him and many couples were gathering to watch. Even when it was artificial, it was still beautiful. It was probably more beautiful now that it was man-made, at least from a colour perspective, because the sunset was the one thing the command center was allowed to play around with. There was the full colour scheme they could use in the sky. For instance, when news of Kaylee's inevitable death went public, the sunset was every shade of green imaginable.

He looked up for a moment and watched the couples. Most were young, about Dawn's age. There were some middle-aged couples and some elderly couples. The one thing they had in common was that they were all close in age to their partner. There was no generation gap between them.

There was only one person in the park, aside from him, who was alone. That person sat by the pond.

It only made Dean feel worse about his relationship. He felt disgusting. He was nearing forty already, and he was flirting with, kissing and even having sex with a nineteen year old. It was technically legal but that didn't mean it was acceptable in this society.

He leaned back against his seat and shut his eyes after pulling out the ring from his pocket. He played with it absent-mindedly until someone sat down beside him.

"Mom told me you dropped by," Dawn whispered.

Dean jumped and tried to hide the ring but Dawn grabbed his hand.

"I, uh… saw it already," she told him. "Are you really trying to pull that? Win my heart back by falling to you knee and declaring your love for me? It's not going to work. I know you think this is weird."

Dean turned to her, "I didn't mean that."

"Never mind. Option number two. Erase what happened," Dawn said. "Apologize and hope she forgets."

"No, no, Dawn, listen," Dean ordered gently. "I love you. It's just…"

"I'm nineteen, you're thirty-seven," Dawn interrupted. Dean took her hand and held it gently.

"Yes… do you understand?"

"I always have! I just don't let it bother me!"

Dean looked her in the eyes as she started to tear. He moved off the bench and got down on his knee.

"You're right," he said. "I shouldn't… I'm just…"

"Perv!" one of the boys from the other couples shouted and Dean turned to face them. They were two couples, possibly double dating. The boys were making faces and the girls were giggling.

"That's disgusting," he heard one of them laugh.

"Dean…" Dawn called hesitantly, "Just ignore them…"

"You're, like, her father!" the other boy shouted. The figure by the pond turned around.

Dean shut his eyes.

-Afterlife-

"She's down," Hayden whispered as she crawled beside Flynn in bed. He set down his papers and took her in his arms. "What are you doing?"

"Looking over Dani's work," he told her. "She needs it for class and wants a second opinion before she hands it in."

"Let me read," Hayden smirked, reaching to grab the papers. Flynn placed his hand on top of them.

"Oi, private eyes," he chuckled.

Hayden wrapped her arm around him instead, "So what's our plan for the evening?" she asked. "Quiet night? TV? Papers? Staring at baby?"

"You were already in there for an hour," Flynn laughed. "You want to go back?"

"Don't you?" Hayden asked.

"Let her sleep," Flynn smiled, shaking his head. "If we go in there and watch her every night she might think we're scary parents."

"Have you met my m…?"

Flynn looked down at Hayden as soon as her words trailed off. It didn't take a genius to know what she was going to say. He held her tight and kissed the top of her head.

"Tomorrow," he told her. "I have the afternoon off."

"I can't, Flynn."

"It's not as bad as you think," he whispered. "I took Addie there a few days ago. Your mother's peaceful when she sleeps, and it'll do you some good. It might cheer her up, too."

Hayden hesitated to answer. Flynn placed his hand under her chin and gently lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes.

"If things get bad I'll be right there with you," he told her. "I promise, it'll do more good than harm, you'll see."

Hayden snuggled in close to her husband, "You better be right."

-Afterlife-

Dawn leaned forward slightly, "Just ignore them, Dean. What do they know?"

Dean's eyes were still closed as the taunting filled his mind. He knew if his relationship with Dawn continued, he was going to have to put up with the comments and harsh words forever. People would accuse him of things he would never dream of doing.

But he loved Dawn. He held up the ring.

"GROSS!" a girl shouted.

"Marry me, Dawn," Dean said.

Dawn smiled. He ignored them. She was about to accept when the boys spoke up again.

"If she says yes, you'll know he's loaded," the one boy said to his friend. "Only a gold digger would marry an old fart like that…"

Dean suddenly pulled the ring away from Dawn's hand and threw it to the ground.

"That's it," he said, he got to his feet and stormed off. "I'm done!"

Dawn was completely shattered. Her chin quivered as she jumped up from the bench and took off.

The figure by the pond pulled up her hood, hiding her red hair and shading her face in the darkness now that the sun was completely set, got up as well and walked over to the bench. She picked up the ring and examined it carefully.

She put it in her pocket and turned to the two double-daters. She looked at the boys.

"I wish you all the happiness in the world," she smirked. "You all deserve each other. You're both jerks, and you've found two beautiful bitchy girlfriends to complement the ignorant, disgusting sides all four of you possess."

With that, she walked off.

Dean stopped his run beside a tree and leaned back against it. He couldn't believe he had just done that.

He could learn to ignore the comments people would throw at him and the names. He truly loved Dawn and she was right, that was all that mattered.

But he couldn't stand letting anyone judge her, even in the slightest way. He couldn't put her through that, no matter how strong she tried to be. He had to call it all off, if he loved her.


	160. It's Not Over

Flynn took Hayden's hand. "It's okay," he whispered encouragingly. The couple stood in front of Kaylee's room door, as they had been for almost ten minutes.

"I can't do it," Hayden said, shaking her head as she tried to back away. Flynn held her hand, keeping her from running.

"You can," he smiled. "You need to."

He looked at his daughter, who rested comfortably in her mother's arms, "Don't you want to see grandma Kaylee?"

Adeline smiled brightly, seeing her father's face. Flynn smiled back at her then looked up at Hayden.

"The jury's spoken… figuratively."

"Flynn…" Hayden was about to find her excuse when the door opened and Dustin stepped out.

"I thought I heard voices," he whispered as she softly shut the door behind him. He turned to Hayden, "Hey…"

Hayden averted her gaze, "Hi…"

The moment grew awkward for the three standing in the hallway. Dustin knew he had basically abandoned his children when they needed him the most, but he was still grieving himself. He was only human, after all and he needed his time to collect himself before he could face his children. That didn't justify his actions though.

The smell of poop suddenly filled the air. Dustin pointed to his granddaughter, "That's probably her."

"I should…"

"I'll do it," Dustin said. He took his granddaughter from Hayden with a smile. "Go see your mother."

"Dad…"

"She misses you," Dustin smiled. "A lot."

"Maybe afterwards we can take you out to an early dinner?" Flynn suggested, knowing Hayden and Dustin were going to need some father-daughter time to talk and catch up, as well as for support. This wasn't an easy thing to do.

"Yeah," Hayden nodded. Her hand touched the door knob, "I'll uh…"

"Do you want me to follow?" Flynn asked her. Hayden turned to the door for a moment to think before shaking her head.

"I think I want to be alone," she told Flynn.

He smiled and nodded, "I won't be far, then."

Hayden kissed him quickly before entering the room. Flynn caught another whiff of his daughter's full diaper and turned to his father in-law, "Were you serious about the diaper change, man?" he asked.

"Yeah," Dustin smiled. "I'll do it."

"Might wanna hurry up," Flynn teased. "At this rate, you'll have a double load to take care of."

-Afterlife-

Dawn had already resorted to drugs to try and cure her ever-turbulent world and that had proven to cause more problems. She wasn't going to go back to doing that this time.

When Dean first ran off she had been devastated. She had shed so many tears she was surprised she wasn't already dried up and wrinkled. After a few hours, the sadness turned into anger and Dawn had stormed out of her house and went to the gym. She found a decent punching bag and started beating on it roughly, almost forcing it off the chain.

Of all the things her brain chose not to forget, it was this. The scene kept spinning around in her head, over and over. The kids teasing and Dean's hesitation to do what felt right. He had let them make a choice for him. He let other people dictate something that should be between the two of them.

She spent all night and morning in the gym, beating on the punching bag like it was nothing. She had never been so angry before in her life. Her entire body ached, but she refused to give in until she felt better.

Dani walked into the gym and caught the punching bag as it swung her way.

"Are you sure you're not related to Aunt Kayl?" Dani chuckled as Dawn finally stopped her workout and walked to the bench to grab a water bottle.

"She's my aunt," Dawn frowned.

"I mean genetically," Dani smirked. "My mom once told me that Aunt Kayl used to try and beat stuff up when she got pissed off too."

"How did you know I was pissed off?" Dawn asked. "In fact, how did you know where I was?"

"When do I not know where you are?" Dani asked, raising an eyebrow. Dawn turned to her.

"Creepy, but you have a point."

Dani let go of the punching bag and walked over to her friend, "So, spill, Matthews."

Dawn shook her head, "It's nothing."

Dani looked over her shoulder at the beat up punching bag, "Yeah, okay."

"Nothing I want to talk about," Dawn growled. Dani took a step back.

"Okay, relax. I'm just here to make sure…"

"I don't go back to alcohol or turn to other drugs?" Dawn asked. "Thanks for the vote of confidence! Next week, maybe you can help me with my self- esteem!"

"Wow, you're wound up," Dani frowned.

"Dani…"

"What?"

"Go home," Dawn barked. Dani didn't say anything. She got up and walked off. Dawn rolled her eyes, happy she wasn't going to have to argue with the obnoxious red head, but a little disappointed Dani left so quickly. She walked back over to the punching bag and hit it in frustration. The bag swung and Dawn caught it as she looked down.

There, right under the bag, was the ring Dean had tried to propose to Dawn with. She frowned, kneeling down to pick it up.

"Where the hell did you come from?" she whispered. She looked around the gym for a moment for a clue before pocketing it. It was probably expensive and Dean would want his money back.

Of course, that meant having to see Dean again after what happened. Another reason Dawn wished Dani had stayed.

-Afterlife-

Hayden rolled her eyes as she approached the bed. Her mother was a relaxed sleeper for sure. Even in the tiny hospital bed, she had somehow managed to spread herself out and sprawl herself out everywhere until she was comfortable. Her pillow had somehow found freedom from under her head and was hanging off the side of the bed, along with her arm.

"You must have rolled out of bed so many times when you were little," Hayden whispered as she fixed the pillow. Kaylee stirred and rolled over, smiling when she saw her daughter.

"Morning."

"Afternoon," Hayden smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

"Considering I'm dying, I feel great," Kaylee chuckled. Hayden's smile fell and she sunk down in the chair. Kaylee sat up, "Too early for jokes, I guess. To be honest, I feel fine. A bit bored."

"You sleep it off, I hear," Hayden said.

"Yeah," Kaylee nodded. She looked around the room, "I kinda wish I was at my sister's place, though."

Hayden turned to her mother, "Huh?"

"When I got sick, after my parents died, Tori would let me sleep in her bed," Kaylee explained. "Usually I had to throw up in my bed first, but sometimes I got a direct pass. You know how your Aunt has, like, a million pillows?"

"Yeah."

"Two words," Kaylee smirked. "Pillow forts!"

Hayden chuckled, "Mike and I did that when we were kids," she nodded. "I didn't know you did it too."

"Please, I invented the pillow kingdom one day," Kaylee grinned. "I got the flu and Tori would not let me leave the bed. Unfortunately, this hospital only gives me a couple pillows. Best I can make here is a pillow tepee for my head."

Hayden laughed softly, making Kaylee smile happily. She reached out, taking her daughter's hand.

"I missed you," she said. "And your brother and sister, of course."

"I would have come sooner but…" Hayden paused to take a breath, "It's not easy."

"I'll tell you what I told everyone else I talked to recently," Kaylee smirked. "I still have years left, a couple, at least if this thing goes south. That's a lot of time. I don't want people to look at me like I'm dying, or treat me any differently, okay? I'm still your mother and as soon as they let me go home, everything's going back to normal."

"Mom…"

"Say otherwise and I smack you," Kaylee threatened playfully. Hayden smiled. She leaned over the bed and hugged her mother.

"I love you."

"I'll never leave you, baby girl," Kaylee whispered. "No matter what happens."

Hayden pulled away. That made her feel a little better about this situation. She couldn't handle losing her mother but she trusted her mother when she said she would never leave.

Kaylee suddenly poked Hayden and asked about Adeline. Though Flynn had been by only days before with the young infant, Kaylee had slept through the entire visit.

Hayden discussed her daughter with Kaylee. The progress Adeline was making already in just under a month of age as well as the long awaited middle name they had given her.

Though they decided against honouring half of her family and not the other, Hayden was happy with the name Kaie. It wasn't too far off from Kaylee, and it meant fighter in Celtic. In a way, it did honour both the Brooks family and the McAllistair's, and they were all fighters in their own way. It also held a special meaning for Adeline, who had fought her way out of the stomach early and never considered the option of death from prematurity.

Hayden then moved on to the different facial expressions Adeline was already making and she began imitating them, causing mother and daughter to laugh loudly and coo and aww.

When it was time to leave, Hayden took her mother's hand and kissed her forehead.

"I'll talk to Aunt Leah and Uncle David about getting you back home," she promised her mother.

"I'm dying already," Kaylee shrugged. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"You get better?" Hayden laughed. She smiled at her mother, "Take care."

"I will."

-Afterlife-

In the park, Dawn sat on the very bench where Dean had proposed to her. She played with the ring in her hand as she stared blindly at what was in front of her.

Dani approached her, "Are you savage still or do you want to talk?"

Dawn turned to the red head and shrugged, "Depends on what you're going to say."

"Are you going to eat me if I say the wrong thing?"

"Won't eat you," Dawn said, and a small smile appeared on the corner of her lip. "Red-heads are too… hot."

"A joke!" Dani smiled and launched herself at Dawn in a hug. "Yay! She's not a lost, depressed soul who needs saving."

"I've calmed down a bit," Dawn nodded. "Worn out from the workout. Everything hurts too much, now. Even being angry. I might try apathy for the next little while."

"Apathy sucks," Dani told her. "Why not try being a story teller for a while. What happened?"

Dawn held up the ring, "Three guesses. If you need them all, you are a moron."

Dani smiled and squealed but Dawn held her hand up.

"Calm down. It didn't happen."

"But you said…"

"He chickened out last minute," Dawn explained. "Something happened and he changed his mind. Instead of proposing, he did the opposite."

"That sucks," Dani pouted. Dawn shrugged.

"I thought so too, at first," she said. "But I got to thinking and… I guess that clears up my time. I mean, if I had to start planning a wedding… I'd never get around to thinking about Emy… I still want to help her."

"That solution will come back to you," Dani smiled. "I believe strongly. Just don't stress over it and you'll see."

"I still wish I could control it," Dawn sighed.

"I wish I could control the world," Dani pouted. "I should have volunteered while the job was available. If I had, those kids would have been locked up."

Dawn turned to Dani, "What kids?"

Dani looked back at Dawn, "From the proposal. You said there were kids."

"I did?"

Dani bit her lip, "Uh… yeah. You said… uh, 'Dean chickened out' … uh … 'something happened', bunch of kids laughing and then break up."

Dawn frowned, "I don't think I said kids…"

"Where else would I have gotten that information from then?" Dani asked. Dawn looked down at the ring in her hand and shrugged.

"I guess you're right."

Dani pointed to the ring, "So, how long are you going to wait before you talk to him? You know, patch things up? Show those kids he's not a pervert and you're not a gold digger."

Dawn frowned again. She couldn't remember spilling that much information. But she did have short term memory loss.

"I, uh… doubt that's going to happen," she whispered. "He had his second chance already and blew it."

Dani gasped, "What?"

Dawn stood up, "I'm not accepting another apology. It's done."

"But…"

"I'm not a girl who'll continuously throw herself at Mr. Right just because I've given him that title. If he really was Mr. Right, this ring would be on my finger instead of in my hand," Dawn shrugged. "Easy as that. As soon as I give the ring back, I'm fair game, so is he."

Dawn turned to leave. Dani sat in complete shock for a moment before jumping up and running after her friend.

"You're just… ending it?"

"It's done."

"Because of some kids?"

"Because of him."

Dani muttered under her breathe, "Dammit…" she turned back to the park bench, "Sometimes I think I put more effort into their relationship then they do."

In the blink of an eye, she rushed back to the bench, pulled out her phone, snapped a picture of the setting sun and before Dawn knew she was gone, she was back where she had been originally standing, panting slightly.

As she chased after Dawn she whispered to herself, "This isn't over until I say it's over."


	161. Numb

Kaylee bent over, picking up one of the many toys Christian had left scattered on the floor during his mega-long living room camping trip with his Uncle and cousin while she was in the hospital. After Hayden had a long talk with two doctors (Leanne and David) as well as three nurses and the poor receptionist, Kaylee was finally allowed to come home, as long as she promised not to die early.

Christian bolted by with a towel tied around his neck like a cape as he jumped up on the couch.

Kaylee held up the Buzz Lightyear toy, "What did I say about leaving this on the ground?" she asked her son. Christian bounced up and down for a moment before shrugging.

"Nothing?"

"Very funny, mister," she said as she handed him the toy, "Put it away. You're a boy, you're not an animal."

"Uncle Blake never made me clean up my toys," Christian pouted. He jumped off the couch. Kaylee scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Uncle Blake is a dirty pig," she said. "We do not see eye to eye."

"He's in humping your sister, get over it, dude!" Christian huffed as he walked off. Kaylee watched him, horrified as Dustin walked over to her with her medication in hand.

"Where the hell did he learn that?" she asked. Dustin chuckled.

"He's spent a long time with his male influences," Dustin shrugged. "I give him a week and he'll forget that word."

"I don't care about humping," Kaylee frowned. "That kid has the nerves to call me dude."

"Better then what Engel's calling Scott nowadays," Dustin smirked. Kaylee turned to him. He grinned, "She's expanding her vocabulary."

"I can't give up," Kaylee rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air, "If there is a God up there, you can't take me yet. My family's cursing and calling me dude!"

Dustin wrapped his arms around her, "I second that," he whispered before kissing her neck.

Hayden walked downstairs. She had stayed the night of her mother's homecoming and was leaving after work. She just wanted to make sure everything was settled and help out with Christian before she went back home to un-pause her normal life.

She spotted her parents and gagged, "Gross."

"I don't do that every time you kiss your husband," Kaylee grinned.

Hayden rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but you gave me bonus points for marrying my husband and he's not your father. All you have to do is have sex twice. Once for me, once for Sam, bam, you're done. There will be no fooling around unless you want me to burn this set of eyes too."

"No eye talk," Dustin winced, rubbing his own eye, "Not after last night."

Hayden frowned, "What happened last night?"

"You fell asleep before we did," Kaylee said. She grabbed the throw pillows from the ground and tossed them on the couch. "When your father and I went to check up on you, you scratched your eyeball right out. I, uh, found it on the floor by your bed and tossed it out."

"I haven't done that since I was like… nine," Hayden said, touching just under her eye. "In fact, I haven't been numb for more than an hour since I was fifteen… Aside from Adeline, I mean..."

"It might be the baby hormones," Kaylee assured her daughter. "If you keep going numb just have a word with Leanne. I'm sure it's nothing, though."

"Think Addie does that?" Hayden asked. "Goes numb, I mean?"

"She's your daughter," Dustin shrugged. "You were numb quite a bit growing up. When you were a toddler it was about 50/50. I once found shredded pieces of skin all over the playroom."

"Don't even get me started on the games Sam and Summer used to play," Kaylee shuttered at the thought. "Kira even vomited a few times, and it was hard as hell finding a babysitter outside of the family."

"Or in the family," Dustin nodded. "There's a reason you never met my uncle… he was disgusted the moment he met you and you…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Hayden frowned. "If the numbness continues I'll go see a doctor. No more stories, please! I'm just worried about Addie. I mean, she's a healer so I don't have to worry about the eye thing or her getting hurt but… what if something's happening to her and she doesn't… something falls on her and she can't feel it and she suffocates… or she can't feel a single thing!"

"She's fine, Hayden," Dustin smiled at his daughter. "She's a happy baby. And she feels stuff. She cries when she's hungry, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry about her," Kaylee nodded. She noticed the clock, "Now go. I know you're the boss, but no one likes it when the commander shows up late to Kayleeville."

"Kayleeville?" Hayden scoffed. "Please, mom. It's Hayden's Town now."

-Afterlife-

Dean sighed as he listened to his co-worker's story about her son's Halloween. After breaking things off with Dawn, Dean realised a woman he was working with had been crushing on him for years and those innocent coffee breaks she been asking him out on weren't so innocent. He missed Dawn deeply and thought a date with a woman his age would help him get over the break-up and maybe things wouldn't be so weird.

But this woman, Abigail, never stopped talking about how adorable her 14 year old son looked in his Halloween costume. But when she wasn't talking about that, she was discussing her girlfriends, her parents, her ex-husband or work. It was never just something simple with her.

He tapped his foot under the table, trying to keep still. Just sitting at the table, with nothing else to do but talk, for a coffee break made Dean feel like he was aging rapidly. He never felt like he was aging or old when he was with Dawn. She made him feel young. She was young and so full of energy.

He shook his head slightly. If he was going to get over her, he was going to have to stop thinking about her.

"So, Adam…"

"You'll love him," Abigail nodded. "And he's always wanted a little sibling. I'm sure he won't mind Emily."

Dean's eyes widened. Was she talking family talk already? Did he not just explain to her how he had just broken up with someone?

"A little sibling?" Dean chocked on his coffee. "Excuse me?"

"Technically I've been in this relationship longer than you have, but I feel we need to discuss what we want and where we think we're going," Abigail nodded. "We're not getting younger, you know. I would like to be married before I'm forty."

"You're thirty-nine…"

_Twenty years older than Dawn_, Dean had to mentally slap himself to get his ex out of his mind.

"Yes," Abigail smiled. "Like I said, we're not getting any younger. I want a life with you."

Dean pulled away, "Abby, this isn't anything serious," he told her. "We're just dating…"

"Please," Abigail scoffed, "When you're our age, there is no more dating. We start off serious. We can't go back to testing the waters. First dates are make or break."

"That's… a lot of pressure," Dean frowned. Abigail placed her hand on his.

"I know you've just come out of a serious relationship with a younger women. Trust me; they do things differently with older men. Give them what they need while they take what they want. If you need a little more time to thing about this, I'm ready to try a few more dates…"

"Yes. Please," Dean nodded. "All I'm asking."

"…before we move in together."

Dean blinked before getting up, "Excuse me."

He put a twenty dollar bill on the table before rushing out. He turned the corner and leaned against the building, rubbing his face before her heard footsteps. He pulled his hands away and saw Dani standing in front of him. He sighed loudly.

"Punch me in the face if you want," he said, turning his cheek, "I know I hurt her."

Dani frowned, "Why would I punch you? I'm here to ask you to marry Dawn."

Dean tapped the red head on the top of the head, "My dear Dani. We've broken up. I can't ask an ex to marry me."

Dani shrugged, "You can. It's just a matter of if she's going to say yes or not."

"Dani…"

"It's been a week!" Dani groaned. "Get over yourself! So you're twice her age, big whoop! My dad's older than my mom. Okay, so it's only a few years, but who gives a damn! They're in love!"

"This is different, Dani."

"You don't love her?" Dani asked. "Please. I've been watching you guys! I'm the creepy little sister who won't go away! I see everything! And that look in your eyes when you look at Dawn… It's like… every time you see her you fall in love all over again."

"But people…"

"Screw the people," Dani said. "The people are stupid and they don't matter! Are they involved in this relationship? No! Can they interfere? No? Will they try? Maybe. Will they find out why I'm the muscle in my relationship? Yes!"

"They call her a gold digger, Dani," Dean sighed.

"She doesn't dig for gold," Dani frowned. "She helps people."

"No… gold digger… you know. She sleeps with men for money."

"Prostitute?"

"Older men."

"Dirty prostitute?"

"Do you not know what a prostitute is?"

"Of course I do," Dani nodded. "I'm just mimicking you and playing _stupid!_"

Dani took a deep breath, "Look, Dean. If you really do love Dawn, and if you really do care about her, you're going to do anything to make her happy. If she can live with the names, then you'll have to learn to live with them too. Don't go breaking her heart needlessly or you'll be the one to learn why Greg's the wimp."

Dani shoved a USB key in his hand and turned to leave. Dean ran his hand through his head as he watched her.

"Does Greg know you call him a wimp?" he asked her, not expecting a response.

Dani heard him and spun around, "For every time he accidentally calls him stupid, I get to call him week. That's how love works. We compromise, we work together, we have fun and we don't give a damn what other people think. Marriage is a commitment between two people who love each other. Straight, gay, young or old."

This time, Dani left. Dean played with the USB for a moment.

"She really isn't stupid," he breathed.

-Afterlife-

"No! What do you not understand? You don't put a factory near a residential area! … What do you mean? I'm nineteen, how old are you? … Well, good for you, but we're still not doing this your way… Because I'm commander, that's why! Have a good day too, grandpa!"

Hayden slammed the phone down on the table and huffed loudly. Vasquez looked up from her paperwork for a second and chuckled. The Colonel walked over to Hayden's desk.

"That sounded professional," he frowned. Hayden looked up at him.

"You agree with me, don't you?" she asked. "We're trying to offer people a nice, clean, beautiful new place to live. Not a pollution infested wasteland."

"Isn't the new city in the wastes?" Vasquez pointed out. Hayden frowned.

"Shut up. I'm just trying to make this work."

Vasquez walked to the desk and picked up the paperwork. "Maybe the contractors and designers aren't ready to take orders from a teenager yet. How about I voice your decisions until they learn to trust you?"

"And what do I do?" Hayden asked, turning to the Colonel. He grabbed Vasquez' paperwork and dropped it on Hayden's desk. She groaned loudly, "Seriously? You offer me position of Commander and you slam me with desk duty?"

"Just for now," the colonel assured her.

Hayden rolled her eyes and opened the folder. She read over the papers and tapped her pen against the desk.

After a moment Hayden realised she couldn't feel the pen anymore. She tried switching hands but the pen dropped during the transfer. Hayden reached down to the floor to pick it up.

Vasquez heard a bang and turned to Hayden, "You okay?" she asked.

Hayden looked up and nodded, "What? Yeah, why?"

"Didn't you… never mind."

"What?" Hayden pressed.

"You just hit you head against the desk, didn't you?"

Hayden frowned, shaking her head.

"I don't…"

Vasquez got up and approached Hayden. She placed her hand on Hayden's forehead and felt a bump forming already. She could also feel a small warm spot, where the blood was rushing to heal the injury.

"You definitely hit your head. Are you numb?"

Hayden nodded, "I guess… It should be fading soon, though."

Vasquez crossed her arms over her chest and waited. Hayden went back to work for a few seconds before getting panicked. She turned back to Vasquez.

"What if it won't?" she asked. "I've always been afraid of going numb forever… when the numbness started dying away I thought I was okay but… what if…"

Vasquez placed her hand on Hayden's shoulders, though if she was still numb that wouldn't be much comfort, "Don't worry about it. It could just be stress. All bodies react when we're stressed. Your body numbed you against pain in childbirth, and it's probably trying to numb out the physical symptoms of stress."

"You mean because of my mom, right?" Hayden asked. Vasquez shrugged.

"Anything else stressing you out?"

"This job," Hayden sighed. "Do you mind if I take a break for a few minutes? Maybe this will pass if I relax."

Vasquez nodded and motioned to the door, "Take all the time you need, Commander."


	162. Coping

_Author's Note: Before we get started with this chapter, I want everyone to have a look at the review count. Why am I telling you to do this? Well, thanks to my many wonderful reviewers, I have surpassed 1000 reviews! Currently, I have 1005 reviews and it's all thanks to you for taking the time to leave a comment or feedback. Big or small, I appreciate them all (I didn't mean to rhyme but I couldn't come up with anything better). So if you've only reviewed once, when you hadthe time, or for every chapter, I really appreciate it. I wouldn't be where I am today (and neither would the Kaylee Series), if it wasn't for all of you offering me feedback and kind words._

_A special shout out to Dark Priestess66 for being the 1000th reviewer. It's a huge milestone and I'm glad I can share it will all of you. Now, the series is complete._

_Just kidding. There's still a little ways to go before the end. Until then, enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

Dawn slammed her clipboard down and groaned loudly as she heard a knock at the door.

"I swear, Dani, if that's you…" she muttered to herself as the door opened and three men walked in. Dawn got up from her chair and forced a smile. "Hi, welcome to the New Dawn Center."

The man in the middle looked down at a card in his hand, "I was told to come here," he said. "We were referred by Commander Ford."

Dawn frowned but motioned for the men to take a seat, choosing to let them figure out who would be the odd man standing considering she only had two chairs. She sat down behind her desk and nodded.

"Okay, how can I help?" she asked.

"I'm Tim," the man in the middle spoke. "This is Ben and John. We're from the underwater world and we…"

Dawn jumped out of her seat and pointed to the door, "Get out."

"But, Commander Ford said your job was to…"

"Get out," Dawn ordered again. Normally she would never turn away customers, but she knew the underwater people were directly responsible for the inevitable death of her Aunt and were not welcomed inside the city of Corinth. She was sure most of the citizens would agree with her choice to throw them out.

"We were told we wouldn't be judged…"

Dawn leaned forward on the desk as she glared at the three men, "Commander Kaylee is my Aunt. Commander Hayden is my cousin. I will not tolerate people who hurt my family and leave them to suffer."

"We had no idea…"

"Get out," was all Dawn said. "I'm sure NewTech's got their own way of helping you ease your way into their society. You're not welcomed here."

"You can't do that!" Ben shouted. Dawn turned to him.

"Commander Hayden told you directly you're not welcome inside this city. I take her orders very seriously. So get out before I get her down here."

Much to Dawn's luck, the door opened again and Hayden walked in. Tim looked to his men and shook his head dejectedly before walking away. Hayden failed to acknowledge their presence as they walked by her.

Dawn smiled when she saw her cousin, but Hayden didn't smile back.

"I kicked them out," Dawn told her, thinking the presence of her mother's murderers was causing her grief. Hayden shrugged.

"That's fine," she said. "I uh, wanted to talk to you about something… before I talk to Sammy or go to Aunt Leanne."

Dawn pointed to the chair, "I'm all ears."

Hayden couldn't feel for the chair and had to guess whether or not she was sitting and if she was over the chair or not. When she stumbled over, Dawn rushed around the desk to pull her up.

"Whoa, sit down, much?" she laughed. Hayden got to her feet and growled in frustration.

"Three hours this time!" she shouted and Dawn took a step back. "Three fucking hours!"

"Are you numb?"

"I can't feel a thing!" Hayden nodded. She took a few breathes to calm down before looking back at her cousin. Vasquez thinks its stress so I figure maybe if I talk to you about it, it'll lower my stress and no one else needs to know."

"Does Flynn?" Dawn asked. Hayden shrugged.

"I've mentioned numbness," she said. "I don't know if he knows it's chronic."

"Okay, well, I guess I just have a few questions for you, then. What do you think is stressing you out?"

Hayden pointed over her shoulder, "Bastards one, two and three for starters."

-Afterlife-

Kelly turned so she was running backwards and facing Kaylee, "C'mon, grandma, only two more blocks until we're home."

"Easy for you to say," Kaylee panted. "This jog is killing me! Literally!"

"Don't tell me you're losing all your endurance in your old age?" Kelly smirked.

Kaylee stopped to lean against a street light, "Do I have to remind you that you're four years older than I am? If anyone's old it's you!"

Kelly slowed to a stop before turning back. She approached Kaylee and placed a hand on her back, "Do you need to stop again for a few minutes?"

Kaylee shook her head before taking off suddenly and sprinting down the street. Kelly was surprised by the sudden burst of energy but quickly overcame it as she raced her little sister back to JKP. The two women bolted through the doors, with Kaylee slightly in the lead. She pumped her fists in the air.

"Victory!" she shouted.

"You cheated!" Kelly argued, shoving the blonde. "I thought you were done!"

"It's been forty years, Kel," Kaylee smirked. "I thought you knew me better than that. When have I ever run out of energy?"

"Mom! Aunt Kayl! Sweet, you're back! We could use some help in the kitchen," Hannah smiled as she carried a tray of food.

Kaylee clutched her heart, "Gasp!" she shouted. "My heart!" she placed her hand on her chest, "my lungs! I can't breathe… need to sit down…"

She collapsed in an empty seat and faked exhaustion. Kelly shook her head and turned to Hannah.

"Sorry, sweetie. You and your father will have to do this on your own," she said. "I've got to take care of the cheater for another few hours."

Kaylee's head snapped up, "You're making me sound like I need a babysitter."

"You do," Kelly laughed as she checked her watch. "Pill popping time. C'mon, Kayl, we'll go upstairs."

A table of customers turned as they heard this and stared at Kelly accusingly. She turned to them.

"It's not what it sounds like," she said as she led Kaylee upstairs.

Hannah looked at the table, "Do you own a family business?"

"No," the woman at the table shook her head. Hannah adjusted the tray in her hands.

"Adopt me please," she whispered as she headed to another table to deliver the order. "Sorry it's late. We're really busy at the moment and the kitchen's got two employees only."

-Afterlife-

Dawn looked at her notes. They weren't necessary for her talk with Hayden, but a habit at work was hard to break. She shrugged her shoulders as she looked at her cousin.

"It could be stress," she said. "I think Vasquez might be right. Stress has a lot of physical symptoms and your body could just be going numb so you don't feel the pain."

"I guess," Hayden nodded as she played with her hands. Feeling had returned a few minutes before and she was enjoying it, even though the chair felt rather uncomfortable.

"You get numb at work, in the morning when you're getting ready and when Addie's crying. That's stress, cuz. Trust me; I don't have sticky notes everywhere because I was living a stress free life."

"You better be right," Hayden said. "How are you coping, anyways? Any improvements?"

"A little," Dawn nodded. "I still don't remember that solution, though. It's really starting to piss me off."

Hayden reached over; grabbing the clipboard Dawn had left on the desk.

"I was working on that before the bastards came in," she said. "I decided to jot down a list of things that could be wrong with Emy's arm and I was hoping a solution would just… appear."

"Pinching?" Hayden asked, reading one of the bullets. Dawn shrugged.

"It's been ruled out already, but I figure it would hurt to continue considering it."

Hayden shook her head, "I don't know… if she could feel it pinching, she would have told you about it right from the start. It sounds to me like she doesn't even know what's wrong with it. And anyways, didn't you say the arm was built to feel like it wasn't there?"

"Yeah. Emy's not supposed to feel any…" Dawn trailed off; her eyes seemed focused on a distant object. Hayden could practically see the gears in her head turning. Suddenly, the older girl was fumbling around for a pen and paper.

"I got it!" she smiled, jotting down key words to help her remember. She stuck the paper in her pockets and ran over to her cousin, hugging her happily, "Thank you! Thank you! You and your insanely annoying numbness!"

Hayden chuckled, "Uh, you're welcome!"

Dawn rushed for the door, grabbing her jacket before stopping suddenly. Hayden turned and watched her.

"You wrote it down," she said. Dawn shook her head.

"Not… not that," she said. "Emy's with Dean."

"So?"

Dawn turned around, "We broke up."

"I thought Emy came first, no matter what?"

"She does," Dawn nodded, "She always will but… Dean will… I don't think I can…"

Hayden walked over and took Dawn's hand, "Tell you what. You let me rant about my stressful life some more and I'll come with you to visit Emy and Dean. Deal?"

Dawn nodded, "Deal."

-Afterlife-

Kaylee walked to her bag and pulled out a Ziploc bag of medication. Kelly watched and sighed sadly as Kaylee took each one, popping one pill after another.

"So," Kelly whispered. "What do those pills do?" she asked. She knew there's was nothing to keep Kaylee from dying, even modern medicine. She had to wonder why Kaylee had so many pills.

Kaylee looked at the bottles on the counter, "Uh, painkillers and other stuff with long fancy medical names that I will never be able to pronounce to I call them life enhancement pills. Or life steroids, whichever you're comfortable with."

Kelly watched as Kaylee finished taking her pills and finished her bottle of water before skipping over to the couch and plopping down like she owned the place. She dug the remote out from under the pillows and flicked on the TV. Kelly sighed; her little sister really confused her. She remembered being injured for a few months back when she was a teenager and she had been on painkillers and other medication for a while. The simple fact that her life had been put on hold for that small time, with the promise of it returning to normal, was enough to bring her down into a slump.

Yet, here was Kaylee, happy as ever, acting like nothing ever happened. She took those pills like instructed and then ignored them completely as life moved on.

She followed the blonde to the TV area, but stood before the couch. Kaylee looked up.

"Take a seat if you want. Your home; not mine."

"The pills don't faze you at all, do they?" Kelly asked. Kaylee shrugged.

"It's a little weird, but whatever, right? There's nothing I can do."

Kelly turned to the door, "You know, your kids aren't anywhere near, Dustin's at the Academy and Hannah and RJ are busy downstairs. If there's anything you need to…"

"Kel, it's cool," Kaylee interrupted and to the red head it sounded like she was avoiding the topic. It could have been Kelly overanalysing the situation, but she didn't want to pull away in case she was right.

"Are you sure?"

"I was going to die someday," Kaylee nodded. "Now I just have a better frame. It's a good thing, you know."

"But, don't you feel like there's a clock somewhere ticking down?"

Kaylee shook her head, "Nope," she tapped the cushion beside her, "Sit."

"It's just…"

"Sit," Kaylee said. Kelly looked at her sister for a moment before taking a seat to watch TV, occasionally glancing at Kaylee when the blonde wasn't looking. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw a tear.


	163. Corinth's Princess

Dawn looked at Emily with a smile on her face.

"You see, sweetheart, it was Hayden's numbness that got me thinking… you're frustrated that it doesn't feel real, right?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders and looked at her fake arm, "I don't know. I just know something bugs me."

"Well, with your father's permission and if Greg's up to it, I'm going to get you a little upgrade on that arm. Hopefully we can increase feeling so that it's as close to normal as ever. If that doesn't work, we can try something else. How does that sound?"

Emily smiled, "I'll try anything."

"That's a good girl," Dawn nodded and grabbed her stuff. She turned to Dean and offered him a small smile. Dean smiled back and walked Dawn to the door. Hayden sensed a little bit of tension between the two and stayed back to talk with Emily while the two former love-birds talked.

"Thanks," Dean whispered. "I know we promised not to we interfere with you and Emily… but after I left you… I had my doubts."

Dawn shrugged, "I'm a professional. And I actually care for Emily. There's nothing you do to me will ever keep me from doing everything I can for her."

"That's good to hear," Dean nodded. He checked over his shoulder to make sure Emily wasn't listening, "I haven't told her about us yet. She was just so happy when she thought I was going to…"

"That's your mess," Dawn growled. "I don't care what other people think. They can shove their opinions right up their asses and burn in hell for all I care. The only thing that mattered was what you thought. I can handle you wanting to wait until I'm older to get married, but I will not tolerate you letting other people interfere in our relationship. It's between you and me, not them."

Dean scoffed and shook his head in disbelief, "You know, Dani said the same thing. She came over to me and tried to fight your battle."

"What are you saying?" Dawn asked. Before Dean had a chance to speak she continued, "I didn't sent her after you, if that's what you think."

"Well, she was quick to place the blame on me."

"You're the one who proposed and then backed out! I hardly had enough time to say yes before you went second guessing yourself."

"You got mad for a stupid reason," Dean frowned. "So this relationship is weird? Who cares what it is. I still loved you!"

"Loved?" Dawn asked. She turned to the door, "Great. After everything we've been through it's over like that."

"It's more complicated than that…"

"Whatever."

Dean shook his head, "Now you're tuning me out? Maybe it's a good thing I ended this, if you're just going to play teenage love games."

"Will you stop looking at age?" Dawn shouted. "It's just a freaking number! It means nothing, especially in a post-apocalyptic world! Just grow…"

"Stop it!" Emily shouted and both Dean and Dawn turned to see her in tears. Hayden stood behind her, looking almost as upset.

"Emy…" Dawn whispered.

"Stop fighting," Emily sobbed before storming upstairs.

Hayden looked at the two sadly, "I couldn't do anything… you guys were loud."

Dean moved towards the stairs, "I'll talk to her."

Dawn ran her hands through her hair, "If you need help…"

"She's my daughter," Dean snapped.

"That doesn't mean I don't love her," Dawn said. "If she needs me, I'm coming back, whether you like it or not."

Hayden walked to the door and gently pushed Dawn out, "I think it's time we go."

-Afterlife-

Tim marched through the streets with Ben and John beside him. He was angry with this city. No one was willing to hear his side of the story. They all turned him and his people down. He couldn't get food at the restaurant, he couldn't buy a newspaper. He couldn't pick up a few hygiene products his world desperately needed and he was turned down by the one place he thought he could find help.

"I'm sick of this," he shouted, punching the wall to a building. John nodded.

"I'm with you. I think I liked it better when we thought the world was run by robots. I mean, what did we do to them besides act out in self-defence? They came close to our territory. We were only trying to keep ourselves safe. Those mutants weren't going to talk so we had to do what we had to do."

"They're the ones who hurt us," Ben added. "They killed two of us and left their bodies there for us to discover."

"They're a hypocrite, that's what they are," John said. "They call us murderers."

"We're obviously not welcome in these cities," Tim said.

John grinned maliciously, "We could force them to change their minds."

"How? This Commander's some kind of indestructible freak who obviously cares for her mother. We're not going to be able to force her to change her mind."

John reached out, snatching a paper off a man walking down the street. When the man turned to confront him, John simply growled and shoved him. He wasn't going to tolerate these judgemental freaks anymore.

"Whatever you're planning, I'm out," Ben said, throwing his hands in the air and walking off. "I like it back home. We have privacy, an endless supply of water if we clean it properly and I feel cool using the tunnels to surface and hunt… Like a real man, you know? I don't get why you two need these cities."

"Whatever, man," John scoffed. "We don't need you."

Ben shrugged and walked off. John shook his head before looking through the newspaper. There was bound to be news about the new Commander in the city and he was hoping for something that would give him and Tim the advantage.

He smirked when he found the article he was looking for, "Seems Corinth's got a new little Princess."

-Afterlife-

Kelly cradled the phone against the side of her face with her shoulder as she worked around in the kitchen. RJ and Hannah were going to be exhausted after their shift and would be needing food desperately. Kaylee had just taken off so Kelly got to work taking care of her family.

However, she couldn't get Kaylee off her mind. She was worried about her little sister. She couldn't get Kaylee to talk though. Hanson girls were built stubborn. So she decided to turn to the only person who could probably break through the stubborn and defensive barrier.

"This isn't an easy thing to deal with, Tori and I'm worried she might be… hiding it, you know?"

RJ and Hannah stepped into the loft, worn down from there long day. Kelly pointed to the table.

"You should have seen her, though. I brought it up and she just shut me up and the rest of the day was quiet."

Hannah turned to her father, "Who is she talking to?"

"We don't have a psychic connection," RJ shrugged. "Although, tonight's tips says she's talking with… Kira."

Hannah listened to her mother's conversation.

"Could you talk to her though? Sister to sister? You're the only one she might talk to."

"Aunt Tori. I'm confident."

RJ shook his daughter's hand, "You have a bet."

"Thanks, Tori," Kelly smiled as she brought the food to the table. "I'll talk to you soon."

RJ groaned and buried his head in his arms as Hannah pumped her fists in the air.

"Whoo! Money, here I come!"

Kelly hung up the phone and turned to her husband, "You are terrible, you know that? How are we supposed to afford her Christmas presents now?"

RJ looked at Kelly curiously. Kelly shook her head.

"You know, tips from November and December go towards Hannah's big Christmas gifts."

"They do?" Hannah asked, digging into her meal.

"Always have," Kelly nodded. RJ was still clueless.

"Huh?"

"This year I guess you'll have to…"

Hannah sighed, "Fine. Dad can keep his half. Can I eat in my room?"

"Go for it," Kelly nodded. "I need to talk to your father about your Aunt, anyways."

"Sweet!" Hannah smiled as she hopped out of her seat and over to her bedroom. RJ turned to his wife.

"Did you just con our daughter into giving up her winnings?"

"I won't do it again if you promise to stop betting with her. You know you always lose."

"I'll try," RJ chuckled. "So, about Kaylee…"

"I don't think we're out of the woods yet," Kelly sighed.

-Afterlife-

Hayden sat in the car with Dawn, looking at her cousin after the fight that happened at Dean's place. She took Dawn's hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Dawn sighed. "I guess. I'm just worried about Emily, you know?"

"She'll be fine," Hayden assured her. "She's a strong kid."

"Yeah."

"You know, for a moment, it kinda felt like you three were a family," Hayden smiled. "Mommy, daddy and daughter, you know? That's probably how Emily's feels. She called me Aunt Hayden, you know."

"She did?" Dawn asked. Hayden nodded.

"Yeah. She said she was happy her father liked someone as nice as you and she didn't have to live through the whole Cinderella step-mother issue."

"Well, he screwed that up."

"A relationship takes two, you know," Hayden shrugged. "But what can you do?"

"If that's seriously a question go talk to Dani," Dawn chuckled. "She's been working on fixing us since the break-up. Sometimes I think it's a three way relationship."

"I guess she's just convinced that you and Dean are supposed to work out," Hayden said. "But hey, whatever happens happens. I guess if you guys were never meant to be, there is no forcing it."

"Yeah," Dawn nodded. "I just don't want to screw this up for Emily, though. She doesn't deserve this. But I can't keep visiting her if Dean and I are just going to fight. I can't hurt her."

"It's too bad it didn't work out," Hayden said as she reached for the door handle. "I think you would have made for a cool step-mom. Probably cooler than Vanessa."

Dawn chuckled, "I don't know. Engel likes her a lot."

"Engel likes almost everyone," Hayden said, "If not, she calls you poopie."

"True."

Hayden reached into her pocket, "Speaking of, they've set a date. Bring someone along to the wedding. Trust me, you don't want to be at Mike's family event without a date – romantic or not."

"Why?"

"My mother."

"Ah," Dawn nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

"Good. See you soon, then."

Hayden stepped out of the car and walked into the garage. She didn't trust babysitters with her daughter yet and therefore couldn't leave her daughter alone. She would have taken her to Dawn's, but with her numbness, Hayden didn't trust herself to be able to properly hold Adeline, and therefore Flynn was in charge of taking care of her.

She walked over to the counter, "How is she?"

Flynn looked up, letting his newest customer finish signing the forms.

"I don't know who you're talking about," he smirked.

"Dani," Hayden smiled, playing along. "You know, if you don't put her down for a nap she gets cranky."

"Just because I'm underneath a car it doesn't mean I can't hear you," Dani called as she worked on one of the trucks in the back. "Although, if you're serious about letting me take a nap."

"You just had a break, Dan," Flynn sighed. He looked at his wife, "Addie's in the back. I just put her down."

He took the forms from the customer and wished him a good day as he left. Flynn tossed the clipboard onto a table in the back and smiled at Hayden, "I think she's going to take after me. She was smiling all day."

"Wrong," Hayden said. "My baby. She'll rule the world."

"Well, they are calling her Corinth's Princess."

"A title which used to belong to me," Hayden pointed out.

"That doesn't mean she won't fix up cars," Flynn said. "Best of both worlds."

"May the best parent win," Hayden laughed. Flynn cleaned the grease off his hands with a rag before shaking his wife's hand to seal the deal. He noticed her grip was stronger than usual and frowned. It hurt slightly.

"You're not taking this seriously?" he asked her as he tried to shake off the pain.

Hayden groaned, "Sorry…"

"I know you're numb," he said. "It's hard to hide something like that."

"How did you…"

Flynn pointed to where her hand was resting on the counter, "Dani left her fork from lunch on the counter. I was about to clean it up."

Hayden lifted her hand and saw the fork had pierced it. Flynn moved the fork aside and looked at Hayden.

"That's why you wanted me to take the baby."

"I might drop her," Hayden sighed. "And I love mom, but let's not turn Addie into her clone."

"She would need an older sister for that to happen," Flynn chuckled.

Suddenly they heard Braveheart barking loudly from down the hallway as he stood in front of the door to Adeline's room. Dani tried hushing him while Hayden and Flynn rushed over. Flynn grabbed Braveheart's collar and pulled him away. Hayden opened the door to the room to make sure the dog hadn't woken up Adeline.

She approached the side of the playpen and leaned over, surprised to find a doll where her baby should have been.


	164. Addie First

Flynn punched a hole in the wall and Dani whimpered.

"Bye wall."

Flynn growled and kicked a chair, causing one of the legs to fly right off.

"Bye chair."

Flynn stomped around the room, blinded by rage. He reached for the closest object he could find and readied himself to smash it against the ground. Dani squeaked fearfully as she dashed over and ripped it from his hand.

"My trophy!" she cried, hugging it close. "The closest thing to a baby that I have!"

"Where is _my_ baby?" Flynn screamed. Dani looked at him and shrugged.

"What makes you think I know?" she asked. Flynn glared angrily at her, almost like he was trying to keep himself from ripping her head off (which he probably was).

Greg held a mortified Hayden in his arms as he tried to keep her calm. Flynn was much too angry to be of any comfort right now, and Dani was the only one fast and strong enough to keep Flynn from tearing the house down. The former Gold Ranger looked at Dani and sighed.

"You're not helping," he told her. He figured it was finally time to hand Hayden over to Flynn.

During all this, Braveheart had been standing under the window, barking loudly and jumping up against the wall. Everyone had ignored him up until now. Greg turned to the dog and groaned.

"Bad, uh… dog. No."

Dani shook her head and laughed, "For someone so interested in animal 'coitus'," she said, using a word Greg now employed all the time, "you know nothing about the animals themselves, do you?"

She walked up behind Braveheart and grabbed his collar, pulling him away from the wall.

"Down," she ordered him in a firm tone, "Calm."

Braveheart sat down and looked up at Dani, however he was still eager to help out.

Greg watched, curious as to how Dani had mastered the skill of animal training. He was certain she had never owned a pet before.

As Dani grabbed Braveheart's leash from the desk beside the window, she looked up at Greg.

"I've got four blood cousins that I practically grew up with, and all of them were… physically older than me," she smirked. "I had to train them somehow."

She hooked the leash up to the collar before reaching into the playpen to grab Addie's lion.

"We're going to find this kid the old fashion way," she smirked, "Right, puppy?"

Braveheart looked up at her, already on his feet with his nose pointed towards the lion in her hands.

"I'm going to find those sons of bitches and…"

"Save the scary momma bear act for the kidnappers," Greg said to Hayden as Dani held the lion to Braveheart's nose, letting him smell the lion. She would have preferred if the kidnappers had left something behind for Braveheart to follow, but this was going to have to do until they ran into some other clues.

Braveheart started pulling on the leash, trying to jump out the window. Dani tugged, holding him back.

"He's a fast one," she said to the other three. "I'll go with him and try to track these guys down, you three get some help."

Greg nodded. He was the only other person thinking rationally.

"Good idea. Until we know what we're up against its best to assume the worst."

"The worst?" Hayden asked, eyes wide. Flynn turned to the genius as well, ready to kill.

"Uh," Greg shifted nervously, "I didn't mean that."

Dani opened the window and jumped out with Braveheart, "Just find help!"

-Afterlife-

Tori watched her sister as she sat on her surfboard in the water. The waves moving up and down would normally calm her and help her clear her mind, but today there was something she needed to attend to.

She laid forward and paddled over to Kaylee. The waves were dull, so there wasn't much surfing to be done, but after Tori had her heart attack she had promised Kaylee they would spend some sister-bonding time. It had initially been to comfort Kaylee; to reinforce the idea that no matter what happened they would always be sisters and Tori would never leave. However, now that Kaylee was the one dying, Tori found she needed these moments a lot more. Kaylee had been in her life almost since the day she was born. There was only a little under nine months between the two of them. Tori was just learning to walk when Kaylee was born and there was not a memory Tori had of her childhood that didn't involve Kaylee.

It was a hard thing watching your little sister die.

Tori sat back up when she was beside Kaylee. With her foot, she shoved Kaylee's board gently. Kaylee shook slightly as she was snapped out of her day dream and turned to Tori.

"Dead today, huh?" Kaylee asked. Tori nodded her head.

"Yeah, a bit," she said. She looked at her sister, "I wanted to ask you something though."

"Shoot."

"You okay?"

Kaylee turned back to Tori with a curious frown, "Uh, yeah. Just dying so nothing new. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but about that dying thing…"

"Tor, it's cool. David says I've got years. Leah's given me almost a decade. No sense worrying about it. Anyways, only the good die young, right?"

"It's okay to worry about it, though," Tori said. "It's okay to be upset. I mean, I know I've told you: 'don't worry, it's not going to kill you', but in this case, it actually is."

Kaylee shrugged, "I guess I'm over it."

Tori wasn't convinced, "You're okay it?"

"It's like crying over spilt milk," Kaylee nodded. "What's happened, happened. You can't change it. The milk's wasted, but it's not all gone… unless it's a big spill. Just clean it up and move on. My life's not done yet… I've just… spilled some."

"You're comparing spilt milk to murder," Tori frowned.

"Technically for it to be murder I have to be dead," Kaylee said. "I'm not dead yet, so for the next ten years, it's an attempt at murder."

"Technically can kiss my ass," Tori shook her head, "Those freaks injected you with radiation and poison and wanted to kill you."

"They aren't freaks!" Kaylee shouted. Tori was taken aback. Kaylee was defending the people who had brought back her claustrophobia and who wilfully tried to kill her. "They've been living underwater for six years now, with no outside contact. Last thing they knew, Venjix had taken over the planet and humanity was doomed. I don't blame them for assuming we were robots, or for assuming we were working for Venjix to preserve our own lives. They were acting in self-defence and unfortunately, I was too caught up in it to be saved."

"But you…"

"They did nothing wrong," Kaylee stated sharply. "If suspicious people and mutants from the outside started peaking around Corinth city, I would probably assume they were trying to hurt us, and I'd try to protect you and the city."

Tori nodded, "Okay, okay," she smiled at her sister, "You know, Kayl. I think some of Dustin has rubbed off on you. You're really that forgiving and trusting of the people who hurt you?"

Kaylee nodded, "Anyone who judges them or treats them poorly for what they've done doesn't know all the facts and is completely ignorant."

"That's uh… a strong assumption."

"They've lived underwater, Tor, during a war!" Kaylee said. "They've been on high-alert for six years! Everything that wasn't familiar to them was a threat! Robots, aliens, even humans from the surface world."

"But we weren't…"

"They killed Austin and Mamello before we went down there. How were they to know that Austin and Mamello came in peace? They're monsters, for crying out loud! Even we judged them! But we thought the underwater people were monsters too, and we went into their city with everything but peaceful intents. We _were_ a threat; they acted reasonably and for that there is no need to forgive."

"But it does still hurt, right?" Tori asked. "Knowing you're dying."

"We all die sometime, right?" Kaylee said. She looked out at the water. Even if the real ocean was black like death, it was still much more beautiful, and Kaylee wished she could be out there now.

Tori placed her hand on her sister's arm, "Yeah, but for you it's much more real. It's scary, I know. I've been there."

Kaylee looked back at her sister, "The heart attack?"

"Both times I thought I was dying," Tori nodded. "And that scared me more than anything else. You can't tell me you're not afraid of death."

Kaylee simply shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Look, Kayl, we're in the middle of the water. No one can see or hear you and you know I'm not going to judge. If this is bugging you, you can say or do anything you want."

Kaylee's eyes turned red as the tears started to form. She lowered her head and closed her eyes.

"I can't say it didn't scare me…"

"You've got ten years," Tori breathed.

"But I'm not done," Kaylee whispered. "There's still… Christian needs to grow up and get married… you still need to die first! I need to get the senior's discount!"

Tori chuckled, "That's what bothers you?"

"I'm going to be dead almost a decade before I turn sixty! Do you know how much money I could have saved?"

"You'll save a lot more by dying early, I can tell you that," Tori said.

"I won't get to see Chris graduate high school to start college," Kaylee added, a little more glumly this time. If I'm _really lucky_, I won't even get to celebrate his fifteen birthday. I've missed out on so much of his life already because of this damned city!"

Kaylee slammed her fist down in the water, splashing herself and her sister.

"He knows you love him," Tori assured her sister. "Whenever he visits me, I can never make his sandwiches like mommy does."

Kaylee looked at Tori, "Dustin does most of his cooking."

"He refuses to let me tie his shoes," Tori continued, "Because apparently I don't do it the right way."

Kaylee frowned, "The right way?"

"The way mommy does it," Tori nodded. "The way I taught you when we were little, remember?"

"Yeah," Kaylee nodded, "With the bunny rhyme. I taught him that way."

"Apparently, I don't do it right."

Kaylee laughed, "Yeah, sorry. I kinda took your idea and manned it up for him. Instead of a nice happy bunny I turned it into a sister-eating zombie bunny."

"That's why he growls when he ties his laces," Tori chuckled. She smiled at her sister, "You've had a huge impact on Christian's life, and now you have ten years off to really get involved. Take him to sports games, be a mom. He'll love you even more for it."

"But I want to be there," Kaylee sighed. "I want to give him terrible girlfriend advice and have him say I've ruined his life."

"Been there," Tori nodded, "Twice. Thankfully the last one is a girl."

"I thought it would be nice to start off easy," Kaylee smirked. "You know, turn one into an angel, make the other indestructible and then deal with the opposite sex."

The two girls chuckled for a moment before everything went silent. They both sat on their boards, looking out at the water. The silence was broken not long after by a sob from Kaylee. Tori moved her board in closer to her sister and transferred herself onto the green surfboard. She pulled her sister in for a hug.

"If you want to be brave for everyone else, that's up to you," she whispered. "But I'm here when it's too much or too scary, okay?"

Kaylee nodded as she held on tight to her older sister.

"We'll take it a day at a time," Tori smiled, holding her sister.

-Afterlife-

Dani sat in the bushes, tugging on Braveheart's collar, trying to get him to keep still. She grabbed his snout with her hand, holding it shut.

"Hush!" she barked at the dog. Braveheart had done an excellent job locating Adeline, now Dani just needed to lay low and wait for backup. Braveheart wasn't much help in that department though. He wanted to rush in and rescue his pup.

Dani pulled on Braveheart's collar when he tried to run off again.

"No!" she growled. Braveheart pulled again, but when he realised this was getting him nowhere he settled. Dani pulled him in closer and hugged him.

"We'll get them," she told him. "We just need to wait for back-up."

They didn't need to wait long. A few more minutes in the bushes was all they needed until Dani saw Greg, Flynn, Hayden, Scott and Ziggy arriving?

She jumped out of the bushes, scaring the rest of the rescue team.

"You made it!"

"You're impossible to track," Greg groaned. "Do you know how many bushes by a building there are in Corinth?"

Dani pointed to the bush, "One?"

"Never mind," Greg sighed.

"Have you gone in?" Scott asked the red head. Dani shook her head.

"Not yet. I'm waiting for you guys. No way am I taking on the people who kidnap the commander's baby. Either they are really stupid, or they can get away with it. I don't like my odds with either, to be honest."

"Let's go in," Hayden said. Ziggy grabbed her, pulling her back.

"Wait, wait, wait!" he called. "We need a plan! We can't just go in without a plan."

"Murder them."

"I vote plan B," Ziggy said, shooting his hand up. "Anyone else going with plan B?"

"Rip them to shreds."

"Plan C!" Ziggy called. He turned to Hayden, "You've turned to the dark side, haven't you?"

"Plan C, we go in there, get Adeline and get out," Scott said. "If they step in our way we push them down, got it?"

"Push?" Flynn frowned, cracking his knuckles

"Literally, push," Scott nodded, putting his hand on Ziggy's shoulder, "That's why I brought muscles, here."

Ziggy flexed his noodle arms, "You know, I don't like to brag, but life's gotten better since I received super-powers."

"Wait, you want me to push the people who kidnapped my daughter?" Hayden asked. "You're joking, right? That's like, playground bullying! These are…"

"The important thing is we get Adeline out of here," Greg told the worried mother. "Once she's safe, then we can deal with the kidnappers."

Flynn took a deep breath and nodded. Adeline's health and safety was the most important thing at the moment. Everything else could wait.

"He's right, Hayden," he told his wife. "We get Addie first."

Hearing it from Flynn was enough to convince Hayden. She smiled and nodded.

"Addie first."

Dani unclipped Braveheart's leash, "Let's do this," she grinned excitedly as she let go of his collar. Braveheart barked loudly as he was unleashed inside the building and the six Rangers followed him.


	165. Ending It

Dean tapped his fingers against his desk as he stared at his computer. On the monitor there was a picture of a sunset displayed, which he was eyeing curiously. In the computer, Dani's USB stuck out.

This was the only picture on the USB. Dean knew where it was from and understood the message Dani was trying to give him. _Recreate the night and propose again to Dawn._ She was a determined little thing, that Dani, but she loved Dawn, like family, and Dawn, in her own way, loved her.

But Dean wasn't ready. There were twenty-so years between them. It was shameful; it was disgusting. His daughter was only a few years younger than Dawn.

But he loved her terribly. Even after the break-up, he found himself thinking of her constantly. Wishing he could hold her in his arms. He found himself laughing when he thought of her memory losses and some of the funny things she would do or ask when she forgot. Whenever he was at work, trying to focus, he would always see Dawn's face staring down at the concentration game as she tried to focus.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts. It wasn't going to happen.

-Afterlife-

Braveheart bolted into the building, following his nose until he found the room where the underwater people were keeping Adeline. He jumped into the air, grabbing John's arm and forcing him down. John screamed in pain as he tried beating on Braveheart to get the dog to let go of his hand.

Tim backed away as Hayden, Flynn and the others appeared. In his arms he held a sleeping Addie. At first glance, she appeared normal, but no one was going to take any comfort in that fact until they could prove it and Addie was safely in her parents' arms.

"Drop the kid, water boy," Dani said, glaring at Tim.

Tim held one hand up, "We want to talk."

"Put the baby down and we'll consider listening," Scott said.

"You're not getting the baby back until you agree to change," Tim said before motioning to John and Braveheart, "Call off your attack dog."

Flynn shook his head, "Give me my daughter!"

Tim took a few more steps back, until he was standing near the open window. He grabbed Adeline by a single leg and held her tight as she started to scream. His eyes turned to the window for a moment.

"Call off the dog," he demanded once more.

Dani watched Tim for a moment. As Flynn and Scott started moving towards Braveheart, she grabbed their arms.

"No," she said.

Hayden turned to her cousin, "He's going to drop her! We're three stories up!"

Dani shook her head and eyed Tim, "I dare you."

"Dani!" Hayden shouted. "She'll hit the ground and bleed to death!"

"Call off the dog!" Tim screamed.

"Give us the baby," Dani demanded.

Tim shook his head. He grabbed Adeline in his arms against and clutched her tight, pressing her against his chest, muffling her cries. Flynn and Hayden both tensed up. It was only a matter of time before she suffocated.

Dani stepped down. Now there wasn't anything she could do to ensure Adeline's safety. At least when he was holding her near the window, she could speed over and catch Adeline long before she hit the floor or the ground.

She grabbed Ziggy's arm and pulled him along as they walked over to Braveheart. Dani grabbed the collar as Braveheart tried to rip John's arm off. She pulled the dog away with one hand while pulling his jaw open with the other, releasing John's arm.

She looked at Ziggy, "The knee," she said.

Ziggy nodded and while John was still down he grabbed the man's knee and crushed it with his bare hands.

Dani smiled. John wasn't going anywhere. She kept her hold on Braveheart's collar and turned to Tim.

"Dog's been called off."

"Let go of the baby," Scott said.

Tim did as he was told. He let go of Adeline and placed her on the ground. Hayden couldn't resist the urge to rush over to her baby, but Tim stepped over the infant, blocking Hayden's path.

The young commander stood before Tim, glaring menacingly, "Get out of my way."

"We want in," Tim said.

Hayden tried to push through but Tim grabbed her and shoved her back. Flynn tensed up. He was already on and extreme high-alert, but somehow his threat awareness level doubled.

"We want in," Tim repeated. "We don't want to be judged!"

"You're good-for-nothing murderers!" Hayden screamed. "You killed Austin and Mamello, you poisoned my mother and condemned her to death and you kidnapped my baby!"

"You deserve to die," Flynn growled. Greg grabbed the bigger man's arm, before Flynn did something he was going to regret. He looked over at Scott, Ziggy and Dani with worry.

"We didn't know…"

"You didn't…" Hayden scoffed. She stepped away and started pacing, running her hand through her hair. She turned back to Tim, "You didn't know? Are you stupid? They were human beings! Not robots!"

"The first two were monsters!" Tim shouted. "I couldn't let them get near my people! They were dangerous!"

"They were human!"

"How was I supposed to know?" Tim asked.

"He's right, Hayden," Greg spoke. "The mutants don't look like humans anymore. They look like monsters…"

"That's no excuse!" Hayden screamed. "You poisoned my mother! You locked her up and poisoned!"

"She was already poisoned!" Tim shouted, leaning over slightly so he was face to face with Hayden. He was surprised the little commander wasn't backing away in terror. Then again, he was holding her daughter captive right behind him. "She had already been cut, it was recent."

"So that makes it okay to poison her again!"

"Any normal human would die if they came in contact with the poison!" Tim said. "Any human would bleed if they were cut. Your mother didn't do either. The wound site was cleaned and she was very much alive."

"Maybe the wound wasn't bleeding anymore," Hayden proposed. "She had to swim underwater to get to you guys! It would be clean."

"How did she get underwater?" Tim asked. "No human can swim that far down into the ocean without drowning!"

Greg spoke up, "Hayden, he's right. Kaylee's got a lot of abilities that defy human abilities."

"So?" Hayden snapped, turning to Greg. He shrugged. He didn't want to get on her bad side.

"I'm just saying, they don't know about superhuman powers," he said.

"Let's be fair, humans with superpowers still isn't common knowledge," Scott added. "I'm not surprised they wouldn't have…"

"Get out!" Hayden screamed, pointing to the doors. "Both of you! Get out!"

"Hayden…"

"If you're not going to help me then leave!"

Greg and Scott lowered their heads as they left the room. However, they both remained in the hallway, in case their help was needed.

Hayden turned back to Tim and grabbed his shirt. She shoved him backwards, careful so his feet didn't trample Addie as he did. Flynn rushed forward and pinned him to the wall while Hayden knelt down and picked up her daughter.

She held Adeline gently as she tried to sooth her baby.

Dani, still holding Braveheart, made eye contact with her cousin. Hayden nodded and the two walked over to the door.

Ziggy hurried over to Flynn and pulled the Scotsman away from Tim.

"Addie first, remember?" Ziggy said. Flynn nodded but before he left, he glared at the monster.

"You'll be dead before the end of the day," he threatened, "You and everyone in that fucking underwater city!"

"Flynn, c'mon," Ziggy said, tugging at Flynn's arm.

"Try and protect your city now," Flynn growled before Ziggy finally managed to pull him away.

-Afterlife-

Dawn sat at her desk, tapping her pen as she went over her paper work again, just to make sure she wasn't going to forget it. As she was finishing off one of her pages, there was a knock at the door as someone walked in.

"Dawn, right?" a man, about her age, asked. Dawn looked up and nodded.

"Yeah," she stood up and pointed to the chair, "How can I help?"

The man sat down, "We bumped into each other at the store the other day," he said, "Remember?"

Dawn furrowed her brow slightly. She didn't even remember going to the store.

"Uh, to be honest."

"Warren," the man said, holding out his hand. Dawn held her finger up as she searched for her note pad.

"One second…" she jotted his name down before she forgot it. "William?"

"Warren…"

"Close enough," Dawn smiled. She shook his hand, "Sorry about that. It's a long story."

"That's okay," Warren said. "Uh, so about that date…"

Dawn frowned, "Date?"

"Yeah…" Warren nodded. "You said to stop by so we can make arrangements. You were going to forget if we did it in the store… something like that."

Dawn shook her head slowly, "Uh, if I did then…"

"I was thinking JKP, eight o'clock," Warren smiled. "I hear they make the best pizzas!"

"Something like that, yeah," Dawn chuckled. She couldn't remember Warren, or going to the store, but he seemed like a good boy. One date wouldn't hurt, after all. She could take care of herself. "So, eight?"

"Yeah… I can pick you up here," Warren nodded. Dawn smiled at him.

"Deal."

Warren got up from his chair and leaned over the desk. He was about to kiss her on the cheek but blushed and pulled away at the last minute. Dawn chuckled softly as she watched him leave.

As the door closed behind him, she glanced over at the picture of herself, Dean and Emily sitting on her desk. She sighed as she lowered it, face down.

"Gotta move on at some point," she whispered to herself.

Outside, Warren whistled three times as he reached the end of the sidewalk. He met up with some friends and high-fived them.

"Hook, line and sinker," he smiled. "Memory loss makes this way too easy!"

-Afterlife-

Leanne shrugged, putting her stethoscope back around her neck, "I can't find anything wrong."

"But these guys are dangerous!" Hayden said, holding a sleeping Adeline in her arms. "They've killed three people already! Why would they just take my baby and not do anything to her?"

Leanne shrugged again, "I don't know, Hayden, I'm a doctor, not a psycholo…"

Hayden raised her eyebrows, "PhD in…"

"I'm not _practicing_ psychology," Leanne corrected. "And quite frankly, I don't give a damn about what they did or didn't do. Adeline is physically fine. She's healthy, there's nothing wrong with her."

Leanne gently touched Adeline's tiny hands, "Ten fingers, and ten toes. Just focus on that."

"They did something," Flynn growled, his arms crossed.

"Yeah, freaked you out," Leanne said. "If you want, I can write up a prescription…"

"What's wrong with her?" Hayden rushed out, worried.

"Nothing, I meant for you. Something strong to calm you down," she looked at Hayden and Flynn, "Both of you. Your baby is fine. She's a healer…"

"So what if they did something and she's healed. What if…"

Leanne shook her head, "She's fine now. She's content. If something happened, she would be stressed or panicked."

"But, I'm mommy…"

Leanne sighed, "Alright… look," she lifted Adeline from Hayden's arms and nothing happened. The infant continued to sleep soundly. "She's fine in my arms, and she doesn't know me. And if they did something and she healed, odds are she won't remember it. You have nothing to worry about."

"But…"

"I'm not medicating a healthy infant," Leanne frowned. "You of all people should know medicine has no effect on healers, anyways. The body flushes it out. Best you can do it take her home. If her behaviour changes, then talk to a specialist, if not, you got off lucky."

"But why would he kidnap Adeline and not do anything?" Flynn asked. "What's the point?"

"I couldn't tell you," Leanne shrugged. "Contrary to what you all believe, I'm not all-knowing. My daughter is. So just go home and stop thinking about this."

"About the men who murdered my mother?" Hayden asked, "Not going to happen, Aunt Leah."

Leanne leaned forward, "Three words for you Hayden: Let. It. Go."

"Let it go?" Flynn asked. "I'm not letting this go."

"Then you're asking for trouble," Leanne shrugged. She tossed out her gloves and moved to the door. "I have another patient. This one is actually sick."

Hayden turned to Flynn once Leanne was gone, "She says she doesn't know everything, but she knows more than she claims she knows and she knows it."

Flynn grabbed Hayden's jacket and handed it to her, "I'm not home for dinner."

Hayden frowned, "Why not?"

"I'm ending this," he said.

Hayden watched him leave as she threw on her jacket. She was careful not to wake Adeline as she set her down in her carrier to take her home.

"What's daddy doing?" she asked her daughter playfully. The question, though, was serious.


	166. The Other Side

The doors didn't stand a chance against Flynn as he torn them open and stormed into the room. He ripped Tim away from John while the man was in the middle of fixing up John's wounds, and forced him into the wall, pressing his arm against Tim's neck.

"You're dead!" he growled, pressing harder, so Tim couldn't breathe, never mind speak.

"Hey!" John shouted from the ground as he tried to stand, but his knee was still shattered. He collapsed before he could find his balance. "Leave him alone!"

"Shut up!" Flynn screamed. He moved Tim over to the window, "Let's see how you like this, huh?"

John scoffed, "You call us the monsters."

"I said, shut up!" Flynn shouted. "I'll deal with you later!"

"So, you're going to kill us?" John asked. He rolled his eyes, "Pathetic. That's what you all are. You're just pathetic!"

"You murdered my mother in-law!"

"She was already poisoned!"

"You kidnapped my daughter!"

"So?" John asked. Flynn stiffened. He let go of Tim and turned to the weakened man.

"What did you say?"

"So we took your daughter," John shrugged. "We didn't hurt her. We did nothing! Before you stormed in she was smiling! We even think we heard a laugh!"

"You're lying!" Flynn screamed, pushing John.

Tim shook his head as he rubbed his neck, "He's telling the truth. She just fell asleep when you walked in."

"Liar!" Flynn shouted.

"We just wanted to talk to you," Tim said.

"So you kidnap my daughter?"

"How else were we going to talk?" Tim asked. "It's not like you've opened your arms and let us into this city. We've been condemned for trying to survive!"

"Just go back to the water, where you came from," Flynn growled. "Take your friend with you."

"Go back to Scotland," Tim spat.

"I can't!" Flynn shouted."My home's been destroyed!"

"How do you think we've been living?" Tim asked. "We've been in a freaking cave for six years. Underwater!"

"I don't care!" Flynn shouted. He rushed back over to Tim and shoved him against the window. "Get back before I…"

"Flynn!" Hayden called as she rushed in, holding Adeline's carrier, with the baby inside. Flynn turned and his eyes widened in terror when he saw his wife and daughter.

"Hayden! You brought her hear?"

"I know what you're doing," Hayden told him. She set the baby down. "I was halfway home when I realised it."

"You're not going to stop me," Flynn said. He shoved Tim again. "He deserves what's coming."

"Who said I was going to stop you?" Hayden asked. She walked to the window and opened it. "Do it."

Tim grabbed the windowsill, "Please, don't. We just needed to talk… we needed to explain things."

"You should have thought about that before you killed my mother," Hayden said, pushing Tim out the window forcefully.

"Are you insane?" John shouted. Tim held onto the window for dear life. He wasn't ready to fall. Flynn grabbed the window, about to close it down on Tim's fingers when someone flew inside, tackling him to the ground, her wings taking Hayden down as well.

Samantha rolled on the ground with Flynn and landed on top of him. She pressed her hands against his throat.

"Get up and I'll hurt you," she shouted, eyes flashing in rage.

Hayden got to her feet and looked at her sister, "What…?"

"We're connected," Samantha said. "I can hear you when you get desperate. I always have been able to."

She walked back to the window and grabbed Tim's hand, pulling him up and back inside safely. She shut the window and turned to her sister.

"Get out," she hissed, pointing to the door. "Take your husband with you. We'll talk with Aunt Kira and Colonel Truman when I get back to the command center. Am I understood?"

"You're not my mother," Hayden growled.

Samantha burned with anger. Her wings made her look twice as big and twice as intimidating.

"Leave. NOW!"

Hayden looked at Flynn as he got up, a little afraid to do so after Samantha's threat. She almost looked demonic at this point, and he didn't want to get on her bad side.

As Hayden bent down to pick up Adeline she heard a low growl coming from Samantha. She turned.

"She's my daughter."

"And she's staying with me until you calm down," Samantha said. "Get out."

Samantha waited for her sister and Flynn to leave before turning to Tim and John, "You brought this on yourself," she said. "Remind me why I saved your lives, today?"

"We just wanted to talk," Tim said. "Peacefully. We're tired of this…. Ignorance!"

"You poisoned my mother," Samantha said, trying to keep her voice down. "She was the commander of this city! And very well respected by everyone! She saved the world from Venjix…"

"How were we supposed to know?" Tim asked.

Samantha shrugged, "You weren't…"

She took a seat on the ground, momentarily checking over her shoulder to make sure Adeline was still sleeping.

"You wanted to talk," she said, "Talk."

Tim and John exchanged looks before John gave an approving nod. Tim smiled back and turned to Samantha.

"It started six years ago…"

-Afterlife-

Warren pointed to the pizza on Dawn's plate as he swallowed what was in his mouth.

"You like?" he asked.

"They make great pizza," Dawn smiled. "I know the owner. Maybe we'll get a discount."

"You know the owner?" Warren asked, the colour draining from his face. Dawn didn't notice. She simply stared down at her food. The date was awkward for her. Warren was being a gentleman, but she didn't feel ready, not after what happened with Dean.

"Kinda. Long story," she looked around the restaurant for a moment and her heart stopped. A few booths over, she saw Dean, eating with Emily. She wasn't going to bring it up, knowing that talking about your ex was a big no-no on the first date, but she didn't want to be seen, at least not by Emily. It would break the kid's heart.

She turned back to Warren, taking his hand, "We have to go."

"What?" Warren asked, "Already?"

Dawn pulled out her wallet from her purse and dropped some money down, "Yes, now."

She pulled Warren to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she bumped into Dani.

Fate was a bitch.

"Dammit," Dawn growled.

Dani smiled, "Dawn!" she turned to Warren, "And this guy… uh…"

"Seriously, Dani, stop following me!" Dawn hissed under her breath. Dani shook her head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she smirked. She held up an envelope, "Just dropping off Hannah's pay check from the garage."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "Whatever, c'mon, Warren."

Warren smirked and winked as Dani as he walked off with Dawn. Dani looked at him for a moment before shaking it off. She looked around the store for Hannah, but her eyes fell on Dean and Emily. Smiling, she skipped over to their both.

"Hi, welcome to JKP, can I get you any drinks?"

"Aunt Dani!" Emily smiled brightly. Dean groaned.

"Are you serious?"

"Hey, I'm not actually here to nag you today. I was planning something for tomorrow though… I have to get my mind off the kidnappers…"

"What?"

"Long story," Dani said, waving it off. She turned back to the door for a moment, "So, I guess things with you and Dawn are still… not good."

"Why would you say that?" Dean asked sarcastically but Dani didn't pick up on it.

"Because she just rushed out of here, dude," Dani said. "She was pretty pissed off, too, by the looks of it."

"Dawn was here?" Dean asked. Emily tapped his hand.

"Daddy! Go after her!"

Dean shook his head, "I… uh…"

"Either you try to help her today, or I'll execute my plan tomorrow," Dani threaten playfully and menacingly. She placed her arm on Emily's shoulder, "And I'll get semi-killer robot here to help me do it."

"Please, daddy! You have to try!" Emily begged. "I know you still like her!"

Dani pulled on Dean's arm, yanking him out of his seat, "C'mon, Dean-y boy! You can do it! She's the one woman who makes you feel young again, am I right?"

"Please, daddy! Just try!"

"You know you want to!"

Dean covered his ears, "Okay, okay! I'll go talk to her," he said. "Just stop with the voices! It hurts!"

Dani smiled. She stole Dean's seat as soon as he was up. Dean took a few steps towards the door and stopped. He turned around.

"No… I can't… This was for the best."

Dani pointed to the door, "Too late, old fart. I'm on your case. Don't forget the sunset."

"I'm not proposing."

"Sunset!" Dani chirped again.

Dean rolled his eyes. Anything to get away from the two girls.

Dani turned to Emily with a smile. She held out her fist, "We did it, semi-killer."

Emily giggled as she bumped Dani's fist, "But I didn't know Dawn was going to be here."

"Improvise, my dear child," Dani smirked.

Dean stood outside JKP, thinking about his options. He could stand out here for a few minutes and make Emily and Dani believe he went to talk to Dawn, or he could actually try and track her down.

He was about to choose the former option when he heard a scream. He glanced around, making sure there was no danger around him. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Get off me!"

His eyes widened, "Dawn…"

-Afterlife-

Tim started his story.

"There were about a hundred of us, at a private party on the docks. The cruise ship we were supposed to be departing on was being worked on. Something happened in the engine room. Nothing was working. But we didn't care. We were having a blast. People were swimming, the sun was shining… everything was going well…"

_Tim lounged back on his floating chair in the water as he enjoyed the sound of glass clinking together on the shore, people laughing and children splashing. He took a final sip of his beer before opening his eyes. He turned to Ben, who was talking amongst a group of people on the docks, only a few feet away._

"_Yo, Benjamin!" he called, holding up his bottle. Ben smiled back as he reached to one of the many coolers the captain had his men place around the docks. He pulled out a beer and tossed it to Tim._

"_Don't drink too much before the cruise, Tim," Ben called to his friend. "You'll get seasick!"_

"_All part of the experience," Tim shouted back with a grin. He closed his eyes again, letting the sun beat down on him when he heard a loud screamed followed by an even louder explosion. His eyes shot open as he turned to the shore. People were screaming and running around, trying to get away. Just behind the crowd of people, Tim noticed a line of robots, marching forward. They had blasters in their hands and they were firing at will at anything that moved. Leading the charge was a bigger robot as well as blonde woman._

"_Master Venjix wants them all dead," the woman shouted. "Don't spare a single human life!"_

_The men from the docks rushed back to help their friends and family. Some went after the robots, trying to take them out._

_Tim jumped into the water and swam back as quickly as he could. He pulled himself out of the water and rushed to his wife and son._

"_C'mon!" he told them. He picked up his son and grabbed his wife, "We'll get on the boat!"_

_Tim turned around and jumped in fright as his old friend Sasha was thrown to the ground by a blast from the Grinders. When the smoke cleared, Tim knew for sure that Sasha was dead. His body had been ripped open. Tim could see his spine, and the man was lying on his back._

_His son buried his head in his father's shoulder, "DADDY!"_

_Tim held him tight, "It's okay, son. We'll get to the…"_

"_MOMMY!" his son cried and Tim could feel his wife being ripped away. He turned around just in time to see the blond woman deliver a strong, powerful blow to the side of the woman's head, knocking her down._

"_Let her go!" Tim shouted, but he couldn't get involved. Not with his boy in his arms. The blonde woman turned to him and smirked before holding up her arm, showing there was a blaster where her hand should be. She pointed it at his wife and shot._

"_Jessie!" Tim shouted as his wife's remains showered him and his son. His eyes filled with tears, his heart filled with rage as he turned to the blonde._

"_You…" he began before feeling something throwing him into the air. He held onto his son for as long as he could, but he hit the ground hard, and his son bounced out of his hands._

"_Nolan!" he screamed. He jumped to his feet, running to rescue his boy, when suddenly the blonde grabbed him._

"_Please, you have to help!" she whispered to him, her eyes shifting from side to side nervously. "I'm sorry… I can't…"_

"_You murdered my wife!" Tim shouted, pushing her away. The woman grabbed his arm desperately._

"_It's called the Venjix!" the woman said. "He's taking over. City by world, country by country! He's infecting computers everywhere and he's kidnapped humans and turned them into his slaves! He's unstoppable!"_

"_Get off me," Tim shouted. The woman held on, even tighter._

"_I'm sorry. If we don't do as the robots say, Venjix is going to kill us all! Help me get onto your boat! Please!"_

_Tim looked at this woman with the tears in her eyes. Her body shook in terror. He gazed over at the robots, who were taking human lives like it was a competition. Every second, people were falling to the ground, screaming in terror and agony, if they even survived the fall._

"_Tim!" Ben shouted. He had made it to the docks with John and a few other humans. Some men were trying their best to hold off the robots._

"_We're getting on the boat," Tim told the woman. He took her hand and rushed over to his son. He grabbed Nolan in his arms and ran for the docks. With the woman's help, he pushed past the grinders, sending some of them in the water, as he and a handful of other people loaded themselves onto the boat._

"_Is that everyone?" John shouted, hardly giving time for a response before he closed the door. "Someone get this freaking ship to sail away!"_

_The woman smiled. She approached one of the main computers, which would have been used for passengers to scan their tickets._

"_I'll take care of the ship," she smirked. She removed the tip of one of her fingers, revealing a USB. She stuck it into the computer and downloaded some information. She brought her other hand up to her mouth and spoke into her wrist._

"_Track my location, Venjix. They're sitting ducks."_

_Tim's eyes widened, "What?"_

_The woman pulled her finger out of the computer and crossed her arms, "Name's Raya. But Venjix calls me Raya 6. Or R6."_

"_What are you?" Tim hissed._

"_Generation 6 human infiltration attack bot," Raya smirked. She held up her hand blaster and pointed it at Tim. "Humans and their emotions. Master Venjix was right, it is fun to toy with you."_

"_You're one of them!" Tim shouted._

"_Of course, numbskull!" Raya nodded. "But you can't blame me. Did you really believe that pathetic display of emotion. I guess Venjix is getting closer and closer to…"_

"_I'm going to…" Tim shouted as he charged forward, grabbing Raya's arm. In panic, she shot her blaster. It missed Tim, flying right passed him and hitting his son._

_When Tim heard his son's final scream he turned around. Raya kicked him in the back and moved for the door, but by then it was too late. There was a loud whistling sound._

Tim looked at Samantha, "For some that was the last sound they ever heard. When I woke up, my son was gone… the boat was gone… we were underwater. We had been sinking for… god knows how long. I didn't know which way was up. But Ben and John swam to me and grabbed me, and suddenly we reached a cave. It was miraculous. We survived."

Samantha whispered, "Raya 6…"

"She looked human," Tim said. He punched the ground. "I thought she was human! If I had just…"

"The Venjix hurt us all," Samantha nodded. "Some were hurt more than others…"

"I just want to live in peace again," Tim said. "I know some of us are happy in the caves, but it's not enough for the rest of us."

"What about NewTech?"

Tim scoffed, "Are you joking? It's technology central! I don't trust it! Never mind remember how to use it! Corinth is safe! Corinth is where we need to be."

"Good luck with that," Samantha said. She got to her feet and walked to the door. "I'm not helping, but I'll make sure Hayden and Flynn stay away from you."

"What about that Dawn Center place?" John asked. "She needs to help us! It's her bloody job."

"I'll talk to her. Aside from that, you're on your own."

Samantha picked up Adeline and the carrier separately. After hearing Tim's story, she needed to hold her niece in her arms.

"If you ever…"

"We won't," Tim swore, holding his hand up.

Samantha smiled slightly, "I'm sorry… both of you… about your families, especially the kids… if something happened to my daughter… I would do the same thing."


	167. Ever After

When Dean opened his eyes he found himself staring up at the ceiling of his own bedroom. He blinked a few times as his hand moved to his head. He traced a bump on his forehead and he could feel his cheek was swollen badly. As he pushing himself up, the door opened and Dean saw Dawn walking in with a bowl.

"Perfect timing," she smiled as she set the bowl of ice cream down on his head table and helped him prop himself up against the bed frame. "You've been out all night."

Dean frowned, "What happened?"

Dawn looked at him, "Uh… well Warren turned out to be a douche bag… same with his buddies."

"Who's Warren?"

Dawn winced as she answered slowly, "An ex…?"

Dean turned to her, "Ex?"

"Almost ex, technically. We never finished that first date."

Dean suddenly remembered, "You screamed!"

"Yeah, I did," Dawn nodded. "I didn't think you would come running. I kind of expected you to stay in the restaurant."

"What happened after that?" Dean asked. "I can't remember anything."

"Yeah, RJ said that might happen. We're memory loss buddies now. But yours is only a few seconds before you blacked out. Mine's probably permanent."

"It's getting better," Dean smiled. Dawn smiled back, blushing slightly as she turned away.

"I still forget the odd thing. I had breakfast twice this morning. Got Emy to smile, though."

"Emily!"

"Relax," Dawn said as Dean tried to get out of bed. She pushed him down. "She's watching TV. She was really worried about you and didn't sleep at all last night. She's staying home, but Elena's going to stop by the office and pick up her homework from school so she doesn't miss anything."

Dean did relax, but turned to Dawn.

"I'm going to ask again, what happened? Last night. Before I blacked out, after I heard you screaming."

"You came running," Dawn shrugged. "Not much else to say. Well, you'll be wondering about the headache. Warren's buddy nailed you pretty good and you hit the ground head first. Doctor took a look, said you'd be out for a while and told me to take you home."

"He told you?" Dean asked.

"Well, RJ rushed out when he heard me screaming, arrived moments after you and scared Warren and his friends off with some freaky kung fu wolf thing… I don't know, something out pie or… anyways RJ offered to take you in, but I thought it would help you, and keep Emily calm, if we brought you home. So I took you in my car. Kelly's going to bring yours around sometime thing morning."

Dean laughed at himself glumly, shaking his head, "Great. There I was thinking I would come to your rescue. Then I go and fall seconds into the fight. Did I at least…?"

Dawn shook her head slowly, "All you managed to do was hurt the guy's hand when he punched your head."

Dean sighed, "Great…"

Dawn picked up the ice-cream again and handed it to Dean, "Eat it. It's all you have in the fridge. I was thinking of picking up some groceries so you and Emy won't starve."

"Thanks. I have money in…"

"Don't worry about it," Dawn smiled. She walked to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned to Dean. "Hey, um… we're broken up, you know. You don't have to come and save me."

"We're broken up," Dean nodded, "Doesn't mean I don't care for you."

"It's eighteen years, Dean," Dawn said. "It's not the end of the world."

Dean looked down at his bowl of ice cream and smiled to himself, "Yeah… I know."

-Afterlife-

Hayden jumped up when Samantha stormed into the command center. First thing the young mother noticed was that Adeline wasn't with her.

"Where is…"

"Sit down!" Samantha shouted, pointing to the chair. She turned to Colonel Truman and Kira, who had to rush over from NewTech when she heard the news. "Did they tell you?"

"Their version, yes," Colonel Truman nodded. "Tim kidnapped…"

"That's irrelevant," Samantha interrupted abruptly.

"Where's my daughter?" Flynn asked.

Samantha turned to Flynn and crossed her arms over her chest, "I dropped her off with Ziggy and Rebecca. She'll be staying there until I go and pick her up. They both know not to let her go home with anyone but me, including the two of you."

"What?" Flynn and Hayden both gasped. Even Kira was surprised by this. She looked to her niece.

"Sammy, that's a bit…"

"They almost murdered someone today, with their daughter sleeping peacefully a few feet away," Samantha said. "They're lucky I got there just in time to keep Tim from falling to his death from three stories up. John wasn't going to stand a chance, with this busted knee and ripped up arm."

Colonel Truman turned to Hayden and Flynn, "Is this true?"

"He kidnapped our daughter!" Flynn shouted.

"He killed mom!" Hayden added, looking at Samantha especially, hoping for some understanding on that front."

"She's my mother too, and you don't see me dropping people from out the window," Samantha growled.

Kira stood up. She walked over to Hayden and held her hand out, "Your commander badge."

"What?" Hayden gasped. Kira didn't flinch. Her tone was serious.

"Badge, now!" she barked. Hayden scoffed loudly as she pulled her badge out from her pocket and slapped it into Kira's hand. Kira smiled and handed it over to Colonel Truman.

"Your city, your choice," she said. "Anyone, including you, is good for me."

Colonel Truman stood up as he accepted the badge. He turned to Samantha, holding it out for her. Samantha was a little surprised, but the Colonel smiled.

"My son," he said. "Give it to Scott. He knows this city like the back of his hand. A few days with Vasquez and he'll know how to keep everything running smoothly."

Samantha smiled as she took the badge, "Good choice."

Colonel Truman turned back to Hayden, "You'll get the badge back when and if Scott thinks you're ready to take on the responsibilities of being a commander. I thought you were more mature than that, Hayden."

Kira nodded her head in full agreement. Hayden couldn't argue with them. They were both stubborn, and in a way, she knew they were right.

Samantha glared at her sister and brother in-law, "Not go home, and be happy we're letting you off lightly…"

"But what about Tim and…" Hayden started to ask, but Samantha's glare was enough to silence her.

"They're being dealt with. We'll get them an appointment with Dawn. We'll wait to see if they can be rehabilitated to society before we judge them of anything. They're on their own for finding a place to live, though," Samantha turned to Colonel Truman, waiting for his consent. He nodded.

"Sounds good."

Samantha looked to her sister and Flynn, "You guys are going home and you're staying there. No leaving until you've calmed down."

"What about Addie…" Hayden asked.

"She's staying with me and Scott until you both smarten up," Samantha growled. "You nearly murdered two men with your daughter in the room. You don't deserve her right now."

"You can't do this!" Flynn shouted.

"I'd think about what's best for her, right now," Samantha said. "She'll be fine with me, and some time off will do you both some good."

"But…"

"Hayden, you're not coping and Flynn's obviously still wound up from the kidnapping."

"I just want my daughter," Flynn said, using a gentler tone this time.

"You'll get her in a few days. If you think this is unfair then consider the other option. If I hadn't of shown up, you would both be in prison. You're lucky you're not headed there now. I still haven't talked to Tim about that though…"

"You wouldn't…" Hayden started. Samantha shrugged.

"Maybe he'll give you a second chance," she said. "Maybe he'll let you tell your side of the story. But after the way you treated him, I don't think you deserve it. Now go!"

Hayden and Flynn rushed out, completely humiliated. When they were on the other side of the door, Samantha, the Colonel and Kira could hear Flynn punching the wall in anger. Samantha maintained her strength until the punching stopped. When it did, the tears streamed down her face as she collapsed to the ground. Kira dropped beside her, holding her comfortingly. Even Colonel Truman got to his knees.

"You made the right call," he told her, hoping it might help her.

"She's my baby sister."

"You're protecting her," Kira whispered. "You're protecting everyone."

"Not that anyone deserves it," Samantha said. "Tim and the others poisoned mom! They scared her half to death! They kidnapped Adeline…."

"Hayden and Flynn weren't much better."

"But it's done now," Colonel Truman nodded. "They'll all get some help."

"It's screwed up," Samantha sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Kira rubbed her arm gently.

"I know, kiddo."

-Afterlife-

Dawn pointed to the screen excitedly. She and Emily were watching a movie. She wanted to keep the young girl busy so she wouldn't worry about her father. Everything had been happening at the wrong time. The memory loss, the break-up, the discovery involving Emily's arm, and Dean's new battle scars. Not to mention Emily's surgery to fix her arm was coming up soon, and Dawn still had to plan herself for Mike's wedding, which was only a few days away. It was too much to do all at once and it was a lot of pressure for Dawn, and a lot to take in for Emily.

"I love this part!" she grinned.

Suddenly there was a thump coming from upstairs. Emily grabbed the remote.

"Want me to pause?" she asked. Dawn shook her head.

"Naw, keep going, squirt. I've seen it a million times. I'll play the scene in my head while I check on klutzilla upstairs."

Dawn placed the bowl of popcorn on Emily's lap as she rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She walked to Dean's door and knocked.

"Dean, are you okay?" she called. "We heard a thump."

There was no reply. Dawn furrowed her brow in worry as she knocked again.

"Dean?"

Her eyes trailed down to the ground. She noticed there was no light, not even sunlight, coming from under the door. Her stomach turned as she opened the door.

"Dean, are you okay?" she asked just before stepping into her room. Her heart stopped as she looked around. The lights were turned off and the curtains were closed. The only source of light was coming from a projector Dean had set up and hooked up to his computer. Sticking out from the computer was the USB key Dani had given him. Projected onto the wall was the picture of the sunset that Dani had taken.

Dean was fiddling around with the stereo when he noticed Dawn walking in. He groaned.

"Sorry… it was supposed to play ocean sounds," he told her as he put it down and walked over to Dawn. She frowned, turning to the bed.

"You should… uh…"

Dean took her both her hands in his, "I don't have the ring with me anymore but… I was stupid. Dani was right, you were right. It doesn't matter how much age there is between us. All that matters is how much we love each other."

When Dean dropped down on one knees, Dawn's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped in surprise. In the background, Emily's footsteps were echoing up the stairs as she hurried her way up, wondering what was taking Dawn so long. She stopped at the door when she saw the proposal, keeping her mouth shut.

"Dawn," Dean started, "I've realised it. It took me humiliating myself and damaging my pride for you, but you're the woman I want. You're the person I want taking care of me in my old_er_ age. I'd do anything for you, whether you're a part of my life or not. I don't want to lose you again."

Dawn finally found her voice, "W-what made you change your mind?" she asked.

"You were pretty pissed off at me," Dean said. "But you're still taking care of me… of my daughter. I couldn't find another woman who would put her feelings aside for the good of my family. I don't want you to do that anymore."

Dawn frowned, thinking things had taken a sudden turn for the worse. If so, this was the worse official break up ever.

Dean had noticed Emily standing by the door and smiled at her.

"I think Emily knows what I want to say," Dean said. "So, with her permission…"

"Marry my daddy!" Emily shouted, getting ahead of herself. Dawn laughed, looking at Emily for a moment before turning to Dean.

"Seriously?" she asked him. Dean nodded.

"Please be a part of our family," he smiled. Dawn was about to nod when she remembered something important. Thankfully she was wearing the same jacket as the time she had been to the gym and found the ring. She was sure Dani planted it there and was now very thankful the red head had found it. She pulled it out and presented it to Dean.

"Courtesy or our little spy," she said. Dean gently took the ring from Dawn's hand and slid it onto her finger.

"You haven't answered my question yet," he said. Dawn nodded her head.

"Yes."

Emily jumped for joy as her father and new mother embraced. She ran over to them and jumped in for a hug, nearly taking them both down with her.


	168. The Unforeseen Expected

After a long wait, and many delays, Mike and Vanessa's big day was finally here.

As usual, the hours before the wedding were hectic as ever. Vanessa was freaking out, on and off, wanting everything to be perfect while her maid of honour and bridesmaids tried to help her get her hair and make-up done, as well as get her into her dress without ruining anything.

Mike was in his room with his best men and the ushers. Their jobs were to keep him calm and make sure he was prim and proper. Vanessa would kill them all if he had even one wrinkle or if he had even one strand of hair out of place. Thankfully his hair was rather short, so that was one less thing to worry about.

Ryan continuously checked his pockets for the rings, praying he wouldn't lose them. Mike had done a great job at his wedding, and he felt he owed his cousin a favour.

Over in the woman's room, Dawn was busy examining everything, taking notes. After the announcement of her engagement to Dean, Vanessa suggested she take any and all chances she could to study weddings so they wouldn't have to postpone theirs several times. Dawn had taken the advice to heart but so far had learned nothing. She didn't have an eye for this and was starting to rely on Dean's previous wedding to help her own run smoothly.

Though Engel desperately wanted to be with her father, knowing it was his big day, she was stuck with the women. She had two jobs today: flower girl, as well as watching Adeline. She couldn't understand why Adeline's mother wasn't taking care of her, but playing mommy to the little baby was the best part about being with the women.

"Uh-oh. Spill!" Engel called out wiping up the mess from Adeline's mouth as the baby spat up her milk. Engel smiled when she saw all the spit up was gone, "All clean."

Engel's moment of pride only lasted a few seconds before Adeline spat up again. Engel crossed her arms and huffed. She waved her finger at Addie.

"No! Bad baby! Keep clothes clean!"

Samantha walked over and lifted Addie up, "C'mon, baby. Time to get you changed," the mother looked down at her own daughter with a smile, "Want to be me, big girl?"

Engel shook her head, "Fustated!"

"You're frustrated?"

"Yeah!" Engel nodded. "Let Aunt Mayden do it."

Samantha sighed, quickly trying to change the topic, "Uh, why don't you go tell Nessie she looks pretty?"

Engel beamed with joy as she took off to find her very-soon-to-be-step-mother. Samantha shook her head and chuckled. Engel was still easily distracted.

Kaylee poked her head into the room. She, as well as everyone else in her generation, minus the parents, weren't allowed to get ready with the groom, the bride and all their helpers. They had to sit down, look pretty and wait for the ceremony to start.

"Five minutes until the stupid thing," she pouted. Now that she was no longer commander, she was no longer entitled to marry her nephew and Vanessa. The honour had gone to Scott and Vasquez, as well as Colonel Truman who still held onto his original title.

"Don't sound so down, Aunt Kayl," Dani chuckled, squirming in her dress. She didn't like wearing one on her own wedding day, she hated wearing one now. Mike was going to regret the day he refused to let her be an usher instead of a bridesmaid.

Kaylee growled at Dani as she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, giving the girls their privacy. "Are you all ready?" she asked.

"Almost!" Vanessa's sister called from the back room; Vanessa's special bride room.

"You okay, Aunt Kayl?" Summer asked her Aunt, noticing a flushed look on her face. Kaylee nodded.

"Mostly. I don't get to perform the wedding and my youngest daughter is in trouble for attempted murder. I'm just a little stressed."

"So's Aunt Tor, but you don't see her looking like a ghost," Sam Jr. pointed out. "Then again, that might be a good thing. You know what happens when she stresses out."

Vanessa finally stepped into the room and all eyes fell on her. Kaylee's jaw dropped and her hand shot up in the air.

"Claimed!"

Vanessa chuckled, "I take it you like it."

"Like it?" Clara, Vanessa's sister started. "You look amazing. I did a great job, if I do say so myself."

"Normally I would comment on how egotistical that sounds," Dawn started, "But she's right. You look beautiful."

"I was right," Summer smirked contently, "Down and curled."

"I'm glad you like the style," Sammy Sr. chuckled, playing with her own naturally curly hair. Summer chuckled, swatting her cousin on the arm.

Engel looked up at her step-mother. Gently, she touched the dress.

"Pretty…" she said, completely mesmerized by the white princess dress. Vanessa knelt down, careful not to mess herself up. She kissed Engel's cheek.

"Glad you think so. This is all for you, squirt."

Engel chuckled and played with the bottom of her own dress as she shook her head, "No. For daddy!"

"It's for your daddy?" Vanessa gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah! Not marry me!"

Vanessa tapped herself on the forehead, "Oh, I totally forgot!"

"I'm so telling Mike," Dani giggled.

"Daddy like it," Engel assured Vanessa. "Promise."

"Okay, Angel," Sammy called, holding out her hand, "Let's find your flowers."

"I'll take the baby," Summer offered, already taking Adeline from Samantha's arms. "Do you want me to…?"

"Hayden's still not allowed to see Adeline," Sammy said.

"That's cruel," Sam frowned. "The kid needs her mother."

"Hayden and Flynn visit," Sammy corrected, realising her previous statement did sound a little harsh. "They're just not her caregivers at the moment."

Kaylee let out a long sigh, "I should get back to them."

Sammy nodded, "Good luck, mom."

"Your sister's the one who needs it," Kaylee said. She turned to Vanessa. "You look beautiful, kiddo."

Vanessa smiled and blushed slightly, "Thanks."

-Afterlife-

Dawn sat beside Dean, twirling her engagement ring as she watched the ceremony unfold. She could easily tell that Scott was nervous and had to contain her laughter. He had been chosen at the last minute, due to Kaylee needing to drop out and Dawn was sure Mike had chosen him over the Colonel or Vasquez just to hear him stutter and stumbled over his words.

Over in the first row, Engel and Christian were getting restless as they tried to find ways to entertain themselves. The ceremony was already traditionally long but with Scott running the show it felt like it was never going to end. Samantha and Dillon made an odd couple to be watching the two young kids, as well as Adeline, but they managed to keep them both entertained, while keeping them quiet.

Dillon held both his fists out, "Right or left?" he whispered.

Christian pointed left and Engel went with his instincts. Dillon cocked an eyebrow while he gazed back at the wedding for a moment then back to the kids.

Engel noted his doubtful look and quickly pointed to his right hand. Dillon smiled, revealing Engel as the winner, with the bouncy ball appearing in his right hand. Christian groaned softly. He would win the next round.

The wedding seemed to drag on and on for Kaylee, who was starting to feel nauseous, but she wasn't going to ruin the special day. She leaned against the side of the bench, thankful she sat next to the aisle. She propped her head up on her arm and rubbed her forehead. Dustin leaned over and whispered: "You okay?"

Kaylee nodded, "It's going on forever. I liked Dani's wedding better."

Suddenly, the words everyone was waiting to hear finally arrived.

Scott tugged on his collar, "Uh, if any of you present here can show just cause why these two should not be lawfully joined, speak now or forever hold…"

"If we objected, would we really have waited this long to say so?" Dani teased. Mike, Vanessa and the rest of the room let out a soft laugh. Scott stood, still nervous. He shifted his weight from one side to the other.

"Good point. Mike and Vanessa, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

-Afterlife-

"Great wedding, Dude!" Hunter smiled, congratulating his nephew with a pat on the shoulder. He had a beer in one hand and held it up slightly, "Reason I came!"

"Shut up," Mike laughed, shoving his uncle away. With the ceremony over, it was time to actually celebrate.

At the tables, Kaylee sat, feeling exhausted. She glanced at the menu for the night.

"I can't believe it!" she shouted as Shane and Tori joined her, tired from the dancing already. Lily had taunted them, saying they were just getting old.

"What?" Tori asked.

"Mike has the balls to serve duck!"

"Well, he's married now," Shane said, shrugging as he took the menu from Kaylee. "He's not making his own decisions anymore. In fact, he won't ever be making decisions again. How much say do you think Mike actually got when planning the wedding?"

"Is that why you never got married?" Tori teased. Shane scoffed, leaning back in his seat.

"Please. You can't expect this to settle down," he said, motioning to his own body. Tori furrowed her brows.

"Yeah, sure. That's the reason," she chuckled. She turned to her sister, "Eh, Kayl?"

Kaylee shook her head, "Huh?"

Tori noticed something wasn't right with her sister. She never missed out on the chance to mock the red ninja Ranger. She placed her hand on Kaylee's forehead.

"Are you feeling okay?"

Kaylee pulled away, "Yeah."

"Does it have anything to do with the Hayden situation?" Shane asked. "I couldn't believe it when I turned on the news! Our little Hayden."

"I'm disappointed, but I can understand," Kaylee said. She looked at her friend and sister, "I'm fine, guys. I think I just missed one of my pills or something."

"Have you had anything to drink?" Tori asked.

"Alcohol?"

"Yeah."

"No," Kaylee shook her head. "I can't anymore. Not with the meds."

Mike rushed over, grabbing his mother's arm, "Mom, Vanessa and her grandfather are almost done their dance then it's us."

"Already?" Tori frowned, checking her watch. "You two haven't had your first dance yet!"

"We're mixing it up," Mike explained, pulling his mother to her feet. "We thought we'd dance with you first, and then you'd both give us up to dance with each other."

"Cute," Kaylee smiled.

Shane winked, "Whose idea was that, eh, bud?"

"Both of…" Mike frowned when Shane winked again, "Hers."

"Thought so," Shane nodded. He got to his feet as well. "If I'm going to watch all this dancing, I need another beer. Anything for you from the kiddie cooler, Kayl?"

Kaylee shook her head, "I'm good."

"Take it easy, Kayl," Tori instructed her sister as she was whisked away by her son. Kaylee nodded, waving goodbye to her overprotective sister as Hayden walked over. She sat down in a huff.

"I hate her."

"I do to sometimes, but she means well," Kaylee teased. Hayden frowned.

"Not your sister. Mine! She's such a… Arg! If I say it I'll never get my daughter back."

Kaylee turned to her daughter, her face serious, "You know what you did, Hayden. I can't believe you would…"

"I know…" Hayden groaned. Kaylee shook her head.

"Obviously you don't!" she growled, keeping her voice down. The focus was supposed to be on Mike and Vanessa at the moment. "The underwater people: that's my battle. You were supposed to work on running the city! Tim and the others weren't a threat!"

"They kidnapped Addie!"

"All you had to do was rescue her! You never go back and escalate a fight!"

"That's a Ranger rule, not a commander rule," Hayden said, without thinking. Kaylee growled again.

"That's a rule of life," she said. "I fully agree with your sister. I know it doesn't seem like it, but she's giving you and Flynn some time to cool down, that's all."

"But…"

Kaylee took her daughter's hand, "Instead of being mad about all this, why don't you just accept what's happening and make the most of it? Spend these years with me, instead of being angry. It'll make for fonder memories, and you'll make your mother so happy."

"Ten years," Hayden frowned. "That's it. They've robbed us!"

Kaylee hugged her daughter, "So take back what you can."

"Can you get Sammy to give Flynn and me our daughter back?" Hayden whispered in her mother's ear. "I promise we'll stay cool."

"Even if Tim does come near you and the baby again?"

Hayden took a deep breath and nodded, "We'll try."

"I want more than that, Hayden," Kaylee frowned, pulling away. Hayden sighed.

"Okay. I'll stay calm from now on. I promise."

Kaylee smiled, "I'll talk to your sister tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow?"

"Night," Kaylee added. "Think maybe you can spend a little time with your dying mother while you're child-free? I hardly see you anymore."

Hayden rolled her eyes, "I guess so. I mean, you are my mother…"

Kaylee smiled and playfully slapped her daughter, "Hey! Watch it!"

Hayden and Kaylee hadn't noticed, but Mike and Vanessa had already begun their first dance. Midway through, the entire room began chanting.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

The couple gave into the demand and kissed passionately on the dance floor. Many of Mike's cousins averted their eyes and cried out in disgust. The older men whistled and the women cooed at the sight. Kaylee and Hayden laughed.

"Ranger family gathering," Hayden stated before getting up. "I'm going to take advantage of no one paying attention to me to sneak in a few drinks."

"Hayden!" Kaylee scolded. Hayden shrugged.

"Mom, c'mon. I'm a healer, remember? Alcohol has no effect."

Kaylee closed her eyes, "I didn't see anything, then."

Hayden beamed brightly and skipped off to find the alcohol, leaving Kaylee alone at the table once more. The former commander looked out at the dance floor and smiled when she saw how happy Mike was. She was happy as well. Happy for him. He was her first nephew and the first child in her family after Samantha. She had pictured this moment in her mind the minute he came into the world, and it had finally arrived for him.

She would have been celebrating with him, making fun of him, telling embarrassing stories and doing everything that was expected of her, but she wasn't feeling up to it. Something was bothering her and making her feel sick, but she couldn't figure out what.

The dance had ended and Mike, exhausted and flustered from all the attention, joined his Aunt.

"I'm disappointed in you, Aunt K," he chuckled. "I spent more time practicing my 'Aunt Kayl!' whine then I did my vows, and you're not telling any embarrassing stories!"

"Sorry big squirt," Kaylee said, touching his arm. "Just feeling a little run down."

Mike placed his other hand on her hand, "You okay?"

Kaylee nodded, "I think it's about time I get something to drink."

"Water," Mike told her, knowing she wasn't allowed alcohol with her medication. Kaylee nodded as she pushed herself up. She felt herself wobble slightly so took it slowly. She had been sitting down for a while now and assumed it was just that.

She took a few steps before dropping. Mike jumped from his seat.

"Aunt K?" he called. His voice somehow managed to echo through the room, catching everyone's attention. Just like that, the celebration stopped.

Leanne and David reacted quickly. While Leanne booked it over to Kaylee (in record time with the heels she was wearing), David grabbed the medical kit. He always came prepared to a Ranger party; something always happened.

Tori rushed over as well, concerned for her sister, but also for her son. Though the wedding was probably the last thing on his mind at the moment, it had gone from exceptional to disaster.

Dustin, who had been lecturing Hayden about alcohol, was frozen stiff in fear, but he managed to wrap one arm around Hayden comfortingly before the fear had truly set in.

Sirens wailed in the distance. The last sound anyone wanted to hear at a wedding.

As the paramedics came into the room, Mike touched Leanne's shoulder. She turned to him as David explained to them what happened.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Leanne's mouth opened, as if she was going to say something, but she stopped herself, sighed sadly, and turned around. She rushed out, with David and the medics without a word.

Vanessa approached Mike and wrapped her arms around him.

"You and your family can go," she whispered to him.

"But it's…"

"We'll party another time," she said. "You only have one real Aunt."

Mike smiled and thanked his new bride while promising to make it up to her. He scooped up Engel in his arms and grabbed Jason on his way out as he followed the rest of his family to the hospital.


	169. Life and Living

It was as if the wedding had been moved to the church. Mike's half of the guests were all sitting in the waiting area, still in their wedding attire with sweaters and jackets thrown on top. They were waiting impatiently for news on Kaylee, all hoping that Mike's wedding wasn't the last event in her life.

Samantha hugged herself, feeling scared and lonely. She never liked it when her family was in the hospital. Nothing good ever came out of hospital visits.

Assuming Hayden felt the same way, Samantha approached her little sister and sat down next to her. She touched Hayden's arm.

"You okay?" she asked. Hayden shrugged.

"Numb."

Concern, Samantha furrowed her brow, "Still?"

Hayden frowned before realising what Samantha was thinking. She shook her head, "No… I mean this; everything. Mom being sick, in the hospital, us afraid of losing her. It's way too common now. It just feels normal."

"Normal?"

Hayden shrugged, "I don't know. I don't want it to feel normal… but I just can't feel anything. Good or bad… maybe I'm just… too numb."

"You feel me, right?" Samantha asked. Hayden looked at her sister's hand on her arm and nodded.

"Yeah."

Samantha wrapped her arm around her little sister, "You're probably just trying to protect yourself, then. Afraid of being hurt, maybe."

"I'm already hurt."

"Too hurt," Samantha nodded. "You're losing everything. Mom, your daughter."

"Can I have her back?" Hayden asked. Samantha shook her head.

"I don't feel comfortable with that yet," she said. "It's only been a few days and now this has happened."

"Like you're any better," Hayden scoffed. "She's your mom, too. Why are you just accepting everything? Why are you helping the people who put her here?"

Samantha shrugged, "I don't know, Hayden. All I know is that there had to be a reason behind their actions. Something that would justify why they were doing what they were doing and something that made their actions seem right, at least in their own minds. Switching perspectives, kinda. I still hate them."

"Switching… what?"

"Put yourself in their shoes," Samantha said. "What would you do if you were betrayed by someone? It's hard to be able to trust anyone after one person's broken your trust."

Hayden nodded, "I guess… now can I have my baby back?"

"Tell you what," Samantha started, "I'll talk to Scott tonight. If he agrees that you and Flynn are ready to take Addie back, then you'll get her in the morning."

"Considering all goes well here," Hayden whispered. Samantha nodded. Hayden looked up, "If Scott says no."

"She stays with us," Samantha said. "Just feel lucky that Scott's Commander now. If things were any different you may never get your daughter back."

"Stupid military run city," Hayden muttered. She glanced up at her sister, "And, technically, I was commander when you took my daughter. I could have overruled you."

Samantha cocked an eyebrow, "There is no overruling your older sister. You do what's best for your child, even when you don't know it. And don't tell me you miss getting up in the middle of the night to change a diaper or feed the freaking thing."

Hayden laughed, "Okay, so I do kind of enjoy getting a full night's sleep. Tell you what. You can work night shifts."

Samantha chuckled and shoved her sister playfully just as Leanne and David walked into the waiting room. All eyes turned to the two of them.

Samantha and Hayden held hands in worry as their father stood up. Christian pulled in closer to Summer, afraid the doctors were going to deliver bad news. Summer wrapped her arms around her brother and held him tight.

Leanne spoke, "She missed taking her medication this morning."

Dustin shook his head, "What does that mean?"

"Fortunately, nothing," David answered him. "She's caught up now, but she can't keep doing this. You're going to have to keep a close eye on what she takes and when she takes it."

"But why did she pass out?" Tori asked.

"The radiation is affecting everything in her body," Leanne explained. "The medication isn't curing her, but it's keeping the radiation from spreading quickly. If she misses even one pill, she's giving the poison the chance to spread. Once it hits something vital, it's only a matter of time before…"

"Don't…" Tori muttered before Leanne could say the word. Leanne nodded her head in understanding. She wouldn't have been able to say it anyways.

While Leanne went to help the others explain Kaylee's situation to the younger kids, David pulled Dustin and Tori aside.

"I wanted to talk to you both," he whispered, keeping his voice low so no one would hear. Dustin and Tori both nodded as David continued, "I need both of you to keep a very watchful eye on Kaylee."

"Already doing that," both replied, almost in sync. They were equally worried about her and wanted to make sure she was okay. If it hadn't been for her family, Tori would have already moved in with Dustin, Kaylee and Christian so she could take care of her sister.

"I know you are… I just want you to make sure she's not showing any suicidal tendencies."

"Kayl? No way," Dustin dismissed the idea almost as soon as it came out of David's mouth. "Kaylee would never."

"She's dying anyways," David said. "Why would she allow herself, or us, to suffer any longer? Why would she force us to watch her slowly get weaker and weaker? She's got ten years to live, but how many more until she's confined to her bed? The radiation nearly hit her heart today, thus the fainting."

"It… it… what?" Dustin stammered. David lowered his head and sighed.

"I didn't want to say it out loud… not with the kids listening. But Leanne and I were completely honest when we said that what happened today was nothing."

Tori let out a long frustrated sigh as she ran her hands through her hair, "I'm supposed to die first… I can't just sit back and watch her…"

"Look… when the time comes, we'll make her as comfortable as…"

"Just… shut up," Tori said, her voice shaking slightly, "You _don't_ know Kaylee! She doesn't lie around in bed waiting for something to happen! She can barely rest when she's got a cold! There's no making her comfortable. She'll be miserable."

"Tori…"

"Shut up!" Tori shouted. Afraid she was going to do something she may regret; Dustin grabbed her arm and gently held her back. Tori pulled away from him and stormed off. Jason took off after his mother, knowing she shouldn't be alone.

Dustin sighed. He was feeling the same way as Tori, but he understood that David was Kaylee's only chance at a long, comfortable life. When he looked back at David, the man continued.

"I know the timing sucks, Dustin… but in case something happens, you need to be ready to make a choice… Kaylee might not be able to make it on her own."

"A pull the plug kinda thing, right?" Dustin asked. David nodded.

"Talk to her. See what she wants… see what you and Tori can do."

Dustin nodded. This wasn't easy to hear, but he had to stay strong. He smiled sadly at David before turning around and walking over to his girls.

Dani looked to Dawn, "Maybe you should give Aunt Kayl some of your sticky notes," she whispered. "That way she remembers when she takes her medications."

"Shut up, Dani," Dawn grumbled.

Dani frowned, "I'm not joking… it's a matter of life and death. If this happens again, who knows what could happen."

"Where do you think Aunt Kaylee's going to go when she dies?" Hannah asked her cousins.

Samantha Jr. frowned, "If my mother had her way, cremation," she said. "Watching Aunt Kayl's body burn would be justice… well, that's what she said."

"No, I mean like… Cavern of Lost Souls, Spirit World, and Heaven… nowhere?"

"I think you can rule out nowhere," Maddie pointed out. "We know where people go after death thanks to the Cavern and the Spirit World."

"I think it would be cool if she was turned into an Angel," Ryan smiled. "Like, full on glowy spirit kinda thing."

"We've already got two Angels," Hannah frowned. "They don't need to breed."

"They're all women, and they're all family. We don't want them to inbreed, do we?" Ryan smirked. Hannah sighed and shook her head.

"Multiply. Whatever."

"What do you multiply two by to get three?"

"One point five," Maddie said casually.

Ryan smiled and pointed at his younger cousin, "Boy, you are a genius."

"That's third grade math, moron," Heather frowned, slapping her cousin on the chest.

"Still, she remembers it. How many of us remember what we learned in third grade? Like… who is the first president of Corinth City?"

"There is no president," Maddie pointed out. "Corinth is ruled by the military. So far we've had three Commanders. Aunt Kayl, Hayden and Scott."

"Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out either," Dani chuckled. "I should know."

"Need I remind you I don't live in Corinth," Ryan said. "So I wouldn't know."

"Moron," Maddie muttered as she shook her head. She noticed her mother had finally finished talking with the other kids and walked over to her. She hugged her mother, realising this wasn't easy for her at all. Telling the family bad news about a patient was one of the worst things a doctor needed to deal with, next to losing a patient, of course. The fact that Kaylee was family only made this harder.

"Are you okay, mom?" Maddie asked. Leanne nodded.

"I'm fine."

"If you want a laugh, ask Ryan what his birthday is. I bet he wouldn't be able to give you an answer."

Leanne shook her head, "I just need some time, Madeline."

"Oh, the full name," Maddie frowned. She took her mother's hand, "It sucks, but you saved her."

"I'm kinda wishing we hadn't gotten to her in time," Leanne said. "That we just let nature take its course and end it now. It would be easier on everyone."

Maddie looked over her shoulder and spotted Kaylee's family. She shrugged.

"At least they still have time."

"Do they?" Leanne asked. "Kaylee's not that forgetful, especially when it's something as important as her life. Why would she forget to take her medication?"

"It's not routine yet…"

"It's her life!"

"Mom…" Maddie frowned, "Are you saying she may have done it on purpose?"

Leanne fell into a long silence. Maddie shook her head when she received no response.

"She wouldn't have," she said. "She's still got so much…"

"Madeline, keep this to…"

"She wouldn't kill herself!" Maddie screamed, a little too loudly as the crowd of people turned to look, their expressions twisted into looks of horror.

Leanne snapped, "Maddie, quiet!"

"You want her dead!" Maddie shouted. "You're not going to save her."

Hayden came over, placing her hands on Maddie's shoulders. She pulled her cousin away, "C'mon, squirt…"

"No!" Maddie shouted. "She said she wished Aunt Kaylee died!"

Hayden looked at Leanne, wordlessly telling her she wanted an explanation. But at the moment, she was going to take advantage of her emotional numbness to take care of Madeline.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that…"

"She said it!" Madeline shouted! At 10:18 she told me she wished nature just ran its course."

"You do have a good memory," Hayden breathed. She pulled on Madeline's shoulders again, "C'mon, Maddie. We'll go visit my mom."

Maddie huffed and glared hatefully at her mother before leaving. Leanne sunk down in her seat, grabbed her stethoscope from around her neck and chucked it forcefully across the room, nearly hitting one of the nurses.

Lily walked over to the older woman and sat down next to her, "If it helps, we know what you mean."

Leanne shook her head, "It doesn't. You don't know exactly what's in store for her in the next few years… maybe months…" she looked at her little sister, "I meant it."

Lily shook her head, "No… you didn't. You don't want her to suffer… none of us do…"

"I meant it, Lily."

"No," Lily persisted, as if her words were going to change the way Leanne felt. Leanne got up from her seat and ripped off her white jacket. She threw it at Lily.

"I'm done."

"You're not…"

"I'm done."

David looked to his colleague, "Leanne, you can't. Kaylee needs both of us if she…"

"If she what?" Leanne frowned. "Has any chance of surviving? Well, spoiler alert! She's going to die! No matter what we do! All that medicine, all the treatments… she'll be alive longer, but how long does she have to live?"

"You said…" Lily started but Leanne shook her head.

"How long does she have to really live?" she asked. "Face it _doc_, we're the ones killing her. Sooner you all realise that, the sooner this can all just… stop."


	170. Doing What They Can

Lily chased Leanne to the parking lot, feeling like she was the only one who understood what was going on inside her sister's head. Her powers of empathy had grown much stronger as the years went on, and though touching was still the best way to understand other people's emotions, Lily had developed the ability to pick up on strong emotional feelings simply by being in close range. She had felt something inside Leanne that pulled some heart strings.

Just as she was about to grab Leanne's arm to stop her, the red head spun around. Lily had to jump back to avoid Leanne's swinging arms.

"Leave me alone!" Leanne shouted. Lily didn't need powers to pick up on this emotion. Anger. Thankfully, she knew how to fight anger. It was just like fire.

"So what? You're going to play god, now?" Lily asked, raising her voice as Leanne turned back around, obviously not ready for confrontation, but Lily needed to reach her before she quit officially. "You're Kaylee's only hope!"

"Screw that!" Leanne screamed. She leaned against the car before her. "She's dying anyways. Can't we just…"

"I wouldn't call it dying just yet," Lily frowned.

"Then what the hell would you call the end of a life?" Leanne asked her tone still harsh but Lily could tell her body was starting to relax. Hopefully she was giving up the anger. Lily decided to lower her own tone.

"Life," she said. "We all live until we die. How about we save the giving up until there is no hope?"

"What hope is there?" Leanne frowned. "She's dead, no matter what…"

"She's still living," Lily smiled. "And unless you continue to help her, she'll never get the chance to live again. As long as she can walk, talk, smile and get around on her own, it's still the same old Kaylee… if you give up on her…"

"I can't do this…" Leanne whispered. She dropped to the ground. Lily sat down beside her, finally placing her hand on Leanne's arms, letting the memories and the waves of emotions hit her.

Leanne sobbed and turned to the littlest sister, "That's cheating…"

When Lily was finished, she turned to Leanne with a smile, "Don't look at the end. Focus on what's ahead. Do whatever you can to make sure Kaylee can be Kaylee for as long as possible. Do everything to give her a life… okay?"

Leanne shrugged, "I don't…"

"You feel helpless because you can't save her… so don't. Kaylee's screwed! She's going to die soon. We all know it. But… for her, and for everyone else… can you at least try to do whatever you can to give her a life before she does turn into some vegetable-medicine-dependant void?"

Leanne wiped her eyes, "When you put it that way…"

"Please?" Lily begged. Leanne rested her head on Lily's shoulder.

"Okay."

-Afterlife-

Hayden knocked on the door as she walked into her mother's room, pushing an upset Madeline along.

"Mom, are you awake?" she whispered as she and Maddie found a chair to sit in. Madeline walked up to her Aunt's bed and poked her arm.

"She's not…"

"You didn't have to poke her," Hayden said. She pointed to the chair, "Just take a seat, okay? When she wakes up we can both ask her if she did it on purpose."

"She wouldn't," Madeline frowned, crossing her arms. "I thought you would believe me."

"I want to," Hayden nodded, "But… with everything that's happened… we all do some crazy things. Maybe… maybe you're mother's on to something."

Madeline shook her head, "No. She's wrong. Completely wrong."

Hayden reached over the bed and took Madeline's hand, "I'm glad you care so much about my mom."

Madeline frowned, "She's my aunt? Why wouldn't I? I don't want to lose her. She's fun and… happy."

"Probably different at home," Hayden said. "With Aunt Leah working so much and Uncle Cam at the Ninja Academy…."

"We're a close family," Madeline said defensively. Hayden held her hands up.

"I didn't mean that. I meant your parents must be tired a lot of the time. Close family stuff probably involves movie nights and pizza dinners."

"I like pizza… but…" Maddie shrugged, "I remember, July 16th, 2022… one year before the Venjix, actually… Your parents came to the Wind Ninja Academy to drop you off for class. I was seven and you were twelve. I remember feeling weird. You were one of the big kids and you had your own friends at school already. I was little and even though we hung out at home and stuff, I thought you wouldn't like to have some little kid clinging to you at school. But the weather was hot… 100 Fahrenheit that day, without the humidity and the water had stopped running in the school. Dad thought it was a bad idea to let all the students train in black leather outfits so while he and the maintenance team worked on getting the water running again, we all had time off. Your parents stayed behind. Your dad had a football with him. I never knew why. It was old, kinda worn down. Some of the stitching had come undone. The ball looked like it would fall apart…"

"Less detail, squirt," Hayden chuckled. She knew Maddie couldn't help it. It was the downside of eidetic memory. She remembered _everything_ and when she looked back at a memory, detailed images came up. Time, place, the weather... She knew the clothes people wore, the way their hair was styled. She could remember what kind of make-up the girls were wearing. Nothing was forgotten.

Maddie chuckled nervously, "Sorry," she continued, "Your dad started throwing it around and you and your mother were catching it. You looked like you were all having so much fun. Aunt Kaylee even pushed you to the ground to catch the ball once. You were numb that day and she said she didn't care what happened when you were numb. She lied, though, because she turned to your dad and winked."

"And…?" Hayden pushed.

"I thought to myself: 'it would be cool if my parents did that with me. If we would just run outside to the park and throw a ball around'. It probably wasn't smart running around on a hot day, but you didn't care. Then, your mom saw me and called me over. We all started playing together. It was fun. I've never really thrown a ball around with anyone… before or after."

"Simple, huh?" Hayden asked a smile on her face. Madeline nodded.

"Easier than homework," she chuckled. "And that's easy."

"Says you," Hayden scoffed playfully. "Back in my day, homework was hell."

"You don't remember everything."

"Who cares what you remember?" Hayden frowned. "You have to of learned something to remember it. I think there's more up there then you know."

"I'm gifted."

"Gifted my ass. You're brilliant."

Maddie laughed, but it slowly turned into a sad chuckle. She shook her head.

"It's not easy."

"Knowing everything?"

"I raise my hand in class and everyone sighs."

"Tell them to screw themselves. You have a right to an education."

"Great minds think alike, I guess," Maddie laughed. "Jason said that once. He made an announcement and told them all where they could shove it. He's still working off the detention."

"So… you guys?" Hayden teased. She heard through the grapevine that there was a little something going on between her two cousins and thought it was irresistibly cute.

Maddie blushed, "Shut up, Hayden."

"C'mon! He's a good kid. He's annoying as hell, but he's really sweet."

"I know."

"You should have seen him with Christian. He'd made a great dad."

Maddie plugged her ears as Hayden laughed, "No! Don't say that! I remember everything!"

"You and Jason sitting in a…"

"LALALALA!" Maddie sang, trying to block out Hayden's voice. She was saved from further teasing when Kaylee stirred. Both girls jumped up and looked down at the woman.

"Will you two shut up?" Kaylee frowned, rolling over, keeping her eyes shut. "You're laughing like hyenas! I just want some peace and quite so I can die in peace!"

Maddie's face fell. Hayden looked at her little cousin and shook her head.

"She didn't mean that," she said. "Mom's been joking like this since she's been out of the hospital."

Sensing something was wrong; Kaylee opened her eyes and sat up. She looked at both girls.

"What's up?" she asked, tapping both sides of the bed, inviting her daughter and niece to sit with her.

"Mom thinks you forgot to take your meds on purpose," Maddie said. "She thinks you're trying to kill yourself."

"Like… under dose?" Kaylee frowned. "Why would I do that? I just promised Hayden we'd spend more time together? Why would I say that and then let myself die? I'm not a bitch!"

Kaylee looked at both girls, "You didn't think that, did you?"

Maddie shook her head, "Not for a moment."

Hayden shrugged her shoulders. She didn't say a word. Kaylee touched her arm.

"I want to live out the life I have," she said. "I still have so much to live for. I'm dying, but that doesn't mean I'm dead."

"But you're…"

"I'm scared," Kaylee nodded. "I'm mortified. That's exactly why I don't want to die. Someone who's afraid of fire isn't going to jump into it. He'll stay as far away from it as possible."

Kaylee took both Maddie and Hayden's hands in hers, "I'm not giving up. Tell that to everyone. It's going to take more than a silly thing like death to kill me."

"Mom," Hayden laughed.

Kaylee smirked, "I'm serious."

"That makes no sense," Maddie chuckled. She looked at her Aunt, "But… you never have. You sent me two birthday cards for my ninth birthday. One said happy eighth, the other said happy first."

"It makes nine!" Kaylee smiled. "I stand by my logic."

Hayden kissed her mother's forehead, "You always do."

-Afterlife-

Engel pushed on Dillon's knees as he sat down in the chair, just waiting like everyone else. Poor little Engel was bored and wanted to play. "Left!"

Dillon lifted his foot so he was pushing on her chest. He scooted her backwards. Engel pushed against his foot.

"Left!"

Summer frowned at her husband, "What are you…?"

"She thinks I'm hiding something in my hands," Dillon said. "We played it during the… OW!"

"Engel!" Summer snapped, quickly getting up. She pulled Engel away from Dillon and removed her niece's teeth from her husband's foot.

"LEFT!" Engel screamed. She crossed her arms, huffed, and walked away. Dillon massaged his foot.

"She's a mini Jaws! I'm wearing shoes!"

"They're ruined now," Samantha Jr. chuckled as she came back with her "coffee army", as she called it. She handed both Summer and Dillon their cups. "Good thing this is the only wedding."

"Hopefully not," Summer frowned. "I expect an invite to Dawn and Dean's wedding."

"_You_ expect an invite," Dillon said. "I am officially uninvited because I slept with the bride. You don't invite exes to weddings."

"Uncle Hunter was at Aunt Kayl and mom's wedding," Summer said. She looked at Dillon, "If I'm going, you're my date."

Dillon groaned loudly before Leanne and lily returned. The room fell silent as they waited to see what was going to happen. Lily walked over to her seat and picked up Leanne's jacket. She handed it back to the red head.

"You're not quitting?" David asked as Leanne put her white coat back on. She clipped her ID back in place and smiled.

"I'm going to help Kaylee until she can't be helped anymore," she said. "Once it's done, I'm not pushing it."

"You can't make that choice," David frowned.

Leanne approached him, glaring threateningly, "I will not let my sister suffer. Do you understand that?"

David coward away slightly, "Yes…"

Ronny laughed as she touched her husband's back. She turned to her little sister with a curious look.

"How did you turn her around so quickly?"

"I grew up with you," Lily stated seriously. "I know how to deal with stubborn and strong."

Ronny frowned, obviously not amused. Lily laughed.

"I'm just teasing," she looked around, "Is Tori back yet?"

"She'll calm down on her own," Ronny assured her. "She's just… scared, I guess. I'd do the same thing if it was you in that room."

"It sucks," Lily nodded; "watching it happen."

"It sucks knowing what's going to happen," Ronny sighed. She hugged her sister, "But… she'll calm down. It was probably just the way David phrased something. She must have realised…"

"What Leah realised?" Lily asked. Ronny let out a deep sigh.

"We're all going to realise it. Sooner or later."


	171. Babies

It had been a few weeks since the events in the hospital, and just as Ronny had predicted, many of the Rangers, former Rangers and allies had slowly come to realise that there was nothing they could really do to help Kaylee. Fortunately, it was no longer putting a damper on anyone's spirits, especially Kaylee's. She was taking everything rather well and it seemed she had finally accepted her own fate. Death was coming, sooner than expected, but she still had plenty of time to live out her life.

It hit the kids the hardest. They had all grown up together until the Venjix forced them to choose between two cities, and throughout their childhood they had always loved their Aunt Kaylee. Their silly Aunt Kaylee who always told them she loved them more than their parents. The kids who were now living in NewTech seems to be taking the news a little better than those in Corinth though, with the exception of Summer, who for two years of her life had been a Brooks instead of a McKnight.

Rebecca was finding it difficult to deal. She had already lost her birth parents, as well as her soup parents (the latter didn't really affect her as much). Kaylee was the only mother who ever truly loved her. Since she heard about her illness, she had worked tirelessly to try and find a cure. All she had come up with was a stupid little pill that wouldn't do anything but increase Kaylee's energy for a limited amount of time. At the moment, Kaylee was still as active as ever, so it was useless.

Ziggy had noticed a little bit of change in his wife, too, due to Kaylee's situation. It was rather indirect, though. Because of Hayden's behaviour, Samantha took Adeline out of her care for a few days. Samantha, however, seemed to depend on Ziggy to take care of the infant while she was out running out getting groceries, dropping off and picking up Engel from school, as well as needing some much deserved down time. At first, Rebecca protested loudly, still finding herself uncomfortable around children so young, fearing she might physically or emotionally damage them. But the more Adeline grew, the more Rebecca seemed to grow fond of something that was still so small.

However, Ziggy didn't expect to wake up that morning to find Rebecca in their living room playing with six and a half week old Adeline. He stopped dead in his tracks as he stepped into the room and had to stare at his wife for a moment, letting the information register.

When Rebecca noticed him she smiled. She lifted Adeline up from the ground and carried her over as she walked to kiss Ziggy on the cheek.

"Good morning," she smiled.

Ziggy was floored. Rebecca was not a morning person. He checked the clock.

"It's 7:00. When did…"

"Samantha dropped by half an hour ago. She needed to run to the drug store before Scott left for work," Rebecca explained.

Ziggy was still shocked. He checked his watch again; making sure it was the right time.

"I didn't hear the door… or the phone. Surely she didn't walk in and leave… Where's Engel?"

"She's still at home," Rebecca said. "Hayden's going to come by here this afternoon to take widdle Addie home, right? Is mommy coming to take you home?" Rebecca asked the small infant as she held her in her arms and tickled her gently. Her voice was high, like any woman's voice was when she spoke directly to (or, for some women, about) babies.

Ziggy stared at his wife for a moment before passing out from the shock and surprise.

-Afterlife-

Scott rubbed his eyes as he banged on the bathroom door, "Samantha! I have to be at the command center in 30 minutes! I _need_ to shower!"

"ONE MINUTE!" Samantha screamed from the other side of the door. Scott tried the doorknob again, hoping it would give.

"I will barge in!" he told her. "It's not like I haven't seen you in the bathroom before."

"One minute!" Samantha answered again, like she had been for the last ten minutes. Scott groaned loudly before realising the house was dead silent. He looked around for a moment then knocked on the door again.

"You don't have the screaming baby in there, do you?"

"I dropped her off with Rebecca."

"When?" Scott asked. He checked his watch. Rebecca was not a morning person.

"Before you and Engel were up. I needed her out of the way."

Scott grumbled as he walked to the dresser and pulled out a clean uniform. If he couldn't shower, at least his clothes would be clean.

"Hayden might not get her daughter back in one piece, you know that right?" he called to his wife as he pulled his shirt off.

As he did this, he walked back to the bathroom door to drop his pyjamas in the laundry basket. Just as he turned the corner, a very grumpy Engel opened the bedroom door, ready to give her parents an earful for shouting so early in the morning on a school day. Once she got the door open, she crossed her arms and marched all the way to the bathroom.

Before she could make her presence known to her parents, Samantha came out of the bathroom. Scott sighed in relief, ready to bowl her over to squeeze in a quick shower when Samantha suddenly jumped into his arms.

"Whoa," Scott said as he caught her and squeezed her. "I love you too, babe, but I really got to…"

"I'm pregnant."

Scott stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around.

"Wh… what?" he asked her. He shook his head, "You can't be… we weren't trying… I wasn't trying."

Samantha laughed, "You don't have to try. I'm late. At first I thought it was just stress because of mom… but I took the test."

"And?" Scott asked, rather stupidly though. If the results were negative, this conversation wouldn't have happened.

"I'm… uh, pregnant," Samantha frowned. She shrugged suddenly, "I guess I should have seen it coming. So far all of Corinth's Commanders have welcomed a new member into their family. Mom adopted Christian only a few months into her time as a Commander. Hayden had just given birth. Now you're going to be a dad. A real dad."

Samantha said the last part with a smile as she touched her husband's arm. She looked at Scott, "We're going to be real parents."

Scott's confused look disappeared as he heard this and was instantly replaced with sear joy as he wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her.

"Real parents," he said to himself. "I like the sound of that."

Engel, who had been standing right behind both her parents without being noticed, let her arms drop by her sides. Unlike her step-father, she wasn't happy to hear this news.

Scott continued, "I mean, I love Engel," the smile returned to Engel's face, "but a real dad! I'm going to have my own kid! We're going to have our own kid! Not a confusing step-adoption thing!"

Just as quickly as it had come, the smile disappeared. Without a word, she walked off and crawled back to bed.

-Afterlife-

When Ziggy came to he was on the couch. How he got there was the least of his concerns as he slowly remembered the events leading up to his passing out.

He sat up again and saw Adeline sleeping in her carrier. He rubbed his face and found his strength once again as he pushed himself to his feet. He walked to the kitchen, where Rebecca was enjoying her usual breakfast: one and a half pancakes with maple syrup, two cut up strawberries, more than enough icing sugar, and a mountain of whipped cream.

Rebecca smiled when she saw Ziggy, "You're awake."

"Yeah… barely," Ziggy answered. He stared at his wife, "What the hell happened to you back there? It was like… someone took you and…"

"I'm still the same Rebecca I always was," she answered him as she scooped up the whipped cream with her fork and shoved it in her mouth. "It's just…"

"You hate little babies," Ziggy said. "The bigger ones and kids you can live with… but babies? You'll strangle one before you'd…"

"I'd never hurt her," Rebecca frowned. "I would never hurt a child, Ziggy. I would just never see the need in caring for one. Especially if it's not my own. I also don't understand why mothers burden other people with their own offspring, or bother with boring everyone else with trivial information such as milestones and gas when we all have more important things we should be doing."

Ziggy furrowed his brow, "But… you're… Addie's here… and you… I'm not…"

"Addie's different."

"Magically different?"

"How many times do I need to tell you magic is an abstract concept invented simply to entertain those who have nothing better to do with their time? For instance, parents who talk about their children endlessly."

"Yeah, yeah," Ziggy said, waving her off, "but Addie… doesn't she… you know… pass gas?"

"All humans pass gas, Ziggy."

"But…"

"She's my family, Ziggy," Rebecca said. "Kaylee took care of me. I can take care of her granddaughter for one morning."

"You never took care of Engel," Ziggy frowned.

"Engel's her mother, not her granddaughter."

"It's all the same thing at this point," Ziggy shrugged. She looked back at Adeline curiously. "Why is she different?"

"She just is, Ziggy," Rebecca said. "Not, if you don't mind, I'm going to put her down for a real nap. The carrier must not be comfortable."

Ziggy shrugged again as he watched Rebecca push her dishes away neatly in the dishwasher and then walked off to care for the "magic baby" who had someone won her over. He stroked his chin as he tried to reason the change in heart, and while he contemplated the comfort level of the carrier. It seemed rather plush to him.

-Afterlife-

The day progressed rather quickly. Ziggy slowly began to adapt to seeing Rebecca act motherly towards a small human infant (or any baby, human or not), but he still found it rather unnerving, especially when she started to coo and babble along with the baby.

When the door finally rang, bringing the babysitting gig to an end, Ziggy found himself a little disappointed. He loved seeing this side of Rebecca, even though it scared him. He loved kids, and this only reinforced the thought that maybe one day they would have their own. He knew Rebecca wasn't ready for that yet or anytime soon, but they were both still young. They had all the time in the world. Now, it just seemed like more of a possibility than before.

Hayden walked in and scooped Adeline up in her arms. She hugged her daughter.

"I missed you!" she cooed. Rebecca stayed with the pink Ranger and the two women coddled the infant, as woman normally did.

Flynn stood by the door, waiting for his turn to love his daughter. Ziggy approached him with the carrier and the bag filled with Adeline's things. As he dropped them at Flynn's feet, he noticed the blue Ranger staring at the scene in the living room. He chuckled.

"Uncanny."

Flynn nodded, "Who's that?" he pointed to Rebecca.

Ziggy chuckled, "She insists she's my wife…"

Flynn shook his head, "No. Your wife hates anything that doesn't reach her knees. Remember when Samantha asked her to watch Engel for five minutes?"

"Poor thing," Ziggy nodded, "But there's something about Adeline that… changes her."

Flynn shrugged. He picked up the bag and placed the strap on his shoulder, "I guess."

"So," Ziggy started, trying to change the topic, "Samantha's letting you take your own kid home now?"

"Kaylee talked her into it," Flynn smiled. "It's about time."

"How is Kaylee?" Ziggy asked, with genuine concern. He hadn't heard much since he'd been at the hospital with everyone else.

"She's fine. It's everyone else I'm worried about," Flynn said. Ziggy frowned and titled his head to the side slightly.

"I know everyone's upset but…"

"She's been a huge part of all of our lives," Flynn said. "I mean, look at what she's done for you! She believed you could be a Power Ranger!"

Ziggy smiled at the memory. He hadn't even believed, but Kaylee pushed him and challenged him. Now, he knew he could do anything he set his mind to.

"And look at what she did for Rebecca," Flynn continued. "The woman is basically her mother."

Ziggy nodded. He glanced over his shoulder to look at his wife quickly. He shrugged.

"I guess. Becca does see her that way."

He watched for a moment as Rebecca took Adeline from Hayden and gave her a big hug. Before they parted, he noticed Rebecca looking into Adeline's still sleepy eyes and a wide smile appeared on her lips.

Hayden took her daughter back and walked over to the door. She handed the infant to its father, knowing Flynn was just as excited to get his daughter back. Flynn cuddled his daughter as Hayden took the carrier and walked to the car. When Flynn was ready he turned to the door, but before leaving he had little Addie wave goodbye to her Aunt and Uncle. Ziggy smiled and waved back, making eye contact, knowing babies loved it.

Suddenly, he saw what he assumed Rebecca had seen. Adeline had her mother's general look with her father's hair (what little she had) and nose, but she had Kaylee's eyes. He was no expert on eyes, but they were exactly the same as Kaylee's and held the same adventurous, playful and nurturing look.

He turned to Rebecca about to take her into his arms. But when the front door closed, he saw Rebecca stiffen.

"Don't bother me," she said to him. "I'm going get some work done before this day is completely wasted."

Ziggy sighed, almost in relief and shook his head, "There's my wife!" he chirped happily as he bounced back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

-Afterlife-

Engel was little, and though she understood a lot, she was still confined to the limited understandings of a regular two year old. Still, that didn't keep her from knowing what pregnant was. Her Aunts had used that word before. She knew her Aunt Summer was still pregnant and was getting very fat. She remembered her Aunt Hayden had been pregnant before a baby suddenly popped out of nowhere and her fat stomach disappeared. Now her mother was pregnant.

Engel was starting to notice a pattern with the word. There seemed to be a cycle and from what she understood, it ended with a baby.

Being two years old, she had her maternal instinct already fully developed. She loved playing mom to her dolls and loved taking care of the new baby that came from the fat tummy. She would be happy if she got her own baby at home to take care of all the time (not yet knowing the real responsibilities of motherhood).

What bothered her, though, was her parents' reaction to being pregnant. They were so happy and they hadn't even noticed her standing there. She had noticed that too whenever the new baby, or Addie as the adults called her, was around. For some reason had to work harder to get their attention. Fortunately, there was always at least one of her parents who would remember she was still cute and adorable and they would tend to her.

But her daddy was off on a vacation with Nessie to a moon made of honey (Engel thought that was a stupid and sticky place to go, but her daddy seemed happy). He didn't tell her when she was coming back. And when he would come back, surely he would be happy that her mommy was having a baby. Wouldn't that mean he and Nessie were having a baby too? After all, they were all her parents. So that would mean that her mommy's baby would be all of theirs too.

To top it all off, Engel heard Scottie saying this baby was going to be a real baby. He had used a big word, but she didn't understand what that word meant. Adogshion? She was almost certain they were making up words now. But, she assumed this word was linked to the fact that this new baby was going to be a real baby. Scottie and mommy's first real baby.

Was she not a real baby?

Her bedroom door opened and the light was turned on. Engel rubbed her little eyes as they readjusted to the light. Her mother walked over and gently shook her.

"Engel, sweetie. It's time to wake up."

Engel rolled over and buried her head under the pillow, "No wake."

Samantha took advantage of the fact that her daughter was still small and light. She lifted Engel out of bed and carried her downstairs, letting her rest on her shoulder while thinking the two, almost three, year old was still tired.

Scottie was already gone to work. Engel noticed because his big boots and his jacket were gone. She huffed loudly. This upset her. She couldn't understand why, but she knew it made her angry.

As Samantha prepared a small breakfast and packed a snack in her lunchbox for preschool, Engel sat at the table, pouting. She glared at her mother's tummy angrily. That's where babies hid for a long time.


	172. The Underwater Concern

Kaylee was used to waking up with a body beside her in bed. In fact, it was always comforting when she did wake up next to someone else (preferably that someone would be Dustin). However, this morning was different. The body next to her was tiny, and she was no giant herself.

She rolled over, groaning loudly, thinking Christian was trying to wake her up early, but she soon noticed that the five year old was still fast asleep, curled up right in the middle of the bed. On the other side, Dustin was already gone. Kaylee smiled and kissed her son's cheek, letting him sleep as she crawled out of bed, grabbed a sweater and made her way downstairs.

She found Dustin by the stove, cooking what looked to be scrambled eggs. Kaylee walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She kissed his neck.

"Good morning," she whispered. Dustin smiled, turning around for a quick moment so the eggs wouldn't burn.

"I was going to surprise you," he said. "Breakfast in bed!"

"Am I forgetting something?" Kaylee asked playfully, glancing at the calendar, "I could have sworn our anniversary wasn't for another few months…"

"Just a special treat," Dustin shrugged. He dumped the eggs onto three separate plates which already contained toast and sausage. He placed the plates on a tray before looking up at his wife, "Unless you want to stay down here."

"I'll set the table," Kaylee laughed. "Maybe we can have a five minute date before…"

"MOMMY!" Christian's cries of terror echoed through the entire house as his footsteps sounded loudly on his march down the stairs. He searched every corner on his way to the kitchen, looking for any signs of his mother.

Kaylee knelt down and caught him in an embrace when he finally did find her. His sobbing calmed as he wrapped his little arms around her tight.

"Where did you go?" he asked her. Kaylee lifted him up, finding he was definitely becoming a big boy now. She carried him to the table and sat him down on her lap.

"I just came downstairs," she answered him. "You don't have to worry."

"I thought you died," Christian said honestly. Kaylee shook her head and kissed him.

"That's not going to happen for a long, long, long time, okay?" she assured him. Christian nodded his head as he dug into the food placed before him. He kept a careful watch over his mother though, afraid that he might lose her.

-Afterlife-

Scott looked at the proposal in his hands and shook his head. He placed it down on his (formerly Hayden's, formerly Kaylee's) desk and looked up at Ben, the newly elected representative for the underwater world.

"I can't believe this," he said. Ben shook his head as well.

"I hate to be the one to ask but your wife did say we were on our own," he started. "That implies she's waiting for us to take initiative. We need to find our own way to include ourselves in this city. A lot of our people feel the transition would be easier, for us and you, if we had someone come live with us for a while and get us caught up on what's been happening on the surface world. You know: the wars, the cities, the people, the cultures… and the technology especially."

"But you're asking for…"

"She's like us. She would understand."

"I would highly doubt that," Scott frowned. He checked the papers again and shrugged dejectedly as a thought occurred. He was in charge of Corinth city. Now was not the time to play any family cards. Ben was making a valid offer and he would have been quick to accept if it were anyone else. Their specific choice should have been any different. He glanced back up at Ben, "You realise she's got conditions, right?"

"Condition one: we stay as far away from her family as possible," Ben nodded. "Yeah, we got that…"

"I mean medical conditions and… other kind of stuff," Scott said. "I'll get Vasquez to ask her, but you understand that the chances she says yes are like… one in a billion?"

"We won't know unless we try," Ben smiled gently. He took the papers back from Scott. "If it helps, not all of us want to come back to the surface world. I know I'm perfectly happy living underwater and the people who are actually responsible for what happened to your former Commander are dead and buried. We pose no threat and come in peace."

Scott chuckled, imagining the alien peace symbol. He nodded his head.

"I understand that," he said. He furrowed his brow, "You know… before Kaylee got sick, she had a little project going…"

Scott cleared the many folders off his desk, finding the one folder for the new City Kaylee and Kira had been working on before Kaylee fell ill. Work had been postponed, for the most part since then, and Scott was keen to start it up again. The sooner they had a third city, the sooner the world would return to normal.

The new Commander held up the folder with the city inside it, "I've got an idea. Your people can live here."

"In the wastelands?"

"It's a new city," Scott said. "Once it's all set up and stuff, it can be yours. Of course, you'll have people from NewTech and Corinth arriving as well, but it's a fresh start. No military theme city or technology based city."

"What kind of city, then?" Ben asked. Scott shrugged. He checked the folder.

"We're still working on it," he said. "On the bright side, there will be entertainment. The city's being built right next to a race track, founded by none other than Ronny Robinson. You, uh, do know who she is… right?"

"My Uncle used to watch racing," Ben nodded. "The name rings a bell."

Scott smiled, "Well, while I try to get your people a new life mentor, you get your people to look at this. See if they like the idea."

Ben nodded again and thanked Scott before leaving. As soon as the doors were closed, Scott smiled and kicked his feet up.

"I don't know what Dad and Kaylee were complaining about. That was easy. I'll be done in time to tell everyone the big…"

Before he could finish his sentence the phone rang. Scott groaned loudly as he picked it up.

-Afterlife-

Unaware of Engel's strange behaviour, Samantha had dropped her daughter off at school and quickly drove off in search of advice. Now that she knew she was pregnant, she had to find a way to tell not only her entire family, but her daughter as well.

That wasn't going to be easy. Engel's situation was already tricky enough. Samantha wasn't sure how to approach the idea that Scott was going to be the baby's real daddy and that Engel was going to have to learn how to share her mommy. Engel could barely share her parents already, and she was an only child with four loving parents looking after her.

Samantha cursed her family and their lack of multiple children, or their strange ability to possess multiple children without have to experience the announcement of a new sibling to the family.

Leanne, Kelly, Ronny, Rose and Lily all had only one child. There was never the need to spread the love.

Samantha couldn't go to her mother. She hadn't been on Earth when her little sister was born, and truth be told, they only recently started sharing the same mother. And, by the time Christian came around, both girls already understood what was going on and what a new sibling would mean to the family.

The Angel also couldn't go to her Aunt Kira. Not only was she in another city entirely, but Kira had had twins. Sam and Summer had been sharing their parents (the same two parents, no less), their entire lives. Sibling rivalry had been huge at times (especially considering they were twins), but Kira and Conner never had to face the issue Samantha was currently worried about.

That left only one family of normal multiple children. Her Aunt Tori and Uncle Blake. They had kids the old fashion way. Naturally (so no adopting) and one at a time.

She was just about to knock on Tori's door when she saw a military car pulling up in the driveway. She frowned and waited for the person to step out.

"Vasquez," she said. "It's nice to see you but… what the hell are you doing here?"

Vasquez chuckled, "I have an offer for Tori."

Samantha shrugged and knocked on the door, "Offer away, I guess."

Vasquez walked up beside Samantha and waited alongside her for an answer. She looked at the Angle for a moment.

"Why are you here?" she asked. "Not that you really need a reason to visit family."

"Personal matters. Something I can't ask my mom about."

Vasquez thought for a moment, "What can a girl your age not talk to her mother about…? You're not into drugs, are you?"

Samantha laughed and shook her head, "No!"

"Is it womanly issues? Talking to your mother can be awkward."

"Are we talking mothers in general or just my mother?"

"Just yours."

"Oh, yeah, totally. But no… uh, well, not the womanly issues you're thinking ab-"

The front door opened, interrupting Samantha. Elena stood, looking disgusted.

"I'm opening this door against my will," she said. "I heard you guys talking about woman stuff. But Jason said it was cold out and you might freeze."

"Hello to you to," Samantha frowned as she stepped in. Elena stuck out her tongue before running off, letting her cousin and Vasquez invite themselves in.

Feeling comfortable, Samantha kicked off her shoes and tossed them in a corner as she quickly scanned the house for her Aunt or Uncle. Vasquez waited politely by the door until Samantha waved for her to follow.

"Aunt Tori's napping," she whispered. "I bet you I can wake her up without making a sound or touching her."

"Should we really?" Vasquez asked, knowing Tori was required some quiet time during the day. After the heart attack, she needed to keep all stress to a minimum. Napping was definitely one way to relax.

Samantha was already standing beside the couch, glaring intensely at her Aunt. Vasquez shifted slightly. Watching Samantha was unnerving, she couldn't imagine the horror Tori would suffer when she opened her eyes.

In only a matter of moments, Tori's eyes whipped open. She grabbed Samantha's face with her hand and pushed the Angel away.

"You're just like your mother. Let me sleep!" she groaned, rolling over on the couch. Samantha grinned as she glanced at Vasquez, as if to conclude the bet and show off her winnings. She turned back to her Aunt.

"We need to talk to you, please. Mine's kinda urgent. I don't know what she's doing here."

"Half an hour, max," Tori grunted as she sat up and wrapped herself up in the blankets. Vasquez pulled a folder out from her jacket.

"It might take longer than that."

-Afterlife-

Kaylee doubled over, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

"Okay, Chris. I think that's enough. The gym's closing in half an hour anyways."

"Please, mommy!" Christian begged as he continued to run around, kicking the soccer ball. "You promised you would teach me."

"Not all at once," Kaylee frowned. "I'm tired, and daddy's probably wondering where we are. We told him we would be home for dinner."

"But daddy can wait!" Christian whined. "I need you to teach me now!"

"How about same time next week?" Kaylee tried to bargain with her son. It wasn't recommended she make deals with her five year old, but Kaylee was too wiped out to really care what people said.

"Will you still be here next week?" Christian asked. Kaylee laughed and nodded her head.

"Of course. Where else would I be?"

Christian shrugged sadly as he grabbed the ball and sat down on the hard floor. He started rolling it from side to side. Kaylee sighed. She straightened up and walked over to Christian.

She sat down next to him and wrapped her arm around him, "I'm not going anywhere, buddy."

"Then why is everyone scared?" Christian asked. "They're all talking about how you're going to die soon."

Kaylee snatched the ball from him playfully and tossed it against the wall.

"I'm not dying anytime soon, squirt," she said. "I'm staying right here. With you, daddy, Sammy, Summer and Hayden, okay?"

Christian shrugged, "okay."

Kaylee caught the ball and turned to her son, "Hey, Chris, do you hear me?"

"Yeah…"

"So what are we doing next week?"

"We'll see…" Christian answered. Kaylee frowned. That was not the answer she was looking for. She expected her five year old son to be the happiest of the bunch, even with her condition. However, he was looking rather depressed.

Kaylee touched his arm, "I have ten years. That's a long time, Chris. Nothing's going to happen before next week. I can promise you that."

"So you'll have time to teach me soccer?" Christian asked his mother. Kaylee nodded.

"All the time in the world," she said. "But the time I'm dead, you'll be a professional soccer player. You'll be so good, you'll forget all about me."

Christian shook his head as he jumped into his mother's arms, "I'll never forget you, mommy. I don't want you to die ever!"

Kaylee wrapped her arms around him and kissed his head, "I won't leave you, okay?"

"Promise?" Christian asked her as he looked up. He held out his pinkie, inviting her to seal the deal with the unbreakable pinkie swear. Kaylee nodded, lacing her little finger with his.

"I'll always be with you."


	173. Parenting 101

Tori scoffed in disbelief as she threw the papers at Vasquez. She let out a breath and shook her head.

"You pulling my leg," she said. Vasquez shrugged.

"I don't joke," she frowned. "And, uh… neither does Scott. He's serious about this one."

"You want me to help the people who killed my sister?" Tori asked, still in complete disbelief. She laughed again, "That's funny, joke or not."

"Look, if it were anyone else you would be fine with them reaching out…"

"But that's the thing!" Tori said. "They're asking me! C'mon, what did they really think was going to come from this? I would forget how they ruined my family and welcome them into my world with open arms?"

Tori shook her head, "No. No way."

Samantha helped Vasquez pick up the papers from the floor. She glanced at her Aunt, feeling bad for both parties involved. She knew the story behind the underwater people and truly did wish them the best, but she understood why her Aunt refused to even consider helping them rehabilitate themselves into the real world.

She hoped maybe there was something else that could be done.

"Why do they want Aunt Tori?" she asked Vasquez. "There aren't a lot of people to choose from, but surely there are…"

The underwater people know she's a water ninja," Vasquez answered. "It would be easiest for you to learn and adapt to their life style and to help them make the transition."

"That would make it really easy for them, wouldn't it?" Tori snapped. "The answer is no. I'll watch them rot in hell before I ever consider helping them."

Vasquez put all the papers in order, "It was worth a shot," she muttered. She picked up her jacket, "I guess that's it then. You're not going to take one for the team?"

Tori raised her eyebrows, "Do I look like the forgiving one to you?"

"If you want forgiveness you should go to Aunt Lily," Samantha chuckled. "Aunt Tori's like a Rottweiler when it comes to mom."

"Do you at least have any suggestions of people who might be able to help?" Vasquez asked. Tori glared.

"Burn in hell," she repeated.

"That's a no," Samantha sighed. Vasquez sighed as well as she turned to leave. Mission failed.

Tori scoffed loudly as the door closed. She rolled her eyes and sat back on the couch. She looked at Samantha.

"If you're going to try and…"

"I actually have a different matter to talk to you about," Samantha said. "Uh, Scott and I are…"

"Divorcing because that idea of his was so stupid and insensitive that you believe there is no recovering?"

"What? No," Samantha shook her head. "It was a good question. Not everyone's bitter."

"Not everyone cares," Tori muttered. Samantha rolled her eyes and sat down.

"I was going to say pregnant," she whispered to her Aunt. "I'm pregnant and I need your advice."

Tori's expression changed into interest as she turned to her niece and finally cracked a smile.

-Afterlife-

Scott couldn't understand why Engel was putting up such a fuss. She was screaming and kicked, doing anything she could to stay in school. Normally it was easy to get her to leave. All he had to do was give her time to say goodbye to her new friends and her teacher and she was ready to go home.

Today was very different.

"STRANGER DANGER!" she screamed as Scott tried to pry her away from the table. "Help!" she screamed in total panic. The kids remaining in the classroom were all chuckling, while Scott and the teacher found this bothersome. Engel never acted up like this.

The teacher approached Engel, "Sweetie, it's time to go home with Scottie."

"STRANGER DANGER!" Engel screamed. She finally pulled free from her step father and ran to the bathroom, locking herself inside. Scott groaned and checked his watch. His lunch break was over soon, and if Engel didn't cooperate fast he was going to be late getting back to work.

He pounded on the door, "Engel, I'm serious, unlock the door…"

"Maybe you should call her mother," the teacher suggested. It was more than obvious that something was bothering Engel and while the teacher knew Scott was just as responsible for Engel as her real parents were, she was beginning to second guess letting Scott leave with the toddler. Something about Scott was obviously causing major distress for Engel.

"She's out for the day. She wouldn't have the time," Scott said, well aware Samantha was seeking help from her Aunt about how to tell Engel about the pregnancy. It was really important she get this done without Engel being present. That was why Scott was here to pick her up and take her to her Aunt Gemma and Uncle Gem's house for a fun play date.

The teacher, disregarding Scott's excuse, knocked on the door, "Engel, do you want mommy to come pick you up?"

"NO GO HOME!" Engel screamed. The teacher groaned and walked to the phone to call the principal. He would know what to do.

Scott grumbled loudly as he started pacing back and forth. The teacher, while on the phone, pointed to the classroom door. Scott figured it was best if he step outside to deal with the frustration alone, instead of in front of the other kids.

He stepped into the hallway and leaned against the wall to recompose himself. As he took a few calming breathes he noticed Dawn coming out of the principal's office. As she walked by he furrowed his brow in curiosity.

"A little late to be in school, don't you think?" he asked her. Dawn turned, finally noticing him.

"Oh, no, I was just in the elementary wing. Emily's got her operation tomorrow so the teacher's giving me all the homework."

"Operation and homework? Will she be able to do it all?" Scott chuckled. Dawn shrugged.

"I don't want her falling behind. Her recovery won't be too demanding. She'll have a lot of free time while she's at home."

"Barely even a step-parent yet and you're already getting to know your daughter inside and out," Scott laughed. Dawn smiled.

"I guess you can say that," she nodded. "So, are you picking up Engel?"

"I'm receiving a verbal beating from a two year old," Scott answered. "Remind me why I was chosen for RPM red if I can't control my own child?"

"Well, for starters, you kicked my ass a few times," Dawn said. "Second, she's not actually your kid. She's technically not anyone's kid. Really, she's your mother in-law. Gives a new meaning to Junior, don't you think?"

"This isn't funny," Scott frowned.

"Terrible twos," Dawn answered him.

"She's almost three."

"Doesn't get easier," Dawn laughed. "Three's just two, with a bigger vocabulary and stronger punches."

"There's no turning back now, is there?" Scott asked.

"That's why I'm adopting a ten year old. It's weird being only nine years older than my step-daughter, but at least I missed all those terrible years."

"You've got the teens to look forward too."

"Me or her?" Dawn smirked. "Let's be honest, I'm far from the end of my teenage years. In a few years Dean's going to have two teenagers to worry about. He'll just be married to one."

Scott laughed and shook his head, "You've changed my definition of odd couple."

Dawn peeked inside Engel's classroom, "So, uh, want me to help you deal with the so-called-Angel?" she asked.

Scott nodded, "Please!"

Dawn laughed as she walked into the classroom. She approached the teacher.

"I'm Dawn Matthews, Engel's Aunt. Is there anything I can do to help?" Dawn asked. The teacher looked at Scott. He nodded.

"My wife's cousin," he explained. The teacher couldn't think of anything else to do. The principal was held up in a meeting for another ten minutes. It couldn't hurt giving Dawn a shot. She pointed to the door.

"Engel's in there."

Dawn walked to the bathroom door and knocked, "Engel, hurry up! I need to go pee!"

Inside the bathroom, Engel recognised the voice only just. She crawled out from under the sink and walked to the door.

"Aunt Dawn?"

"Yes! Now open the door before I pee my pants!"

"You real?" Engel asked.

Dawn was taken aback by the strange question but she nodded her head.

"I'm very real."

The door opened and Engel ran right into Dawn's arms, sobbing loudly. Dawn held her and looked up at Scott. He shook his head.

"I don't know," he breathed.

"Let's get you home," Dawn whispered to Engel, wanting to get to the bottom of this strange tantrum.

-Afterlife-

Tori shook her head.

"There is no telling them, especially at Engel's age," she said. "All you can do is prepare Engel for what's going to happen. You talk to her time and time again, reassure any doubts she's having and you continue to involve her in your life."

"Those are your brilliant words of wisdom?" Samantha frowned. "I ask you how to explain the situation to Engel, and you basically tell me to stuff it?"

"She's two years old. She takes everything literally! How are you going to tell her Scottie's going to be a real daddy when she already thinks he is? There's no such thing as step-parents and half-siblings at that age. The world is black and white."

"Now she's colour blind?"

Tori sighed, trying to find the right way to explain things to her niece.

"Look, you tell her you and Scott are going to have a baby, and that baby is going to be her brother or sister. You don't tell her anything else. As she'll get older, she'll start asking questions. 'Why does new baby call her daddy Uncle Mike', for example. That's when you start giving her the information. Slowly and when she's ready. Until then, you're a nuclear family… with twice as many parents as normal."

"So, you're saying just let it be?"

Tori nodded, "Exactly. If you shove all that information down her throat, she's not going to understand. I'm still trying to digest it all, to be honest. My son and niece have a daughter together."

"If you think that'll work," Samantha said. "What if she starts asking the questions too early? What if she notices that the new baby doesn't spend weekends with daddy and Vanessa?"

"You have nine months to come up with answers. Don't rush them."

"It'll break her heart when she finds out," Samantha sighed, rubbing her temples. "She's not actually my daughter. She's my mom! She's dead."

"You're dead."

"But I grew up knowing I was dead," Samantha frowned. "It's different. One day I'm going to have to tell her…"

"Art of parenthood," Tori smiled, "Lie."

"What?"

"Lie."

"No."

"Oh, come on. Master Engel told you already that little Engel was never going to remember the past."

"I'm not lying to my daughter! She'll find out about a Master Engel and she'll start wondering why they share the same name."

"Lie!"

"No!"

"Half lie? Parents do it all the time. Tell her she was named after Master Engel. Isn't that why you named her Evangeline anyways?"

"Yeah…"

"So?"

"But why would I name her Engel?"

"You looked up to Master Engel? If you're going to tell her that you're an angel, you might as well…"

"Then she'll know she's an angel too."

"So?"

"She'll know she's dead."

"So? You're dead."

Samantha groaned. This was starting to go in circles. Her head was hurting. All she wanted was help telling her daughter about the pregnancy. Not a look into the future.

"Want another parenting tip?" Tori asked. Samantha shook her head.

"If it's anything like the last one…"

"Take it one day at a time," Tori said. "When Engel's ready, she'll start asking questions, until then, take parenting tip number one to heart. It'll break her down when the truth comes out but then she'll build herself back up again and stronger this time. That's how my parents raised me and your mother, and that's how we raised our kids."

"Me excluded."

"Engel did the same thing for you," Tori smiled. "She's probably lied to you so many times and she's watched you fall. But you're here now and you're taking care of yourself."

"I don't want to lie though…"

"Then get ready for years of therapy. There's a reason babies are delivered via stork. Remember how that reality check affected Engel?"

Samantha sighed, "If you're sure…"

"Positive," Tori smiled. "Protect her until she's old enough to fight."


	174. Ben's Begging

Ben grunted as he received news of Tori's refusal to help. He couldn't say he wasn't expecting resistance from her, but he thought that maybe she would be keen to try and start over.

He kicked the garbage bin standing beside him, creating a loud clank and causing Hannah to jump in fright. Ben noticed her standing around the back door to a store called Storm Chargers and sighed.

"Sorry," he whispered.

Hannah shook her head, "It's no problem. You won't believe how many times people have freaked me out. Grandpa used to do it on purpose."

Hannah finally looked up and recognised the man from the evening news. His face, as well as Tim's and John's had been all over TV after word of Kaylee's condition went public. She backed away slowly.

"You're…"

"An Underwater?" Ben finished for her. "Yeah, I am."

Hannah placed on hand on the doorknob as she gazed at Ben. He didn't seem harmful, but she didn't want to trust him. She had seen just how much damage his people had done, and how much they hurt her family.

Ben scoffed, "Look, kid, if you're going to judge me like everyone else, then I don't have time."

"Are they right?" Hannah asked him.

"They will be if I can't get someone to help me," Ben grunted. He kicked the garbage again, this time without using so much force. "We're just regular people, you know. Venjix hurt us and we need help. No one's offering."

Hannah nodded her head and clutched the doorknob tighter, about to turn it. Ben laughed slightly and shook his head.

"Now look at me," he said, "I'm talking about our problems to a kid. I've sunk to a new low. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about."

Hannah shook her head, "Kaylee is my Aunt," she whispered nervously. "My mom's known her for… almost forty years I think. I know everyone hates you guys."

Ben laughed again and leaned over the garbage. His day wasn't getting any better. It seemed every time he stepped into this city he met someone else from Kaylee's family.

Hannah tilted her head slightly as she examined Ben. He seemed okay, and she was aware that there was one Underwater Human who wasn't like the others. It was possible this was him.

"Is there a cure?" she asked him. "Something to get the poison out of her?"

"You want to play hero?" Ben asked. Hannah shrugged.

"I don't care. I just want to help. If there is a…"

"There is no cure," Ben frowned. "We lived in a cave for six years. How much medicine do you think we have down there? Once the radiation gets inside your body, it's done. We've lost so many people over the years because of it."

"How many of you are there down there?" Hannah asked. She was actually rather curious. How many people could really fit inside a cave in the middle of an ocean?

"We've collected a few wanderers over the years. People we've found while hunting. We've nursed them back to health. All In all I'd say we've reached about fifty."

"Wait, if you've collected wanderers… why didn't you trust Aunt Kaylee?"

"The people we collected were hurt," Ben frowned. "Some were dying. It was easy to hold control over them until we could trust them, and easy for them to prove they were human. We killed so many though. Probably about a hundred. You're Aunt and the freaky mutants… they fought back and didn't appear human."

"That's impossible," Hannah said. "Aunt Kaylee is human, how could she…"

"She didn't bleed."

"Oh," Hannah lowered her head to think. "So, you, uh… tried to kill her then?"

"In a word, yes," Ben nodded. "It's a stupid way to judge, but we've been burned before. We couldn't risk anything happening. We hadn't collected any humans in years, so we had no idea the Venjix was destroyed. Nothing was adding up for us."

Ben turned to the seventeen year old and looked her in the eye, "You don't have to believe me. We're used to living in the caves. Give us a century and we might all be dead anyways. No one will remember us."

"Why wouldn't I believe you?" Hannah frowned. "I've got a background involving spiritual animals, Great Battles, living dead guys and my father. Nothing is hard to believe."

"I'm assuming you know Kaylee's sister, Tori?" Ben said. "We asked her for help. She's the only one who would quickly adapt to life underwater while she taught us about life up here. You know, culture and stuff. We want to fit in… but she turned us down."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Hannah nodded. "Aunt Tori and Aunt Kaylee are like… extremely close. Hurting one is like hurting both of them, especially after their parents died."

"Was that during the Venjix?"

"Long before," Hannah said. She looked back up at Ben as he suddenly lost control and punch a wall, letting out his frustration.

"I wish we'd never touched her!" he shouted and Hannah jumped back in fright. "It was a stupid move! People hate us! Our only chance to live a normal life and we blow it before it's even offered."

"I wouldn't say that," Hannah said. "Not everyone hates you. Some of my family, yeah, and some Corinthians, but we're not all against you."

Ben scoffed, "I haven't met a single person who hasn't wanted to rip my head off."

"You're meeting a lot of the wrong people," Hannah laughed. "Why not find someone who likes you and ask them for help?"

Ben thought for a moment. Hannah did have a point. He turned back to her with a smile.

"How long have you lived in Corinth?"

"Six years," Hannah frowned. "Why?"

"Would you say you would be able to teach us how to live amongst you?"

"Yes…" Hannah noticed the pleading look on Ben's face. She shook her head, "My parents would kill me… like literally kill me. My mother _hates_ you guys and dad's all protective wolf father type. He would never…"

"What they don't know…"

"I'm an only child. They notice when I'm in the bathroom for too long. They definitely notice if I'm away for…"

"We'll bring you home every night."

Hannah shook her head, "No. I'm sorry… this is too weird…"

"Please, kid…"

"No," Hannah shook her head again. She grabbed the door knob again, ready to turn it.

"We'll come here!" Ben pleaded. "A representative from every family who wants to surface. We'll meet up for lunch or something. You can show us around… Commander Scott's offered us a place to stay in the new city. It'll take a week, max if you help us adapt!"

Hannah opened the door and bolted back inside the shop, without saying another word. Ben took a step forward, ready to chase after her, but he realised that would just force him to take two steps backwards. He'd already chased her away with his begging. He couldn't blame her this time, though. He did sound like a creepy older man.

From the shadows, John limped over, shaking his head. His knee had been patched up, but that never kept him down. He had become a hunter. If he let his injuries get the better of him, he never would have survived six years in a cave.

"You're too easy," he told Ben.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were taking too long."

"Tori said no. I was letting off some steam."

"The kid could have helped."

"She's just a kid!" Ben frowned. "I'm not going to ask her to…"

"And that's why we're not getting results. You don't expect results. If Tim sent me…"

"You're aggressive."

"You're too passive. You like living in the caves. You don't know what it's like for the people who want to break out."

"Didn't you learn your lesson after the whole kidnapping thing?" Ben asked, pointing to John's knee. "Seriously, leave it alone."

"Not until I get my way," John growled. "These people hurt us too. They aren't innocent."

"Being shunned is nothing compared to dying slowly."

"Is it?" John asked. He shoved Ben out of the way, "Let me handle this."

-Afterlife-

Samantha arrived home after her talk with Tori, feeling both enlightened and extremely confused. She had just been told she was supposed to lie to protect her daughter, and then come clean expecting everything to turn out fine. For about five minutes in the car, Sammy had concluded that Tori knew nothing about parenting. But the more she ran the logic through her mind, the more it started to make sense.

When she stepped into her home she noticed it was strangely quiet. Gem and Gemma were supposed to be waiting for her at this time. It was possible that they got held up somewhere, but they were normally on time.

She walked into the kitchen to find herself a snack when she saw Scott sitting at the table alone.

"Where's Engel?" she asked her husband. Scott sighed.

"With Dawn."

"How did she end up there?"

"Screaming, crying, stranger danger, Dawn."

"Stranger danger?" Samantha frowned. "Who did she meet?"

"Me," Scott said. "I was stranger danger. She's never reacted like that before. I know you normally pick her up from school but the change wouldn't throw her off that much."

Scott looked up at his wife, deciding to change the topic, "How was the talk?"

"Confusing. Aunt Tori says congratulations, by the way."

"How was it confusing?" Scott asked. "What did she say?"

"She said Engel would start asking questions when she was ready to know the truth. All we have to do is keep things simple for her now and lie."

"Lie about what?"

"What kind of family we are… who she really is… stuff like that. We've just got to treat this like us having a second child instead of our first biological child."

"Okay, so when should we tell Engel?" Scott asked.

"Maybe when I start to show," Samantha answered him. "If she's acting up, she's probably going through a phase. I don't want to throw something strange into her life."

Scott nodded, "Good thinking. But we'll have to figure out what's bugging her."

"She two, she has temper tantrums. It's not the first and it won't be the last."

"That's what Dawn said," Scott sighed. "Not in those exact words, though. Her words were odd."

"When are we going to tell your dad and my family?" Samantha asked her husband. "I'd rather sooner than later, especially with the whole mom dying thing. This might cheer her up a little."

"Dad'll want to know. He's been waiting for the day he would have a grandson."

"Or daughter," Samantha frowned. Scott laughed and shook his head.

"Military family," he reminded his wife. "We Truman men breed boys."

"We Brooks women breed girls," Samantha laughed.

"We're going to have a hermaphrodite child, aren't we?"

"A half-Angel half-human hermaphrodite child… and we'll still love it."

"Try explaining that to Engel," Scott laughed. Samantha chuckled and shook her head as she walked over to Scott and sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently.

"This baby better pick a sex and stick with it, then," she slapped his shoulder, "Now make me food."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm pregnant with your child and he's making me hungry. Seems only fair you should make me food," Samantha reasoned. Scott groaned.

"Seriously?"

"Dead serious. I want ice cream."

"You're sitting on me. I'll be happy to make it, if you'll get off."

"Well, I'm comfortable. Work it out."

Scott groaned and laughed at the same time as he kissed his wife, "I know understand Flynn's constant complaining."

"So you know what you're in for," Samantha laughed. She opened her mouth, "Insert food here please."

Scott kissed her again, "Better?"

"It'll do… I guess," Samantha smirked. She bit her lip as she looked at her husband, "But unless we eat each other, we'll have to make something to eat soon."

"How about we pick up Engel from Dawn's place and take her out to eat?" Scott suggested. Samantha smiled.

"I like it."


	175. Matters of Life or Death

Scott and Samantha couldn't believe what they were hearing as they stood on Dawn and Dean's doorstep. After the engagement, Dawn decided it would be best to move in with Dean and Emily. She wanted to settle down before actually settling down. Life was great for the two of them, but before they truly made a commitment, they wanted to make sure they were up to the challenge of seeing each other almost 24/7.

Samantha and Scott had stopped by their place to pick up their daughter, thinking Engel would be over her little fit after a visit with her Aunt Dawn, but Dawn was refusing to give up the little girl, and it wasn't a playful _I-love-her-too-much_ tease like Kaylee normally did. It was out of genuine concern for Engel's well-being.

Samantha shook her head and scoffed, "You're kidding me," she said. "This is just a joke… It's funny, you know, because I did this with Hayden and Flynn… you're taking her side, aren't you?"

"What side?" Dawn frowned. She had her hand on the door, holding it open just enough to talk with the parents, but not enough to give them the impression they were allowed inside. "Hayden agrees with you. It was the right thing to do…"

"So give me my daughter back," Samantha growled.

"Gladly," Dawn smiled. Samantha stepped forward and Dawn shook her head, "After you tell me what's happened to make Engel say you hurt her."

"She's two years old, she's throwing a fit! She'll say things without knowing what they really mean…"

"She told me you guys woke her up and you were yelling at each other," Dawn explained. "Then she told me you hurt her, but she refuses to tell me what you did. She doesn't like you anymore and I want to know why there's this sudden change in behaviour."

Samantha rolled her eyes, "You're joking?"

"Wait, are you saying we actually hurt her?" Scott asked. He raised his hand, "Like… this hurt her?"

"I don't know."

"She's got no bruises!" Samantha frowned. "You can't take her away."

"I'm not!" Dawn said. She sighed, "Look. I just want you guys to answer my questions. Maybe if you tell me why you guys were yelling at each other…"

"We were never yelling," Scott breathed, still in shock. He would never lay a hand on his daughter, never mind intentionally cause her to hurt. He couldn't believe he was hearing these accusations against him and Samantha.

"She said this morning," Dawn whispered. She looked at her cousin and Scott, "What were you guys doing this morning?"

"Nothing," Samantha said. "I promise you, Scott and I have never been better, especially as of this morning. As soon as Engel woke up she started acting strange."

"Maybe she just had a nightmare," Scott shrugged.

"I've had kids come in with nightmares," Dawn said, referring to her center. "Engel's nothing like them. When they have nightmares they run to their parents."

"Maybe she had a nightmare about us…"

"Why?" Dawn asked Samantha. "Unless you two actually are fighting in front of Engel, or there's some big change happening in her life that you guys are causing, she shouldn't be running away from you. She seriously hates you guys right now, and I'd rather overanalyse this and look like an idiot, than under analyse it and regret it later on."

"We understand that… can we just see her?" Scott asked. Dawn sighed. She glanced over her shoulder. Engel was keeping Emily company. She had her operation tomorrow and she was both excited and nervous. She was unsure if this would help her problem, considering she was too sure what the problem was, but she was ready to try anything. She had Hayden's assurance that if it was the lack of feeling that was frustrating her, then restoring the feeling in her arm would solve everything. She was excited to finally get her life, and arm, back.

Dawn turned back to Samantha and Scott, "Fine. But I'm staying with you. Emily too."

"Fine by us," Samantha nodded. Dawn opened the door and let her cousin and Scott step inside. The Angel and Commander walked to the living room. Scott knocked gently on the wall, grabbing Engel's attention. As soon as Engel saw her parents she huffed, crossed her arms and turned away from them.

"Away!" she demanded them. Samantha frowned. This was the first time she saw Engel this way. She had noticed odd behaviour in her daughter earlier that morning, but she hadn't seen Engel actually pushing her away.

"Engel, sweetie…"

"NO!" Engel shouted. She turned to her parents, "Not real!"

"She's been saying that," Dawn told Scott and Samantha. "She says she likes me because I think she's real."

"You think we're not real?" Scott asked his step-daughter. Engel shook her head.

"No! Me not real!"

"Why would you think that?" Samantha asked.

Engel crossed her arms again and huffed loudly, "No talk. Hate you."

"You don't hate them," Emily interjected, but Engel shook her head and slapped Emily's arm.

"HATE THEM!" she shouted.

"Engel!" Samantha scolded, grabbing her daughter's hand firmly, "You don't…"

"OUCH!" Engel screamed as soon as her mother grabbed her. Samantha's grip didn't actually hurt at all. She just wanted her mother to let go. Samantha knew this trick very well. Engel had been using it since she could speak. Ouch was one of her first words. She didn't let go. Engel screamed again and with her free hand she went to punch her mother. Samantha caught her other hand, so Engel tried kicking.

Because Samantha was kneeling before the couch, Engel's feet were at the same height as her stomach. One solid blow to the stomach from Engel sent Samantha crashing onto her back as she let go of Engel's arms. Engel jumped up on the couch and looked down at her mother.

"NO BABY!" she shouted before bouncing off the couch and running away.

Scott's eyes widened in sheer terror as Samantha' tried to catch her breath. The Angel laid there, completely stunned and mortified. She was already about two months pregnant and though her baby would be well protected, a blow to the stomach was the exact way her mother had miscarried her. One solid, strong and direct blow to the stomach was strong enough to end her own life.

"Samantha," Scott said, kneeling next to his wife, "Are you…"

Samantha sat up, holding her stomach, "I think…"

Dawn's gaze followed Engel as the two year old climbed the stairs, but she slowly turned back to Samantha and Scott.

"Did she just say baby?"

"Are you pregnant?" Emily asked directly.

"Does Engel know you're pregnant?" Dawn asked. "Did you tell her?"

Samantha shook her head, but the rest of her body was shaking as well. She felt fine, but she wasn't going to be sure until a doctor told her so. She was too afraid history was going to repeat.

Dawn frowned, "You didn't…"

"We just found out," Scott whispered as he tried to sooth his wife. He could tell she was just as scared as he was.

Dawn hissed, finally putting the pieces together. She turned to Emily, "Go to bed."

"But this is so interesting! Your family's better than TV!"

"Bed," Dawn ordered. Emily huffed loudly as she lazily flopped off the couch and dragged herself upstairs. Dawn rolled her eyes at the dramatic display, but ignored it for the time being.

She looked at her cousin, "Are you okay?"

"I don't want to say."

"It's highly unlikely…"

"Odds are in my favour," Samantha snapped. "Did no one ever fill you in on how I died exactly?"

Dawn shook her head, "You're a healer…"

"I can't exactly go up my own crotch and kiss my embryo better, can I?"

Dawn blinked, "I'm disturbed."

She stared at her cousin, trying to get the mental image out of her head before she was going to have to counsel herself. She shook her head.

"Nope… this is… I'm truly disturbed. Even worse, I'm scarred. You've scarred me. I don't want to be baby's Aunt. That's just an impossibly flexible image I'm picturing now and has giving me a very literal meaning of getting your head out of your ass… but this one is just…"

"Can we focus on what's going on?" Scott asked. "I'm going to take Samantha to…"

"Do you not care about what Engel just said?" Dawn frowned. "I realise this may _become_ serious, but how about, before it does, you figure out how Engel found out and what she knows."

"Can you just watch her before we lose two of our kids?" Scott asked. "We'll be back in a little bit to really talk things through and get to the root of all this."

Dawn sighed as she realised that if Samantha's unlikely fear did come true, the baby could be at risk. As much as it would hurt Engel, she was the one who, in this case, could wait a few more hours. "Fine," she whispered.

-Afterlife-

Hannah walked inside Storm Chargers just as her mother was closing up. Kelly had to quickly take off to the basement of the store to make sure everything was ready for stock in the morning. If she didn't have everything lined up properly in the morning, she would spend hours looking for the items that needed to be up on the shelves. This included restocking items that couldn't be done the night before, as well as new items that would only be sold starting from that specific morning.

Hannah was in charge of making sure the store was cleaned properly after the little game she played with her mother, and she was in charge of locking up the store. She glanced around the room quickly to make sure everything was as it should be before she walked over to the front of the store. Just as she touched the lock she felt a pair of hands grab her and throw her into the wall. Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth.

"We're sick of being tossed aside," John growled and he pinned Hannah against the wall. "We deserve help just like everyone else who's asked for it. We have rights, just like you. Until you allow us our rights, we won't give you yours."

Ben hurried over, knowing John was up to no good.

"C'mon!" he groaned when he saw John holding Hannah, "Do you really think she's going to cooperate after this? Hasn't anyone told you the honey and vinegar idiom?"

"Yes, but I don't want flies," John grunted. "I want freedom."

"So you're going to take away hers?"

"Only fair."

Hannah tried to move her arm, but John's grip strengthened, restricting her even more. Hannah couldn't move.

"Spirit of the wolf!"

A large and fierce pink wolf spirit emerged from the door of the back room and ploughed its way through the store until it jumped on John and Hannah, separating the two before standing protectively in front of Hannah as she returned to her feet.

Over by the doorway, Kelly stood, growling just as loudly as her wolf spirit. She had her gaze fixed on Ben and John.

"What the hell?" John shouted as he pushed himself back to his feet, with a little help from Ben. The two stared in shock and awe at the wolf spirit. Her teeth were bare and she showed no signs of giving in, as long as her cub was in danger. Kelly was the same way. Ben was afraid that any movement would cause both mother and wolf to jump in for the attack.

John wasn't as fearful. He was positive that this must have been a trick. Something to scare burglars away. They were living in a new world, so for him, anything was possible. He laughed and stepped closer to Hannah.

"You're going to help us."

"Get away from my daughter," Kelly said as the wolf's growls grew louder. John shook his head and smirked.

"Please. I could easily…"

The wolf jumped forward and snapped at John. Because she was only a spirit, and Kelly wasn't as strong as she should be, the teeth of her wolf didn't penetrate John at all, they simply passed through him. They did, however, cause him intense pain, just like if he was actually being bitten by a wolf.

"Mom!" Hannah shouted; her eyes wide. Kelly turned to her daughter and nodded slowly. Her wolf spirit took a step back before suddenly fading.

Kelly walked over to Ben and John and pointed to the door, "Get out."

"Not without your daughter," John smirked, holding his chest, where it felt like he had been bitten by the wolf. Kelly grabbed him by the shirt and threw him against the wall.

"You have five seconds before I let Hannah unleash her wolf," she growled. "Trust me when I say this one does bite."

Kelly let go of John and shoved him in the direction of the door, "One!"

Ben grabbed John's arm, "C'mon. There are other people we can ask. _Nicely_."

"Two!"

"Screw them," John said, shaking his head again. "Those other people won't listen to a work we'd have to say…"

"And you wonder why?" Ben frowned. "The Commander won't help us once he finds out you attacked a kid!"

"Three!"

"C'mon, man!" Ben insisted, tugging John's arm. John pulled back before finally losing it. He threw Ben at Kelly and turned to the door, locking it up. As Kelly scrambled to get Ben off her and get back to her feet, John grabbed Hannah and pulled her in closer, wrapping his arm around her neck. Hannah gasped for breath.

"Let her go."

"If either of you make one move I'll snap her neck," John threatened.


	176. Heartache

Kelly's stomach turned as she stood completely still, hoping an idea to save her daughter would flash quickly.

Hannah struggled to breathe but tried to keep herself calm. She knew that is John did kill her he would lose his only bargaining tool. It wasn't like her mother would ever listen to him if he did kill her. She used that belief to keep herself from completely freaking out.

Ben grabbed Kelly's arm, pulling her back as he stepped forward, "Okay, John, that's enough. Let her go…"

"I want my freedom," John growled. "I don't want to wander the streets like some kind of monster because of something I wasn't responsible for," he turned to Kelly, "You know, not all of us Underwater people knew what was happening to your sweet little Commander. Tim was in charge, and the people responsible for killing her are dead because of those real freaks!"

"I don't care…" Kelly started until she saw John's grip on Hannah tightened. She was silenced out of fear of losing her daughter.

Ben continued to look at John, "If you kill her you will be the monster everyone thinks we are," he said. "You'll never be allowed in this city. She's the commander's niece!"

"She's my daughter," Kelly added.

"C'mon, Johnny," Ben said, "There are other ways to do this."

John held his gaze on Ben and Kelly as he contemplated Ben's words. His grip loosened slightly before he realised there was no going back. Kelly hated him before he'd done this. There was no way she's forgive him now. And, because Hannah was the Commander's niece that meant Kelly had connections and power. Her opinion could be the opinion of the city. He no longer had anything to lose, or gain.

He went to tighten his grip again and finally deal with his frustration, but the few seconds he'd given Hannah were enough for her to spin around in his hold and face him. When his grip tightened, it was on the back of her neck, but Hannah's hands were now free to do as she wished. She pressed her hands into his stomach, grabbing him by the sides and digging her thumbs in while she lifted her right knee and smashed it into John's right knee. It was already supposed to make him tumble, but John's right knee was still weak from when Ziggy crushed it.

John crashed to the ground with a howl as he grabbed his knee. Hannah could finally breathe again normally as she took a step backwards and glared at John.

"Get out," she growled.

"He's not getting away again," Ben said. He looked at Kelly, "Where's the phone and what's the number for the military?"

Kelly turned to Ben before pointing to the counter, "Same as always. 9-1-1"

-Afterlife-

Leanne rubbed her temples, "Do you want to see the results for yourself?"

Samantha nodded her head yes as her hands rested on her stomach. Leanne had told her and Scott time and time again that's she was pregnant, but they refused to believe it. They were still scared the worst was going to happen.

Leanne handed her niece and nephew in-law her clipboard, "Knock yourselves out."

She sighed in relief when she saw a patient coming into the emergency department. This meant she could get away from Scott and Samantha for the time being.

She wasn't so please though when she recognised the face coming in, as well as the military escort.

"What do we have?" she asked.

Ben helped John onto the bed, "He broke his knee… again."

"How?"

Ben glared at John, "He was being stupid."

"I was getting what I wanted."

"You can't always get what you want," Leanne told John as she examined his knee. "For instance, I want to pour the hospital's supply of pills down your throat and watch you suffer, but I unfortunately, I took an oath. I can't do harm."

"Says the doctor trained to kill in the way of the Thunder Ninja," Samantha called from her bed. Leanne turned to her niece.

"You hush up or get out. You're fine and the baby's fine."

"The baby…"

"Go near any baby again and I will break my oath," Leanne threatened, grabbing John by the collar. "I heard all about your little stunt with Adeline. Believe me, if there was another doctor on the floor right now, I would turn my back to you and walk off."

Leanne wrote up her notes on the clipboard before passing them to the nurse, "I'll be back to check up on you in a little bit."

-Afterlife-

Dani hung up the phone with a huff, "Screw my family. Do you want them?"

"Married into it," Flynn laughed as he looked up from his dinner. "What happened?"

"Hannah called in sick. Apparently she was attacked or something. Like that doesn't happen every day…"

"It doesn't."

Dani frowned, "I don't like to speak ill of red heads, but her mother's temper can sometimes match her hair colour."

Flynn laughed and shook his head, "I hate to break it to you, Dan, but you _are_ a red head."

Dani gasped as she grabbed a handful of her hair, "What? Are you… Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Flynn chuckled, "Why does it bother you that Hannah's called in sick. You're not even working tomorrow. You got her to co…"

"How many people do we need to run this garage?" Dani frowned, crossing her arms. "It takes two."

"Actually, it takes one. You sit on that stool all day."

"It's called supervising," Dani said. "And what would you have done if I hadn't been supervising that time you hammered your thumb."

"Gotten myself a power ranger band-aid."

"Nerds!" Greg coughed as he walked in, finally home from a late day at work. He glanced at Flynn, "What are you still doing here?"

"Finishing up," Flynn said, "then feeding the dog."

"My shift!" Dani called after him as Flynn got out of his seat and started walking to the back rooms.

Greg kissed Dani, "I'm going to get changed. Have you had dinner?"

Dani blinked, "Do you remember what I told you about me being a domestic wife? Not going to happen. If you and Flynn chose not to cook, I would starve to death in a matter of days."

"I'll be back and I'll start on dinner," Greg laughed.

-Afterlife-

Dawn opened the door, "So?"

"I'm pregnant," Samantha answered.

"Told you," Dawn said knowingly as she invited her cousin and Scott inside. Scott couldn't help but notice Dawn giving him a look as he walked by. "Both girls are asleep, I'm afraid."

"You don't want us to talk to Engel, do you?" Scott asked. Dawn shrugged as she took their coats.

"I do… but… the kid just tried to murder her little sibling. She might not be ready."

"Heard the saying: ready or not?" Samantha said. "It's coming, either way. I just want Engel to know she's still my little girl, no matter what. But she'll have to learn to share."

"She's spoiled," Dawn laughed. "She's got four parents, two of everything, and suddenly you expect her to share? It's bad enough she'll have to share half her parents, but Mike's going to be Uncle Mike to that little thing. He'll be part of its life."

"I know it doesn't have a gender, but can you please not call our baby an it?" Scott frowned. "It may not look it, but it's a human being."

"But if I pick a gender and it's the opposite… that's just rude."

"We like to think of it as a Hermaphrodite Angel Human," Samantha laughed. "Just to make sure we've got everything covered."

"I'll call it Scam," Dawn reasoned.

"Scam?"

"Scott and Sam," Dawn smiled. "Scam. It's perfect."

"Where's Engel sleeping?" Scott asked, growing tired of Dawn's antics. It was probably too late in the night to wake her up and talk to her about an important matter, but it was best if they got home before the crack of dawn.

"She's in Dean's and my bed," Dawn said, pointing up the stairs, "First door."

Samantha touched Scott's arm, "I'll get her."

"But don't you have to watch what you…"

"I've been lifting her for two years, and she weighs the same as your hair," Samantha laughed, poking the hair on Scott's head. "Baby and I will be fine."

"Scam," Dawn giggled.

Scott turned and growled. Dawn zipped her lips and held back her laughter as Samantha went to collect her daughter. When the Angel was out of earshot, Dawn turned to Scott with a pointed look.

"If you ever…"

"Whoa," Scott said, backing away with his hands up, "What's with the sudden…"

"Engel told me what you said before she fell asleep. She was too tired to remember she was keeping secrets."

"What? You know what's going…"

"Samantha's not at fault… not totally. You are!"

"Excuse me?"

"Why the hell would you think Engel's not your real daughter?"

"What?"

"_I'm going to be a real dad!" _Dawn mocked, doing her best impression of Scott's voice in a high pitch tone. _"I love Engel, but screw her; I'm going to have a real baby."_

"I never said that," Scott frowned.

"Does it matter? She's two! That's what she hears! You can't go blabbing on about how you're not her real dad."

"I'm not… no one is…"

"SHH!" Dawn hushed loudly, covering Scott's mouth as she made sure Engel wasn't in earshot. "You're just as real a dad to her as your father is to you. If I ever hear you say otherwise I'm going to ring your neck in a way that would make T15 wish she had my kind of evilness cloned inside of her!"

"Okay… okay…" Scott said. "But, you know I didn't mean that."

"I know you love her… but if you ever hurt my niece again I swear to god I'm going to do terrible things to you."

"I got it," Scott said. Dawn glared for a moment before shaking her head.

"Don't tell me, tell Engel. And if this ever happens again…"

"I know, I know… Boy, you're tough."

"I'm just protective. I've seen a lot of blended families with parents who remarried after the Venjix and a lot of the steps kept thinking they weren't really parents and didn't act like it. It's only been about a year since I've started the center, but I've seen kids go from bad to worse."

"How many patients do you have?"

"No idea, but the number I have is the number too many," Dawn said. "Don't make me open my doors to cases unrelated to the Venjix and it's after-effects on life."

"I won't. I love Engel. She is my daughter and she always will be. No matter what happens between me and her, or even me and Samantha."

"Good," Dawn smiled.

-Afterlife-

The garage wasn't well lit at night, even with the lights turned on. There was generally no one working overnights so Dani and Flynn didn't see a reason to pay for extra lighting. During the day, the sun and the little lighting that had was more than enough, especially considering they needed special lights to see under the vehicles or to look in the engine.

Dani was just putting the paper away, able to see what she was doing, but she was mostly working by memory. Every night since she and Greg moved into the garage she had taken care of the clean up and organizing. She had fallen into a routine. As she packed the papers away she heard a door close from down the hallway and she smiled.

She skipped over to meet with Greg, hoping to give him a little spook via surprise kiss. It was a game she played with him a lot in the darkness of the garage, usually when one of them would wake up in the middle of the night for a snack and the other would sneak out of bed and follow.

Just as the Ranger rounded the corner, Dani grabbed him and planted a kiss on his lips. It only lasted a few moments before he pushed her away.

"Dani! What in the…"

"Accent…" Dani muttered. Her eyes grew very wide, very slowly when she realised that wasn't Greg. "FLYNN!"

"Dani!" Flynn frowned. He turned to the wall, searching for a light. "What was that?"

"I thought… Greg said he was coming… oh no…"

"Did you forget I was feeding the dog?" Flynn asked her.

"Oh no…" Dani repeated. She started chewing her fingernails. "I'm screwed. I'm screwed. I am so… so screwed. I just kissed my cousin's husband. I am a married woman who kissed my cousin's boyfriend."

"Yeah, you did."

Dani frowned. She realised this was her fault, but she didn't expect Flynn to agree so quickly, "Excuse me? It wasn't like you pulled away the moment it happened. Either you liked it, or you're suddenly gay?"

"What?"

"Well, there are only two other people in this house: me and Greg. So you either knew it was me and thought, 'hey, she kissed me first', or you thought I was Greg, in which case you wanted to experiment and…"

Dani punched him in the arm, "I do not have a man's body!"

Flynn rubbed his arm, "No… you don't. You have a man's punch though."

Greg finally came out from the bedroom, a moment too late. He smiled when he saw Flynn and Dani, unaware they were both signalling to each other to keep quiet.

"Frozen pizza or leftovers?" Greg asked. "I don't feel like slaving over a stove."

"Pizza," Dani answered, almost immediately. The frozen pizzas were in the freezer in the back room. Greg would have to leave for a moment.

"Got it," he smiled. "Goodnight, Flynn."

"Night," Flynn nodded, trying to act cool. Greg bought it, but Dani could see right through the act. When Greg was gone she shook her head and scoffed.

"Great, you're foreign and you're a terrible actor! He knows… he totally knows."

"Relax," Flynn told her. "He wouldn't have a clue. I say we pretend this never happened. It meant nothing, right?"

"This isn't going to work…"

"It meant nothing."

"To me. You didn't push away! And my reason is valid: you and Greg have the same kiss."

"It meant nothing," Flynn repeatedly firmly. "So we don't have to tell anyone. It's not like we want it to happen again."

"Definitely not," Dani shook her head. "It tastes like…" Dani licked her lips, "ugh… I don't know how Hayden does it."

The two Rangers heard Greg's footsteps coming back. Dani quickly shoved Flynn to the door.

"Not a word!" she told him before kicking him out. She closed the door and let out a sigh. They didn't have to say anything. It wasn't like they purposely wanted to kiss each other. And Flynn was right, it meant nothing. She loved Greg, he loved Hayden.

And she was sure if she told Greg the truth anyways he would understand. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, even though he kept trying to tell her otherwise. There was no need to put him through all that. And then he would worry that it might happen again – when it obviously wasn't.

Not telling him. That was the way to go. It would save a lot of heartache.


	177. One Kiss

Engel was getting herself dressed for school, finding her favourite shirt and skirt. Normally her mother helped her, but Engel didn't need her parents. She was still very mad at them.

As she pulled her shirt over her head (backwards, unfortunately), Samantha walked in, thinking she was coming in to wake up her daughter. She was surprise to see Engel getting dressed and a pile of clothes on the floor.

"Someone's been busy," she laughed, trying to keep the mood light while she fixed her daughter's shirt. Engel pulled away, finishing up the job.

"Away," she said. "Me do myself. No help."

"Do you want to drive the car to school too?" Samantha laughed. Engel frowned.

"Walk."

Samantha chuckled as she picked up her daughter and carried her back to the bed. Scott walked in at this moment. Engel's mood when from sour to bitter when she saw her step-father. She crossed her arms and tried to escape her mother's lap. Samantha held her.

"We want to talk, baby girl," Samantha told her. "We want to talk to you about the new baby."

Engel shook her head, "No like. Take back."

"You'll like the…" Scott started but Samantha interrupted. While Scott was getting ready for work (he had to do so quickly so he and Samantha could talk to Engel before he left), she had read the later chapters in the parenting book her parents had given her when she first adopted Engel. She went straight to the chapters that discussed adding another child to the family. She understood that the best thing to do was accept Engel's feeling towards the baby but reassure her that her life wasn't going to change completely and the changes that would be made would be made slowly and they would all tackle as a family.

"You're allowed to hate the baby," Samantha told Engel. The two year old looked up, almost in surprise. Scott's face clearly showed that he was surprised.

"She can?"

"You hate baby too?" Engel asked.

Samantha shook her head, "No. Mommy doesn't hate the baby. I love baby just like I love you. But you don't have to like him."

"Me no like. Take back," Engel said. She went to push on her mother's stomach, thinking it would push the baby away. Samantha removed her hands.

"Engel, you're going to have a little brother or sister in a few months. It'll be a little baby, just like baby Addie and Joey, but this one will be all yours."

"Mine?" Engel asked. Samantha nodded.

"_Your _little baby," she smiled. "And me and Scotty are going to take care of baby."

Engel shook her head, "No. Take care me."

"A baby is a lot of work, Engel," Scott said. "They need someone to do everything for them."

"Useless," Engel stated. "Take back."

"We can't take him back," Samantha said. She hugged her daughter, "But baby is a good thing. When the baby comes, you'll be a big sister!"

"No."

"Yes," Scott nodded. "You'll be a very big girl. You'll be a lot of help for me and mommy. Will you help us take care of baby?"

"No. No want help. Baby take you."

Samantha shook her head, "You're special, Engel," she told her daughter, brushing her blonde hair behind her shoulders, "You're a very special little girl. Mommy and Scottie can have a hundred kids, and you'll still be the most special."

"Me better than baby," Engel smiled proudly. Samantha laughed.

"I wouldn't say that, but this baby will never take your place, okay? You, me, Scotty, daddy and Nessie will still be one big family, and we'll still spend a lot of time together, okay?"

"Picnic?" Engel asked.

Scott turned to Samantha and shrugged, "Why not? They come home soon."

Samantha bit her lip as she thought. The only way she would really bring Engel around would be if she felt important to her family, and she had the perfect way of introducing a new child into Engel's life, thanks to the picnic idea.

"I like it," she smiled. "We'll all have a picnic to celebrate the new baby."

Engel frowned, "No… me picnic."

"You'll be in charge. Wherever, whenever and whatever," Samantha said excitedly. "You're the boss, Angel."

"CANDY!"

Scott shook his head. Engel was a little devil when she had too much sugar. Samantha ignored his concerns completely.

"Yes, we can have candy."

Engel smiled, "Lots?"

"We'll see."

Scott groaned until Samantha tapped his arm. He looked at Engel with a smile, "Not too much."

"How about we get a present for baby?" Samantha asked her daughter. "You can pick it out."

"Me present?"

"No, present for baby. A teddy bear or a baby toy, just for your little brother or sister."

"Dolly!"

Scott frowned as he whispered to Samantha, "My son is not getting a doll."

Samantha laughed, "She wants to get him a dolly. And who says it's a boy?"

"It's a Truman! There has never been a woman who was born with the name Truman."

Engel tilted her head, "Toman?"

Scott laughed, "My last name."

"Name Scotty," Engel told him. "And me get baby dolly!"

Samantha whispered to Scott, "She's accepting the baby."

"I give it five minutes," Scott smirked. He kissed Engel, "I've got to go to work now. When I get home we'll go picnic shopping."

"Scotty!" Engel called as her step-father got up. Scott turned with a smile. Engel smiled back, "Still love me with baby?"

Scott nodded. He walked back to Engel and whispered in her ear, "I love you more than mommy does, but shh, okay?"

Engel giggled. Scotty's breath tickled her ear. When Scott pulled away he held his finger up against his lips.

"Shh."

Engel nodded and covered her mouth, her smile still visible behind her hand. Scott kissed her again before leaving.

Samantha looked at Engel, "What did he say."

"Secret," Engel said. She crawled off the bed and walked to her drawing table. She grabbed papers and crayons, "I make list for baby picnic."

Samantha nodded, "You're the boss!"

-Afterlife-

Flynn woke up feeling lousy. He hadn't slept well at all once he got home, and it wasn't because Adeline kept waking him and Hayden up. He couldn't stop playing the kiss over and over in his head. It was just an accident and meant absolutely nothing to him (the more he thought about it, the more disgusted he was), but it was still something that wouldn't just disappear.

He walked to the kitchen with only one thought on his mind. His choice the night before was wrong. Even if the kiss meant nothing, Hayden had the right to know what happened. She had the right to know that he had kissed (been kissed, but that doesn't really change matters) her cousin, and she had to right to know that he didn't pull away the moment it happened. He didn't want to risk hurting her, but it was better she hear it from him than someone who might get the facts wrong.

Hayden was playing with Adeline, holding her on her lap as she made funny faces at her daughter, looking for a smile. Adeline didn't seem to be in the mood today, as her face remained neutral. Hayden continued to try until she saw Flynn coming in. Brightly, she flashed him a warm smile.

"I made you breakfast," she said. "It's still warm. You have time to eat before you go to work, right?"

Flynn pulled up a chair and sat down so he was facing Hayden. She noticed the strange look on his face.

"Addie didn't keep you up all night, did she?" Hayden asked him. "You look tired."

"Addie didn't, no," Flynn said. "I need to tell you something, Hayden."

Hayden's face looked serious as she turned her gaze to her husband, "What is it?"

"Last night at work… something happened."

"Are you okay?' Hayden rushed out. "Is Dani okay?"

"We're fine, Hayden," Flynn said. He reached over, taking Adeline so he could hold her. "I was feeding the dog when Greg got home and… I don't know how it happened but…"

"Did Braveheart attack Greg?" Hayden asked. "They don't seem to get along…"

"No, Hayden," Flynn said, frustrated Hayden kept interrupting him. Hayden shut her mouth and listened. Flynn took a deep breath, "Dani thought I was Greg and she kissed me."

Hayden blinked. For a moment, Flynn thought she hadn't heard him properly, but he wasn't going to question it just yet. If Hayden was in a good mood, she may be more forgiving for the rest of the story.

"That's funny," she giggled. "I can't say I didn't see that mistake coming."

"You… you expected it?"

"Well, I expected something weird," Hayden laughed. "Greg's living there now, and I'm always coming in, at any time of the day."

"You're not mad?" Flynn asked. Hayden shook her head.

"Of course not? It's not like it would have meant anything, right? And, I mean, it probably wasn't much of a kiss. You probably didn't let it get past lips brushing together, right?"

Flynn went to correct her but found he couldn't get the words out. He lowered his head, averting his gaze away from Hayden. Hayden's amused laughter died slowly as she noticed his reaction.

"You did pull away, right…"

"I didn't let it go for too long," Flynn said.

"You pulled away as soon as you realised, right?"

Flynn didn't say anything. He looked down at his daughter. Anything to distract him.

"How long did it last?" Hayden asked after the silence. "A second? Two?"

"About a moment… however long that is," Flynn said. He finally looked back up, "Once it sunk in that it was wrong I pulled…"

"Once it sunk in?" Hayden asked in disbelief. "You mean there was a point where everything felt okay?"

"No… no, not at all…" Flynn took his wife's hand, "I know its cliché, but it meant nothing. I feel nothing for Dani. I didn't sleep last night because I felt so guilty. It just happened… I made a mistake and…"

"At least you told the truth," Hayden said, but her tone told Flynn it wasn't sincere. "You can't be blamed because you came clean."

"You deserved to know," Flynn said. "You can be mad at me for however long you like! I don't care."

"You probably didn't."

Flynn got down on his knees. It was a little hard with the baby in his arms, but he was ready to do anything.

"I love you," he said to Hayden. "I know this hurts but it really did mean nothing. I could kiss a thousand beautiful women and it would all mean nothing because they aren't you. You're the only one I want. The only one I want to come home to."

Hayden looked down at Flynn. That was cute, and beautiful, but her instinct told her to be mad.

Flynn placed his free hand on her leg, "I love _you_, Hayden. Only you. That kiss was awkward and weird and… to be honest, not very good. I don't know who taught Dani how to kiss, but they did a terrible job."

Hayden had to laugh at that. Flynn was happy to see her smiling.

"Are you mad?" he asked. Hayden shrugged.

"A little hurt…"

"You don't have to be," Flynn told her. "It won't ever happen again. I can promise you, I won't ever hesitate to push anyone away, and you can know I'll be honest with that because I won't let anyone but you near me."

Hayden wiped her eyes, before the tears had their chance to fall. She got on her knees and hugged her husband.

"I trust you. Thanks for telling me."

Flynn hugged her back and sighed in relief. As he and Hayden parted, he looked at his daughter.

"Did you see that?" he asked her. "Daddy almost lost her."

"Not even close," Hayden smiled. "It was just an accident, right?"

"Definitely."

-Afterlife-

Like Flynn, Dani didn't get much sleep either. She had spent the entire night thinking about the kiss, but her thoughts weren't so focused on guilt. They were mostly centered on curiosity.

She was in love with Greg. She loved him more than anyone and anything else and she would go to the ends of the world for him, but that had always been the case. Even before he left for Alphabet Soup, she and Greg had always been a pair. He was her first love and her only love. The only man she had ever loved.

But she was eighteen years old (almost nineteen) and she was already tied down. She had really dated anyone except Greg, and if she had kissed another man, she couldn't remember what it was like. Though Greg was the only man for her, she wondered what it was like to get out in the world and date. What other men were like and how they would treat her.

Greg sat on the other end of the breakfast table, looking happy as ever as he read his newspaper and held his coffee in his hand. He suddenly turned the paper around and pointed to a headline.

"Look at that," he said, snapping his wife from her daydreams, "An underwater ended up in ER last night with a broken knee. Apparently he got it when Hannah beat him up."

Dani frowned, "What?" She grabbed the paper. Greg smiled.

"Yeah. His name is John or something… He stormed into Storm Chargers and demanded Hannah teach him and his people about life on the surface world. When Hannah and Kelly said no, he threatened to kill Hannah. Must be why she called in sick today."

Dani nodded, "Must be."

Greg continued, "You'll never guess who his doctor was."

"My dad?" Dani answered, her response was automatic. She was hardly paying attention. All she heard was doctor and her thoughts jumped to her father.

"Leanne," Greg corrected her. "Thankfully it was, too. While a nurse was putting on his cast apparently she bumped his knee. He thought it was a jab at him and his people and that she was being careless because of who he was and he flipped out. He nearly took her head off until Leanne ripped him off her and pinned him down until he calmed down. He was already arrested for threatening Hannah, but Tim's heard about this and he's decided to take action."

"That's great…"

"It doesn't say what he plans on doing, but I hope this means we're all going to come up with a solution. These guys don't deserve the treatment they're getting. Well, John does, but he brought that on himself."

"Yeah."

Greg frowned. His conversation with Dani wasn't what he thought it would be. He understood that she was still upset the underwater people poisoned her Aunt, but he thought she would at least be interested in this story. He put his spoon down in his bowl and looked at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Dani got up from her seat, "I'm fine. I'm just… not happy Hannah called in sick."

"She has her reasons, "Greg said, grabbing the paper again to finish reading.

"Yeah, but… Now I've got to run to the store and pick up a few things. Hannah was supposed to do it on her way here."

Greg frowned but let her go. He was sure she had just picked up new equipment and tools recently, but he was no mechanical expert. That was one area where Dani knew more than him. He trusted her judgement. "Have fun."

Dani hurried out of the garage and closed the door, breathing heavily. She couldn't understand herself. She had been in there, alone with the man of her dreams, and while he was talking, she couldn't pay attention.

She had been thinking about the 'what ifs'. She'd started her thoughts with Flynn, given he was the one she had kissed. She imagined what it might have been like to date him. From there, her thoughts strayed to imaginary men. She started making up people and picture herself with them. She'd created a whole new life with one imaginary man while her husband sat there talking to her.

She was confused. She thought she loved Greg, but she was starting to feel like she was missing out. Did she really love him? If she did, was she sure it was love she was feeling? She had never been with anyone else. She had nothing to compare it to. She couldn't tell if this was really real.


	178. Dani's Big Mistake

Dani loaded her bags into the car. She hadn't needed to go to the store, but she didn't want to lie to Greg so she had picked up a few things. As she reached up to grab the trunk and slam it shut a man, about her age, approached her and grabbed her shopping cart.

"Do you mind?" he asked her kindly. Dani turned to him and a smile appeared in his face. She shook her head.

"I'm done, go for it," she said. The man took the cart with both hands and started pushing while Dani closed the trunk of her car. She turned around, pulling the keys from her coat pocket when she noticed the man was struggling to get the cart across the parking lot. She chuckled slightly and ran over to him. She grabbed the cart and kicked the left wheel.

"It sticks sometimes," she told him. "You've just got to give it a good kick and don't knock down the display on aisle four. The employees at this store don't like when you spill everything… twice."

"Gotcha," the man laughed. He extended his naked hand. Dani held out her gloved one and shook his hand. "I'm Bryce."

"Daniela," Dani smiled. Bryce looked down at her hand. His were freezing cold. It was almost December and the weather was really starting to drop. He had seen some flurries falling this morning but didn't own a pair of gloves yet.

He pointed to the gloves, "Where did you get those?" he asked her.

"My Aunt knit them," Dani answered. "She just does a bit of teaching and sometimes helps out in a restaurant if she's in Corinth. The rest of the time she's bored stiff. I've got a matching hat and scarf back home."

Bryce smirked as he leaned forward on the handlebars of the cart, "So, tell me, Daniela, are you always so boring, or if your wardrobe filled with other colours aside from a shiny grey and yellow."

"Silver," Dani responded automatically, "And yes, sometimes I do liven things up. The hat is silver and green."

Bryce laughed, "Oh, so daring."

"Hey, I can guarantee I'm a lot more interesting than most other people you'll ever meet in your life. Unless you've been living in a rock, or underwater, you'll know why I wear silver."

"Yawn!" Bryce laughed while faking a yawn. Dani chuckled and smacked his arm.

"Hey! I also work in a Garage and once my mom opens the stadium I'll be a full time racer! What's more exciting than that?"

"You work in a garage?" Bryce asked. He reached into his jacket, "So you're like, all mechanically smart and what not, right?"

"Uh, smart's not really an adjective used to describe me… but I have talents, yeah," Dani said. Bryce handed her the paper.

"Doesn't matter. I've got to a project for one of my college classes to build a car engine. It's got to be done before the end of the year, but I want to get all the parts now before I spend all my money on Christmas presents. I've got a list of stuff to buy, but I've got no idea what some of this stuff looks like."

Dani took a look at the list. She knew all the parts he was looking for. She had the exact same list back home.

"Professor O'Donnell's class, right?" Dani asked him. "I'm in his class too. I sit right up front and keep my eyes on the board."

"So you know what I mean when I tell you I don't understand what the hell's going on."

"Seriously?" Dani laughed. "That class is easy."

She took the cart from Bryce, kicked the left wheel and started pushing it back in the direction of the store, "I'll help you find this stuff and then maybe you can come to the garage and have a look at the engine I'm working on. It's charred at the moment, but I'm going to repair it soon. My hand's still a little sore from when I burned it."

"Sounds good," Bryce smiled.

-Afterlife-

Engel lifted the grocery bag as high as she could, helping her mother load everything onto the counter so they could start cooking meals for their picnic. Of course, Engel had come home with every kinda of candy imaginable, which Samantha tried to keep the meals somewhat healthy.

Scott was pounding his head against the wall, hoping death would arrive before the dreaded picnic, where they were intentionally going to stuff a two year old with sugar and unleash her into the world.

Engel stood on a chair as she pulled the groceries out of the bag. She furrowed her brow when she noticed her mother had bought apples. She held up the bag and turned to her mom.

"No," she told her. "Yucky."

Samantha took the bag from her daughter and set it on the counter, "I was going to make candy apples."

Engel shook her head, "No."

"They'll be yummy," Samantha assured her daughter. "I promise. And you can help me make them."

"Candy only," Engel insisted. Scott decided to help. Anything that wasn't pure sugar was good with him. At least candy apples had something nutritious, even if the candy did spoil everything.

"You don't even taste the apple," he told his step-daughter. "All you taste is yummy candy, promise."

Engel pointed her finger at him, "You better," she said. "This my picnic."

"Your picnic for baby, right?" Scott asked while he started helping with the unloading. Engel nodded her head.

"Yeah. Baby."

Scott smiled before pulling out a stuffed toy from the bag. He sighed deeply. It was Engel's present to her little brother or sister and once he and Samantha pulled Engel's old crib up from the basement, it was going to be the first toy to be placed inside. That made Engel very happy. She got to be the very first person to give the baby a present. Scott just wished it was a more gender neutral bear, in case he was right about the sex.

The bear was a light brown colour, but it had a pink bow attached to both ears and it was wearing a pink dress with a unicorn on the front. Samantha had told Scott that those accessories were removable and if the baby was a boy they could probably convince Engel to buy a pair of pants and a shirt for the bear. But until they knew the gender for sure, they were going to keep Engel happy.

It was also best to keep the attitude about the new baby as positive as possible. If Engel was happy and felt like she was contributing to the preparation and care of the child, she would be more willing to accept the baby in her life. Scott didn't want to discourage that.

But he didn't want his son walking around cuddling a girly teddy bear.

Engel pulled the bear away from Scott when she saw he had been staring at it for too long.

"Not yours," she told him. "For baby."

She hugged the bear close to her chest and glared at Scott until he got back to work. Scott rolled his eyes and grabbed the bag of flour.

"Did we have to buy so much?" he asked, lifting the bag that weighed almost as much as Engel did. "It's ridiculous."

"I might get into a baking mood," Samantha shrugged. "And Engel wants to make cookies and cupcakes."

"And we'll give her everything she wants?"

"For the picnic, yes."

"At this rate, she'll rule the world by the time she's six."

Samantha laughed, "It runs in the family. My mom, my sister, you…"

"To be fair, your sister failed," Scott pointed out. Samantha frowned and glared until she heard the doorbell. She motioned for Scott to continue helping Engel while she went to answer it.

Engel looked up at Scott, "I get sister like mommy?"

Scott shrugged, "You might get a brother, like mommy _and_ me."

"You no have brother," Engel stated.

"I had a brother."

"No."

Scott frowned, "Yes."

Engel shook her head, "No."

"I did," Scott insisted. "His name was Marcus. He was my big brother."

Engel crossed her arms and glared at Scott, "Not nice to lie."

"You never met him."

"Not real."

"He was real. He died before you were born."

"Can't die," Engel said. "Imagination."

Scott laughed. He couldn't believe he was arguing over this with Engel. "I had a brother."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Engel, I am not lying, I did have a big brother. You can ask Grandpa Mason."

Engel continued to shake her head and her arms were still crossed. Her little sibling's bear was wrapped in her arms.

"No."

Samantha walked back into the kitchen and noticed her husband and daughter were glaring at each other. Scott's look seemed amused and irritated, while Engel was dead serious.

"What did I miss?" she asked, putting papers down on the counter.

"Engel and I were just…"

"Scotty a liar," Engel interrupted. She put the bear down and hopped off her chair. She walked to Scott and tapped his butt. "Bad Scotty."

Scott rolled his eyes as Engel left the room. He turned to Samantha, "We were arguing about Marcus. She didn't believe."

"Of course not. See no uncle, hear about no uncle…. There is no uncle."

Scott took a deep breath and went back to pulling out the groceries. He frowned when he noticed Samantha had purchased a red and white chequered blanket.

"Really?" he laughed as he pulled it out.

Samantha shrugged, "It's a picnic."

-Afterlife-

It wasn't a busy day at the garage, so as it turned out, Dani got the afternoon off. Flynn figured he could handle finishing up the rest of the day by himself so he let his red headed friend and her school-mate head into the back rooms to work on their project.

It had started off as work, but Dani's need to feel true love was starting to weigh on her mind. She never doubted that what she had was special, but she felt like she was being restrained because she had gotten married so young.

So, when Bryce started flirting, Dani didn't steer him away. She welcomed it, in fact, and started flirting back. Before she knew it, Dani and Bryce were on the bed, making out, and his hand was slowly creeping up her shirt.

Moments before, Dani would have pushed him away, but in the moment itself, Dani felt like she liked what was happening. It was nice to feel new hands touching her and loving her.

Before she knew it, Bryce had pulled off her shirt and the kiss deepened. He pushed her down onto the bed, ripped his own shirt off and kicked away his pants. Dani stopped for a moment, placing her hands on his chest.

"Bryce…"

Bryce pushed back, initiating another kiss, "What?"

"Maybe we should get back to work," Dani said. Bryce grabbed her hands gently and pushed them down on the bed, over her head. He kissed her again.

"After this," he whispered, "Quick and easy, before the Scottish guy comes back."

Dani nodded and smiled, allowing him to get his way, and allowing her to explore a new relationship.

Halfway through Dani started to feel something in her stomach. Something which didn't feel right. She stopped what she was doing and pushed Bryce away. Bryce rolled over in the bed and looked at Dani.

"What?" he asked her. Dani didn't say anything. She wrapped the sheets around herself and walked to her desk chair, where she had thrown her jacket and gloves. She knew something felt wrong as she reached into her left glove and pulled out her wedding ring. She hadn't noticed it had fallen off until this very moment. She slid it back on her finger and turned to Bryce.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I can't."

Bryce spotted the ring on her finger and looked up at her, "You're kidding me…"

Dani shook her head, "I'm sorry."

Fuming, Bryce jumped out of bed and slipped his pants back on. He grabbed his shirt and the jacket that had been tossed away carelessly on the floor.

Dani quickly got dressed as Bryce gathered his things. He threw his jacket on and shoved his shirt and all his tools for his engine in the shopping bag. Dani watched him leave, horrified at what she had done.

Bryce stormed into the garage as Flynn was walking back to the counter after saying goodbye to a customer. The angry man shoved Flynn.

"Learn to train that bitch!" he shouted at the blue Ranger before leaving. Flynn furrowed his brow and watched curiously as Bryce left. When he heard Dani stepping into the garage he turned to her and noticed she looked completely defeated.

"Dani…?" he called. Dani shook her head and started to sob. She couldn't erase what she had done. If Greg ever found out it would completely devastate him, and in the process of breaking her husband's heart, she had also hurt Bryce.

Flynn walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Dani? What happened?"

Dani didn't say anything.

Concerned, Flynn tried to get her to look up again, "Did he hurt you?"

Dani shook her head gently, almost fearfully. Flynn was worried about her. He tried to move her to the bench but Dani pulled away. His concern for her grew.

"Dani… do you want me to call Hayden or Dawn?" he asked. "Are you more comfortable telling them…?"

Dani shook her head.

"Greg…?"

"NO!" Dani shouted suddenly, completely panicked. Flynn jumped back slightly, surprised by the reaction. Dani lowered her voice, "I… I mean… don't… he's busy…"

"Dani, are you okay?" Flynn asked. Dani shook her head. She pulled into Flynn, needing comfort. He was probably one of the last people she should have turned to, considering the kiss they shared led to her feeling like this, but she didn't know what to do. She couldn't tell anyone what happened. Though the Rangers were considered part of her family, she knew they would easily back up Greg if this came to light. So, she let Flynn believe what he believed and took comfort in his hug. It was probably the last time she was going to feel like there was someone on her side.


	179. If He Knew

Greg walked through the door, finally home after another long day at work. He dropped his bag just beside the door and pulled off his jacket and hat.

"Honey, I'm home!" he laughed as he turned. He jumped when he spotted Flynn sitting at the front counter of the Garage, looking like he had been waiting up.

"How was work, darling?" Flynn chuckled weakly, faking an American accent. Greg rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know you were still here," he said, checking his watch. "Didn't you close…?"

"Something happened." Flynn interrupted. Greg looked back up, and then around the room.

"Dani…"

"She left."

"Left where?"

Flynn got up from his seat and motioned for Greg to sit on the couch. Greg did just that, wondering what in the world had happened while he was at work. Flynn started to explain.

"Dani bumped into a guy at the store. Turns out, they were in the same class and he needed help with that engine project thing," he started. "It wasn't busy today, so I let Dani clock out and she and Bryce went to one of the back rooms to work. Next thing I know Bryce is storming out and Dani's in tears."

"What happened? Where did Dani go?"

"I tried calling you…"

"My phone was off; I was busy with Emily this afternoon…"

Flynn frowned, "You were with Emily?"

"She just had the surgery," Greg nodded. "I was showing her what her new arm could do and how much she could feel."

"I think Dani went to Dawn's place. Did you see her?" Flynn frowned. Greg jumped up and ran for the phone.

"Have you called her?" he asked, dialling Dawn and Dean's number. Flynn nodded his head.

"A few times. No one's answering."

Greg waited patiently for someone to pick up on the other end. As the phone rang, he turned to Flynn.

"Why the hell did you let her leave?" he asked. "That bastard could have done anything."

"She wasn't going to talk to me," Flynn answered, shying away.

Greg got the answering massage and sighed in frustration, slamming the phone down on the counter.

"Dawn will take care of her, lad," Flynn said, hoping to reassure Greg. "If he did hurt her, we all know Dawn will cause more damage than you. We'll hear about it in the news."

"If Hayden disappeared you would want to know where she went," Greg hissed. He ran to the door and grabbed his jacket, "I'm going to find her."

Flynn chased after him, "Oh, c'mon, man! I made dinner and everything!"

-Afterlife-

While Dean was upstairs nursing his tired daughter after her little surgery, Dawn was downstairs with a new houseguest sitting on her couch. Dani was curled up and biting her nails. A blanket rested around her shoulders. Dawn handed her a mug of hot chocolate, hoping to calm her down and make her feel comfortable. She could tell Dani was upset, but she still had no idea what happened.

So, she got straight to the point.

"What did he do?"

Dani looked up, "What?"

"I'm assuming," Dawn said. "What did Greg do?"

"Nothing," Dani answered, averting her gaze to the hot chocolate in her hands. Dawn sat down next to her.

"Did he forget something?" she asked. "It can't be your anniversary yet."

"Greg's amazing with dates," Dani said. "It's not that. He didn't do anything or forget anything. He's the best."

Dawn nodded her head, "I see. What did you do? Did you forget something? Are you pregnant? Is it too soon?"

Dani shook her head, "No… no… hopefully not…" she turned to Dawn, "I… I can't tell you."

"Yes you can," Dawn said. "You can because you've nearly mastered the English language, as have I, and almost anything can be expressed through words, especially actions. And you will, because if you didn't want to tell me, you wouldn't have turned up on my doorstep crying."

Dani looked back down at her drink, "Do you think anything is forgivable?" she looked back at Dawn, "When you're in love, I mean. Are the better or worst vows true or are they just a formality to keep impatient people sitting down longer while the bride and groom make kissy faces?"

Dawn furrowed her brow, "Dani, what did you do?"

"Answer my question first," Dani said. Dawn sat back, taking some time to think.

"In most cases they might be a formality," she said. "Divorce rates are high…"

"Thanks…"

"But you and Greg… it's just so perfect," Dawn added, before completely offending or discouraging Dani. "And, I mean, if Dean can forgive me for being indirectly responsible for the murder of his first wife and for his daughter losing her arm, Greg can forgive anything you've done."

"I cheated," Dani whispered, just softly enough so Dawn couldn't figure out what she was muttering. She leaned forward.

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't make me repeat it," Dani said. "I cheated. A class-mate was at my place and we slept together…"

Dawn's eyes shot open in surprise as she looked at Dani. She shook her head in doubt.

"No… you wouldn't…"

"His name was Bryce."

"Why?" Dawn frowned. She placed her hand on Dani's back, "Why would you cheat? You and Greg seem happy."

"We are… but Flynn and I kissed and…"

"Whoa, I thought you slept with Bruce or… what's his name."

"Bryce," Dani said. "Bruce is my cousin."

Dawn sighed, shaking her head, "I'm not going to remember that…"

"It doesn't matter," Dani muttered, hiding her face in her hands. "I forgot what love was for a minute and needed to find it."

"In someone else's pants?"

"Greg was my first love," Dani said. "I was young when we met. I didn't know what love was then. Who says I do now? I just… lost all sense of judgement and… I did something stupid okay?"

"Normally, I try to keep these comments to a minimum because you're so… _sensitive_ about it, but this time I'm serious," Dawn's tone was stern as she said this. Before continuing, she smacked Dani over the head, "You _imbecile!"_

"Ow," Dani frowned, rubbing the back of her head.

"You've got a man at home who would die for you, a proven fact, and you need to play around with other men to figure that out? And in the process, you've also hurt what's-his-name?"

"Bryce."

"Shut up!" Dawn shouted. "What kind of game were you playing, Dan? Because there is no way in hell you were going to come out a winner."

"I know," Dani muttered silently.

"You probably haven't even told Greg yet, have you?" Dawn asked, her tone was still angry. Dani shook her head. Dawn scoffed, "Of course not."

Dani got up from the couch and put her mug on the coffee table, "I'm going to go."

Dawn watched her walk to the door. At the last second she called Dani's name. Dani didn't respond so Dawn jumped up and rushed over to Dani, grabbing her arm. She pulled her back into the front hallway and closed the door.

"I'm not letting you deal with this on your own," Dawn smiled. "I just needed to get all the yelling off my chest, and I needed you to know how stupid this was."

"I already know how stupid it was," Dani said, wiping back a few tears that had formed.

"So you'll never run back to… Brian again?"

"Bryce," Dani corrected her. "You're making it sound like I slept with every guy in the class."

Dawn frowned, "My memory's getting better. It's not back yet."

Dawn expected some kind of reaction from Dani. A laugh, because she couldn't remember the name of the other man; a roll of the eyes because it was Dawn's own fault she was having memory problems; or a glare for making a bad situation worse. But nothing came. Dani stood silently, staring at the floor, hiding her face from Dawn. The older girl let out a long breath before wrapping her arms around Dani.

"You can stay here until you've figured this out," she told her. "There's no sense in talking to Greg before you're ready. It'll just make things worse."

Dani looked up, "I don't want to…"

"Impose? Tough," Dawn said, "You saved my life. The least I can do is give you a place to stay for a few days."

Dani frowned, "It might be more than that… I promise I'll tell Greg soon, really soon… but if he kicks me out, I'm not going to beg to stay. I don't want to hurt him anymore than I have to."

Dawn sighed sympathetically as she looked at her young friend, "I'll have to talk to Dean and Emily… but…"

"I can't face the others," Dani said, "Mom and dad maybe, but Aunt Kayl, Uncle Dustin and all my cousins love Greg just as much as they do me… they'll take his side, I know it!"

"I'm taking his side too," Dawn said, "But you can stay. I'll sort it. You can take the couch."

Dawn pointed to the couch in the living room, "I'll get you a pillow and…"

She was interrupted by the doorbell. She peeked out the window and saw it was Flynn and Greg. Turning to Dani, she knew the red head wasn't ready to face Greg. She could barely figure herself out at the moment. Dawn believed firmly that if and when Dani was going to confront Greg, she needed to be ready. She needed her story to be straight and honest, and she needed to summon up all her courage to give him all the details. It was only fair. Until then, Dani would only hurt herself and Greg unnecessarily.

"Go to the living room," she whispered to Dani, pushing her away. When she was out of sight, Dawn opened the door.

Greg almost stormed in, "Where's Dani?" he asked, deeply concerned.

Flynn decided to explain while Dawn held Greg back, "We saw Bryce, we know what he did."

"What _he_ did?" Dawn asked, realising which story Greg and Flynn must have caught, "Okay, um, well I just got Dani to sleep so you'll have to calm down."

She practically had to shove Greg back to the front door, "She'll be fine with me, I promise. Dean's staying away and Emily thinks you and her are going through a rough patch. She's too tired to ask questions, but it should keep her from figuring this out."

"I want to see her," Greg said. Dawn shook her head.

"Trust me, not a good idea," she told him. "I'll get her to see you as soon as she can though."

"Why can't she see him?" Flynn asked. "She was fine with me. A little on edge but…"

"It's sinking in," Dawn sighed. She looked at Greg, "It's for the best. I'll take good care of her and she'll be able to tell you what happened very soon, okay?"

Greg nodded, "Okay. Promise me…"

"She's fine here," Dawn finished.

"Tell her to take her time and that no matter what, I still love her. She doesn't have to be embarrass or ashamed about anything."

Dawn nodded, "I will. Goodnight."

She closed the door behind the boys as they left and turned out, letting out a long sigh of relief. She had successfully lied to them without truly lying.

She walked to the living room and noticed Dani had been standing on the other side of the wall, listening to the entire conversation. Dawn was about to lighten the mood with a clever, yet sensitive joke, when suddenly Dani burst into tears and sunk to the ground. She curled up, with her knees pressed against her chest and her head buried in her arms. Dawn knelt down beside her and hugged her friend as well as she could given the position they were in.

"If he only knew…" Dawn whispered quietly.


	180. Dani Tells The Truth

Greg woke up alone in the bed. He found it unnerving not to have another body beside him, or even in the house. With Dani gone, Greg was all alone. Flynn had even taken Braveheart back home because Greg and the dog didn't get along. Braveheart was too playful for Greg's tastes.

The genius rolled himself out of bed and dragged his feet along the floor as he walked to the kitchen. He turned on the light and slowly made himself something to eat that would get him through the day. He felt bad about leaving Dani and had spent all night wondering if she wanted him to just swoop in and take her in his arms and protect her. But Dawn had advised him to stay away. He didn't want to do anything that would hurt her, so he had listened to her advice.

As he finished his breakfast, Flynn walked into work. It was supposed to be his day off, but due to Dani's condition, he decided to take over. Hannah would be coming in today anyways, so he wouldn't be alone.

"How are you feeling?" Flynn asked. Greg shrugged.

"Lonely."

"You can stay here," Flynn offered. "You'll have Hannah and me here to…"

"I've got plans," Greg said. He looked at Flynn, "Thanks, though."

Flynn shrugged, "Suit yourself."

-Afterlife-

Hayden lifted her daughter up from the crib, smiling a little at the weight. Adeline was definitely starting to catch up with the other kids her age. She was still small and very light weight and would be for a while now, but she was really starting to grow.

In fact, as Hayden changed her daughter's diaper on the changing table, she glanced up at the calendar and noticed that, had Adeline not forced her way into the world early, she would have been born sometime around this date. Hayden smiled and looked back down at her baby girl. Adeline looked up at her mother and smiled back.

"You're so cute," Hayden cooed, gently tapping her almost-two-month old's nose. She picked her daughter up after putting the new diaper and her clothes on and walked downstairs. Just as her feet hit the floor, there was a knock at the door. Hayden shifted Adeline so she was holding her with one arm as she walked to the door and opened it.

Greg was on the other side, looking worried. Hayden frowned.

"I didn't expect you."

"I wanted to ask about Dani," Greg said. "Have you heard from her?"

Hayden shook her head, "Um no. Should I have?"

Greg shrugged, "I just thought… because you were so close, someone would have told you what happened. Flynn didn't tell you?"

Hayden nodded, "Oh, it's about that."

"You do know?" Greg asked. Hayden invited Greg inside and let him take her daughter while she closed the door behind him. Greg played gently with the little girl as he walked to the couch. Hayden followed.

"I know. Flynn told me as soon as it happened."

"I guess you don't know much more than I do, then," Greg sighed. He looked down at the baby sadly. "I just feel so stupid."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Hayden shrugged. "I bothered me at first, but it's not like it meant anything."

"Of course not," Greg said, quickly turning to look at Hayden with a disgusted look on his face, "Why on earth would it mean anything?"

"Accidents happen," Hayden said. "It was dark, there were two guys…"

"What?" Greg frowned. Hayden wasn't making sense anymore. What Bryce did couldn't have been an accident. No one tripped over their own feet and landed inside someone else's pants.

"Mistakes happen," Hayden shrugged. "You've just got to forget about it and move on."

Greg furrowed his brow as he turned to Hayden. He glared venomously.

"Seriously?" he asked. "Forget about it and move on? That's what you're telling me? How the hell would you feel if someone forced themselves onto you, or Flynn or even Adeline?" Greg shouted, startling Adeline. She looked up at her uncle with wide eyes.

"Excuse me?" Hayden roared, quickly snatching her daughter from Greg after the accusation he had made. She would have understood if he had left it at her, or even Flynn, given how upset he seemed, but he had no right to ever imply that something of that sort would happen to her baby. She pointed to the door, "Get out of my house…"

"Gladly!" Greg shouted, storming off. He grabbed the doorknob, ready to rip the door off the hinges when he suddenly stopped. He turned around. "Wait a minute…"

Hayden had followed Greg to the door, wanting to slam the door behind him as he walked, but when he turned, she was intrigued by what else he had to say. The more he let his mouth run, the deeper the hole he would put himself in.

"What?" she growled.

"Flynn was with her when it happened."

"Obviously," Hayden rolled her eyes, "it takes two."

Greg stepped forward, "No… no… he was with her. He was at my place when I came home. Dani had disappeared."

"Your point?"

"She ran away from him!" Greg said. The pieces were falling into place. "It makes sense. He's the one who told me about Bryce! And when I mentioned what _Bryce_ did, Dawn gave me a funny look. And she wouldn't let me and Flynn in to see Dani."

It was Hayden's turn to be lost. She glared at Greg with a confused look.

"What?"

Greg looked at Hayden, "What did Flynn tell you? What do you think happened?"

"Dani kissed him," Hayden said, as if it was nothing. It had been what they had been talking about.

Greg scoffed, placing his hand on forehead. He rubbed his temples.

"Wow…I can't say I saw that coming."

"Saw what?" Hayden asked.

"There was no Bryce," Greg said. "Dani ran away from Flynn."

Hayden pointed to the door, "Get out."

"No, Hayden, listen to me…"

"They just kissed," Hayden growled. "Flynn wouldn't do anything like that to anyone, and he wouldn't lie to me."

"If he goes near her…"

"Get out!" Hayden screamed, using her free hand to push Greg to the door. He got her message and could understand her anger. He was angry himself.

Greg wanted to get to the bottom of this, before everything got worse. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the garage.

"_Flynn and Daniela's Garage, Hannah speaking, how may I…"_

"Hannah? It's Greg. Is Flynn there?"

"_Uh, Flynn stepped out. I can pass on a…"_

Greg hung up. He wasn't going to let Flynn anywhere near his wife.

-Afterlife-

"Just be honest with him," Dawn said. "That's all you can do. Tell him exactly what you told me."

Dani nodded, "Do you think it'll work?"

"It's a start," Dawn shrugged, "but ultimately it's up to Greg. He's going to be the victim. You did this to yourself."

Dani lowered her head and sighed, "I know…"

"Hey," Dawn said, sitting beside her friend and wrapping her arm around her shoulder, "Greg knows you love him and he's smart enough to realise that one fling with a man that barely lasted an hour… that's not enough to change the way you feel about him."

"I stopped for him… that's stupid to say but…"

"I have one question," Dawn asked. "I want you to answer honestly."

"What?" Dani looked up.

"Was it good?"

"DAWN!" Dani shouted, shoving her friend.

"No, no! I mean, was there anything. What did you feel? Was it really a mistake, or is there part of you that regrets stopping it halfway."

"Are you kidding?"

"Honest, Dan."

Dani was silent for a moment as she though. She turned back to Dawn and shrugged.

"I guess I'm curious. I'd never take Bryce back but… last night, I did wonder about what would have happened if we let it go all the way… if maybe I let things continue… maybe my feelings would have changed. Maybe I would have felt something stronger for Bryce than I ever did Greg."

Dawn was given Dani a non-judgmental look. Dani didn't see it that way. She frowned.

"I don't ever want to find out," she added. "I just… wonder, you know. Everyone wonders, right?"

"But there's a fine line between wonder and wander," Dawn said. "Either way, you crossed it."

"They why ask?"

"I'm curious," Dawn shrugged, "And Greg's going to ask the same question."

"Do I have to be honest?"

"Do you want to hurt him even more?"

Dani sighed, "No."

Dawn reached for the phone before placing it in Dani's hand, "Good. Call him."

As Dani started dialling Greg's work number, thinking that's where he would be at this time, the doorbell rang. Emily, who had quickly recovered from her surgery on her robotic arm, bolted to the door to answer it. With her new hypersensitive robot arm, she grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. A smile appeared on her face when she saw Greg.

"It works!" she smiled, waving her arm around. Greg chuckled for her sake.

"We did a good job, didn't we?" he asked.

Dawn walked over, "Greg?"

Dani looked up from the couch. The phone pressed against her ear was ringing. Greg wasn't going to answer it though, he wasn't at work.

"I know you said to stay away but…"

"It's okay," Dawn said. "You can see her."

This only confirmed Greg's suspicions. It had only been one night since the incident. Surely Dani wouldn't have had a full turn around just yet; at least, not enough for Dawn to let him in without a warning about how fragile she might still be. The only difference between this visit and the last was that Flynn wasn't with him.

"I know what happened…"

"No, you don't," Dani interrupted him, before he could say anything more. "Flynn got the story wrong…"

"He _told_ it wrong," Greg said, thinking she would try to cover for Flynn. "I figured it out. I went to see Hayden. She told me what Flynn told her."

Dani looked up, "So, you know I kissed Flynn?"

"He kissed you."

Dani shook her head, "No."

"You don't have to cover for him, Dani. He's not here. He won't hurt you."

"He'd never hurt me," Dani whispered. "It was dark. I thought he was you so I kissed him. It was a big mistake… but it didn't stop there."

"I know."

"I slept with Bryce," Dani continued. She didn't know what story Greg knew, but she was positive it wasn't the right one. No one but herself and Dawn knew the true story. No matter what Greg said, she was going to continue. "He's a guy in my class. After the kiss I got confused… I forgot I loved you."

Greg blinked, "What?"

"Last night I almost let another man sleep with me," Dani said. "Well, we started but… I came to my senses… I'm really sorry."

Greg rushed over to Dani, grabbing her arms gently, "No, no, Dani, you don't have to lie to me. No matter what happened last night…"

"That's what happened," Dani said. "Whatever you think Flynn did last night… he didn't do it. If he tried anything on me you and Hayden would be the first to know."

"What do you think happened last night, Greg?" Dawn asked. She didn't want to get between the two, but somewhere some wires had gotten crossed. If Greg came to a conclusion while talking with Hayden, it was possible Hayden had the wrong idea as well.

"Flynn…"

"Didn't do anything," Dani finished for Greg on the verge of tears. She could feel the truth sinking in. It was only a matter of time before everything went downhill for her and Greg. As much as she wanted to lie and pin the blame on Flynn, she knew she needed to tell the truth. "Flynn was just there after it happened."

"No…"

Dani nodded and closed her eyes. The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to fall out. She took a deep breath.

"I never stopped loving you, Greg, but for a moment I let another man love me… I cheated on you with Bryce Brickson."

There was a moment of silence as the words sunk in for everyone. Dani didn't realise just how bad things really were until she actually heard herself say the words to Greg. It was almost enough to break her down again, but she couldn't. She wasn't supposed to be the one hurting. It was supposed to be Greg. She wasn't going to allow herself to cry; not around him.

Dawn felt Emily's arm brush against her leg. She looked down at her step daughter before pointing upstairs.

"Get," she said.

"But it's better than TV!"

"This is real life," Dawn whispered, "with real people and real feelings. You're not supposed to be entertained."

Emily pouted as she climbed the stairs, "No fun."

Dawn waited for her to leave before turning to Greg, "If there's anything I can…"

"Make sure my _wife_ doesn't end up in bed with anyone else while I'm gone," Greg said. Pushing his way past Dawn, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him as he walked out.

Dani started to let the tears fall as she looked at Dawn, "Go after him. I don't…"

"I'm staying here," Dawn said. "I don't care if you don't deserve it. You need someone. I haven't forgotten the last time your life went downhill and you overdosed… on purpose!"

"Death is too good for me," Dani whispered, looking back down at her hands, "I'm scum."

"You're not scum… at worst you're a flake. A flakey flake who made a mistake."

Dani curled up on the couch, "Just leave me alone."

Dawn nodded. She grabbed a blanket and handed it to Dani, "We'll try and find him tomorrow, after it sinks in for him. Maybe you can explain yourself then.

Dani didn't accept the blanket so Dawn draped it over the red head's shoulders. She hugged her friend before leaving her alone.


	181. Trust

Hayden paced back and forth. She had set Adeline down for bed only an hour ago and was waiting for Flynn to come home. She refused to believe Greg's accusations, but she didn't want to let it slide. There was the possibility that they were true. She couldn't risk putting her daughter in danger. And the more she thought about it, the more the pieces seemed to fall in place. She didn't want to believe, but she couldn't help but think that maybe Greg was right.

Flynn finally returned home after what felt like hours. He set his bag down on the ground and hung up his jacket before leaning in to kiss his wife. Hayden pulled away, causing Flynn to frown.

"What happened?" he asked, worried. Hayden never pulled away, even when she was having a bad day, or was angry at him. She'd hit him afterwards, but never pull away.

"Greg stopped by," Hayden whispered, her voice uncertain. Flynn couldn't tell why, though. Hayden looked up, "He told me what happened?"

Flynn nodded his head, "Dani freaking out. You heard about Bryce?"

"Sure," Hayden answered. She walked to the couch and Flynn followed, "The thing is… Greg doesn't think there is a Bryce."

"Trust me, I was there," Flynn said. "There was definitely a…"

"That's it, Flynn," Hayden said, "You were there. It was just you and Dani and suddenly she goes into this… danger mode, like something bad happened."

Flynn sat in silence for a moment, contemplating what his wife was saying before the words really hit him. He pulled back, deeply hurt and offended.

"You think…"

"I don't want to…" Hayden whispered.

"Does it matter?" Flynn growled, "One brief mention of the possibility and you assume the worse…"

"I have Adeline to…"

Flynn shook his head, "Do not bring her into this…"

Hayden glared at Flynn, "Nothing's going to happen to her," she said firmly. "I don't want to think you would do this, but if you did… I can't risk…"

"If?" Flynn scoffed, "If? If I did it? What about if I didn't do it? You're going to keep me from seeing my daughter…"

"Do you even know what you're accusing me of, Hayden?" Flynn asked. "Of all people to think I would do something so terrible to one of my best friends… it had to be my wife…"

"I don't think you did it…"

"You just think I have it in me," Flynn interrupted. He pulled himself up from the couch and started pacing, unsure of what to do. This was his house and he didn't want to storm out, especially without his daughter, but he didn't want to stay, not when his wife would be so quick to assume the worst about him.

"I just wanted to talk, Flynn."

"Well, it sounds like you've already made up your mind," Flynn snapped. He pointed to the door, "Do you want me to leave?" he asked her. "Maybe you'll feel better if I'm not in the same house as the daughter I love, because you think I'll do something to hurt her."

"No… will you just listen to me?"

Flynn looked at Hayden, his eyes piercing like daggers. He shook his head.

"No."

He grabbed his stuff and stormed off to the study, slamming the door behind him as he did. He wasn't going to leave the house, but he couldn't be in the same room as the wife who would think so poorly of him. It hurt him a lot to know that she would jump to conclusions without talking to him. He could understand how everything might look from the outside. He and Dani were the only ones to see Bryce, and Dani was in no state to talk, much less tell the truth.

But he at least expected his wife to back him up, in any situation.

Hayden groaned loudly. The talk had not gone at all the way she wanted it to go. She had hoped that she would be able to voice her concerns and Flynn would tell her she had it wrong. Instead, everything went wrong. He was angry, understandably, and upset, and Hayden still wasn't sure about the truth.

She grabbed the closest thing she could reach, the TV remote, and pitched it across the room in anger. The remote smashed against the wall and Braveheart, who had been hiding in the corner, jumped up and started barking. Hayden realised her mistake and held her head in her hands as Adeline started crying upstairs.

The crying only made the barking worse. Braveheart hated it when Adeline started crying and wanted to make it stop, so he would bark loudly until she would stop. Unfortunately, that was always counterproductive. The barking would cause the crying, which would only cause more barking and more crying.

Hayden hushed the dog as she climbed the stairs. Braveheart followed her every step of the way, barking and growling at anything that moved.

-Afterlife-

After Greg received the news and stormed off, he went back to his parent's place. It was a bit of a wimpy move for him to go home crying to his mom and dad, but he couldn't go back to the garage. That was the home he shared with the wife who loved him, and the place where Dani worked. It was also the place where she cheated on him with Bryce. He had nowhere to go except back to the Hartford estate.

He never realised how quickly parents could pick up on trouble when their child was involved, but he noticed it the moment he stepped into their home and they took him in without question. They made sure he was welcomed and comfortable and slowly started asking questions about what happened. By the end of the night, they had heard the full story and invited him to stay as long as he needed.

They made up the bed in his room for him to sleep in and let him go early. Greg thought that aside from a little conversation between his parents, that all talk about Dani and the cheating would cease, but when he got out of bed to go to the washroom, he heard his mother talking to Ronny on the phone. He realised that they were in a somewhat awkward position now. Though he had their full support, Dani was Ronny and David's daughter, and Ronny and David were Mack and Rose's best friends. To add to the complications, Rose and Mack had, in their own way, taking on Dani as an unofficial daughter long before she started dating their son. Because Greg had spent most of his childhood in Alphabet Soup, Mack and Rose hardly had a son for many years. It was weird to say, but most of their parenting experiences came from raising Dani. They couldn't ignore her side of the story, no matter how much she was to blame.

Morning came slowly for Greg as he dragged himself out of bed and walked through the maze his would call home for the next few days. He found the kitchen and sat down at the table, opposite of his father, while his mother was making a special breakfast.

Mack smiled when he saw his son, "Good morning."

Greg shook his head, "Not really."

Mack looked at Rose as she turned around. Both parents sighed. They expected Greg to be down in the dumps, but it still hurt them to see it.

"Do you want to tell us the story again?" Rose asked her son. "Maybe you'll see something you overlooked last night. You would have a bit more perspective this morning."

"I know you talked to Ronny and David," Greg said. "They probably tried to tell you that it was just a little mistake."

"Actually," Mack said, putting his newspaper down. "They were floored when we told them. They had no clue."

Greg crossed his arms, "New study… find out in lying is genetic."

"They did point out something worth mentioning," Rose said, "something your father and I agree with, wholeheartedly."

"What's that?" Greg asked.

"Dani's nothing if not loyal," Rose said, "And that's not just to you. She's loyal to everyone. Friends, family, you name it."

"At least she didn't switch teams on me, is that what you're saying?" Greg frowned. "Well, she fucked another man, but at least we know she's not gay. This can be salvaged."

"Not at all," Mack said. He turned to Rose, "He does have a point, though. Of all the kids, I always thought…"

"Dad."

"Mack."

"Sorry," Mack frowned. "It's just, she has a lot of friends who are boys and does the whole mechanic thing and for years she's never felt anything for any of the boys… it was just..."

"Mack, that's another conversation."

Mack nodded before turning back to Greg, "What we meant was you should hear her out. There must have been something that caused her to do this."

"Now you're blaming me," Greg breathed, throwing his hands up in the air, "Great! What happened to normal parents? You know, the ones who try to boost their child's self-esteem and tell them that Dani made this mistake all on her own."

"Sweetie, the only way you're going to fix this is if you know what you're facing," Rose said. "I mean, if this can be saved, don't you want to save it? Wouldn't you rather try all you can to try and make your marriage work, instead of throwing in the towel? At least then if things go south, you'll know it truly wasn't meant to be and you won't be asking yourself 'what if'."

"Oh, so you think I should give Dani a second chance."

"No way," Mack shook his head, "No way in hell should you just take her back and forget everything. Never forget this, son. In fact, use it against her."

"Don't," Rose said, "Don't ever rub her face in it."

"I like dad's advice," Greg smirked. Rose rolled her eyes and went back to making breakfast. Greg leaned in, closer to his father, "What should I do?" he asked.

"First of all, you find that Bryce guy and you let him know that Dani is off limits."

"How do I do that, dad?" Greg frowned, "I don't know what the guy looks like!"

"Get your Uncle Will to find him," Mack shrugged, "We have our ways."

Greg rolled his eyes, "What do I do about Dani?"

"Tell her you're not going to take her bullshit," Mack said. "Ask questions that will hurt both of you and don't take anything less than the truth. Finally, make her beg for you."

Rose couldn't let her son do that. She turned back to the breakfast table.

"Make sure she's really sorry," she said. "Make sure she realises this was a big mistake on her part and let her know that you're willing to consider putting this behind you if she's willing to make the effort to regain your trust."

"But never forget," Mack repeated. "Never, ever forget what she's done and what she's capable of doing. Cheating is like drugs, you do it once, and it sticks with you for life. You can fall back into it at any moment."

Rose set the breakfast plates down at the table. Greg looked at his for a moment before taking it in his hands.

"Thanks for the advice," he whispered. "I'm going to go think about it in my room."

"What should we do if Dani or someone comes to the door?" Rose asked.

"If it's Dani, tell her I'll talk when I'm ready," Greg said. "Anyone else, tell them to get their nose out of my business."

-Afterlife-

Flynn stepped out of the study, rubbing his neck after a long uncomfortable sleep. He's fallen asleep on the small couch in the small room and it was taking his toll on him this morning, but it was better than sharing a bed with Hayden.

He walked into the kitchen to make himself breakfast when he saw Hayden and Adeline were already awake and enjoying their breakfast. Hayden was feeding her daughter as she ate her meal with a blanket draped over to keep anything from spilling on the infant.

Flynn quickly turned around, "I shouldn't be here."

Hayden looked at him, "No, you were right. Stay."

"Aren't you afraid I'll hurt Adeline?" Flynn asked, pointing to his daughter. "Is that why she's hiding?"

"No, I'm eating," Hayden frowned. With her foot, she pushed on the chair and motioned for Flynn to sit, "Can we talk, properly?"

Flynn shrugged. He was hungry. He took a seat as Hayden and Adeline both finished up. Hayden offered to let Flynn hold his daughter while she grabbed his breakfast from the fridge. Flynn took Adeline gently and started to burp her, almost as if to prove he would never do anything to hurt her.

Hayden set the plate down before Flynn and took her seat again. She looked at him nervously before noticing a light bruise on his chest. She hadn't seen it before because his shirt covered it, but Flynn didn't generally sleep with a shirt on, and last night was no exception.

She was used to spotting bumps and bruises on him, generally on his arms, legs or his head. It was an occupational hazard. Everyone knew working with Dani was dangerous. It didn't help that he worked in a garage, with tools and cars.

But she thought the chest was a little bit of an awkward place for a work bruise. She pointed.

"Where did you get that?"

Flynn looked down at his chest and shrugged. He had noticed it earlier and knew where it had come from, but Hayden wasn't going to believe him.

"Don't worry about it."

"Flynn…"

"Promise you won't think the worst of me?" Flynn sneered. Hayden sighed.

"I won't."

"It was Bryce," Flynn answered honestly, though he couldn't be sure Hayden would believe him. If the conversation from last night was anything to go on, she didn't believe Bryce was a real person. "On his way out he shoved me and told me I needed to learn to train Dani. It didn't hurt, and I didn't notice it until this morning."

"Bryce did that?" Hayden asked.

Flynn rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath. He shook his head.

"Of course…"

"No…" Hayden interrupted gently. She sat in silence for a moment, contemplating her decision. "I'm sorry. Last night, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions. I was just scared of what could be. You see, Greg…"

"You'll believe Greg over me?"

"Never!" Hayden said, "But Greg pointed out that you were the only one in the room," Hayden continued, "he asked me how I would feel if some creep did something to you or Adeline. I nearly kicked his ass for it. Then he said that you might be the one at fault and…"

"You believed him."

"I kicked him out," Hayden said. "I defended you and kicked him out. But I knew I couldn't just… brush it off."

She touched his arm, "I know I made you feel like shit last night. I didn't want to. I'm going to ask you again and I'm going to believe whatever you say, but I want you to be honest."

Flynn looked his wife in the eyes. He knew that until the full story came out, there would always be doubt, but it did mean a lot that she was ready to hear him out first. Of course, this didn't mean things were settled between them.

"I didn't do anything to Dani," Flynn said. "I don't know how I missed it, but I'm not the person who hurt her."

Hayden looked at him for a moment after he said this.

"I believe you," she said finally. "And I will unless _proven_ otherwise."

"Thank you."

"But can you understand where I was coming from?" Hayden asked. She touched her daughter's head.

"You can't just jump to those conclusions, Hayden," Flynn frowned. "Imagine if you had told Scott, or your mother or Kira. They have a responsibility to investigate these things."

"I know. I never would have told them before talking to you…"

"But it could have slipped out," Flynn said. "I could have been in…"

"I know," Hayden said. "Last night I thought long and hard about it… I didn't want to accuse you, but it just came out."

"Why?" Flynn asked. Hayden frowned. She didn't know why. Flynn took her hand, "I trust you with my life. If anyone said anything bad about you, they wouldn't live to spread the rumours. Why would you doubt me?"

"Adeline was at risk," Hayden answered. It was all she had. "If you heard that I hurt someone, wouldn't you try to protect her?"

Flynn looked down at his daughter.

"I'm really sorry, Flynn," Hayden whispered. "If it helps, I hate myself."

Flynn shrugged, "Not really, but it's a start."


	182. Stay or Go?

Rose knocked on Greg's bedroom door. The day was almost over and she was starting to wonder if he had figured out what he wanted to do about his situation with Dani. She and Mack had bombarded him with advice at the breakfast table and then had left him on his own so he could figure himself out. She hadn't seen him all day after that and the mother inside her wanted to know what was going on and how her son was feeling.

But more than that, she wanted Greg to patch things up with Dani. She loved her son to death, but she had known Dani all her life. She knew this was just a mistake. It couldn't be anything else. She honestly believed that if Greg threw in the towel he would be the one missing out. She couldn't let that happen to her son.

"Knock, knock," she called softly as she opened the door, "Can I come in?"

Greg was working at his computer, probably to catching up at work. He had fallen about a day and a half behind because of Emily's surgery and Dani's cheating. He was never one to put off work.

Greg didn't answer so Rose invited herself in. She sat down on his bed.

"What have you been doing?" she asked her son, looking around. Greg's room was about as plain as it could possibly be. There was only a bed, a desk, a dresser and two end tables. He had been taking from them for "school" when he was very young, before the end of the world, and when they finally got him back; he lived in the Ranger Garage. He didn't have any personal belonging from his childhood in this bedroom, making it seem cold. There wasn't even a stuffed toy or blanket from when he was baby.

"Thinking," Greg answered his mother, closing the laptop. He turned around in his chair.

"About?" Rose pressed.

Greg shrugged, "Dani."

"And?"

"What do you want me to say, mom? That I've made up my mind?"

"I was hoping…" Rose muttered. She looked at Greg, "You're not going to make up your mind until you talk to her…"

"I was supposed to have gotten my brains from you," Greg scoffed. "I don't want to even see her until I've figured this out for myself. I was to go into a conversation knowing what I want and where I stand so she can't sway me."

"So, it's possible to be swayed by her?" Rose asked. "There's still a part of you that's…"

"Madly in love with her," Greg nodded, "yes, and there always will be. But she hurt me. What if she does it again?"

"You have to learn to trust her again," Rose said. Greg was about to argue but she put her hands up, "I know, it's not going to happen anytime soon. It might take forever."

"How can I learn to trust her again, though, mom?" Greg asked. "Right now I don't even trust her to tell me which shirt I should wear."

"You'll have to give her opportunities. Start small and slowly give her more and more trust. If she breaks it again, then you'll know it's over."

Greg nodded. He and Rose sat in silence for a moment as he thought again.

"What if it's over now?" he asked. "I can't trust her and I don't want to. I've never had to learn to trust Dani. I always did."

"If you really feel nothing for Dani, then end it," Rose told him. "But only if you don't feel anything. If you don't care about her, if you're ready to move on without her. If you're ready and happy to walk away and forget about her, then it's done."

The Gold Ranger thought about his relationship and his feelings, pushing past the love that remained from the happy marriage. He thought about his current situation and how he felt about Dani. He thought into the future, and how those feelings would affect his marriage. Then he asked himself if he could live in a relationship like that.

"Is it really over?" Rose asked him.

Greg looked up.

Suddenly, his bedroom door opened again and Mack stepped in with Greg's cell phone in his hand. He looked at his wife and son.

"That was the hospital…"

"She didn't…!" Greg interrupted, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. He bolted out of the room, before Mack could say anything more.

-Afterlife-

Dawn found herself playing monkey in the middle in the hospital. She had let Dani go on her own to try and talk to Greg after her parents had come over to talk some sense into her. Dawn was aware that Dani knew how badly she had screwed things up for herself and Greg, but her parents had come in, angry about how badly she had screwed up Greg. They gave her a whole new perspective on the way he would be feeling and warned Dani that if she did want him back, she had better fight like her life depended on it.

Dawn was positive they didn't mean it literally, though. Only about an hour after she let Dani go, she got a call from Dani telling her she was in the emergency room, waiting to be looked after. Dani, or the hospital, must have called other family members, because Hayden and Flynn had also come in, looking to find Dani.

When they were sure Dani was okay, they asked about Greg, and what had happened. Dani had looked to Dawn before telling them the truth.

Therefore, Dawn had to put herself between Hayden and Dani to keep Hayden from ripping Dani's head off. She couldn't tell, though, if Hayden was upset because Dani had cheated, or, because of the conflict it had apparently caused her and Flynn.

"I'm really sorry…" Dani whispered to Hayden.

Flynn grabbed Hayden's arm while he looked at Dani, "Don't apologize for Greg's words."

"But it's because of me."

"Aye, but he's not stupid. He knew what he was saying."

Dawn shoved Hayden away as the blond finally calmed down. She shot Dani one final glare before taking a seat.

"Have you seen a doctor?" she asked.

Dani nodded, "A nurse cleaned me off. I'm just waiting for a doctor to have a look."

"Is your dad working tonight?"

"He's at home with mom."

"Do they know what you did?"

"Yes."

The door opened, killing the back and forth between Hayden and Dani. Leanne walked in, took one look at her patient before turning around and leaving. A few seconds later she walked back in and sighed loudly.

"Next time, you're all banned," she muttered as she approached the bed. Dani was already sitting down, with her feet hanging off. She didn't want to feel like the victim of some terrible accident. She had brought this on herself. She refused to lie down in bed and expect sympathy. Leanne looked at her, "What happened? You pissed Dawn off, didn't you?"

"In a way," Dawn nodded, "But I didn't do this."

Dawn examined Dani's injuries, "I kinda wish I did, though."

Dani smacked her arm, "Car accident."

"Really?" Hayden asked. It was what Dani had told her and Flynn earlier when they asked, but she couldn't believe it.

"Car accident?" Leanne frowned. "You let something happen to your precious vehicle."

"She was driving my car," Dawn said. Leanne turned to Dawn.

"How did you get here?"

"Dean's car."

"How did Dean get where he was supposed to go?"

"Dani's car."

"Fun," Leanne frowned, "Reason being?"

"Dani was at my place, she's staying with me for a while and her car was blocking Dean's in the driveway. He had to go to work this morning and we didn't bother waking Dani."

"What does this have to do with me?" Dani asked. Leanne shrugged.

"I'm curious. I sometimes never get to know the full story with my patients. It's the only perk that comes with seeing you lot every few weeks. Now elaborate. You were driving and…"

"I crashed."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes."

"What?" Leanne asked.

Dani shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Just tell me I'm fine and…"

"If you were in a car accident I have to make sure you didn't suffer any internal injuries. You may only begin to feel symptoms…"

"In a few days, I know. I'm fine, though. I wasn't going fast."

"The cuts on your face?"

"A window broke."

"Which side?"

"Mine."

"How did you get the cuts on the right side of your face, then?" Leanne asked.

"I don't know."

"You said you remember what happened. Is there a chance you blacked out?"

"No."

"So?"

"So? What?"

"How did you get the cuts on the right side of your face?" Leanne checked the clipboard, "And on both arms."

"It was glass, it went flying, I guess."

"But your left side would have taken the impact," Leanne said. Dani didn't answer this time so Leanne stepped in closer. "Can you pull off your shirt so I can see the injuries?"

Dani shrugged, lifting her shirt up. Flynn almost immediately began to blush as his head tilted upwards, trying to find something of interest with the ceiling.

"She's wearing a bra," Hayden whispered to him.

"Exactly," Flynn answered back. Hayden chuckled.

Leanne examined the injuries. It was clear that most were made from flying glass and the few bruises could be explained by a car accident as well, but there was one Leanne noticed on Dani's back that really had her intrigued. She checked her notes again.

"You didn't mention any pain in your back."

"No," Dani said.

Leanne checked out the bruise again. It was still fairly new.

"So, I take it you're aware of the bruise on your back."

"Yes."

"Where did you get that?" Leanne asked.

"I told you," Dani said, turning to her Aunt, "in the acci…"

Her words trailed off as she looked at her Aunt's unbelieving expression.

"Alright, fine, I wasn't in a car accident. But you should see the state of the other guy!"

Everyone in the room let out a groan. Leanne scratched out her notes and shook her head.

"I never thought you would be one to lie about the origin of your injuries," she said. "You know how important it is we know the truth."

"So, you weren't driving Dawn's car?" Hayden asked.

"No, that part was true," Dani said. She looked back to her Aunt, "And the part of the flying glass was true and, technically, the car was in an accident… Accidentally on purpose, Bryce swung the bat at the car and…"

"Whoa, Bryce?" Dawn asked, interrupting Dani. "Bryce did this?"

"He's angry," Dani said, "And I don't blame him. I'd be pretty mad too if I thought I had a shot with someone and it turned out they were married and they didn't say anything until we were in bed."

"Why did you come to the hospital then, Dan?" Leanne asked. Dani lowered her head and shrugged.

"Normally Greg would have helped me clean off and he would have made me go to the doctor's to see if I needed any shots."

"I'm going to assume that Greg not helping has something to do with the Bryce in bed story," Leanne said. She moved to the door, "I'll be back soon."

Dawn stood up as Leanne walked out. She approached the bed and sat down next to Dani, wrapping her arm around her friend.

"You deserve a lot of bad things right now, Dan, but you didn't deserve this. You should have come to me. I could have cleaned you off and patched you up."

"I wasn't punishing myself," Dani said. "I just don't trust anyone to help me like I do Greg. But he obviously won't want to help me so I might as well go to the pros. The doctor's office is closed right now so…"

"You came here."

"At least I did call you, though," Dani said. "That should prove that I'm not trying to punish myself."

"I don't know," Dawn shrugged, "On the drive here I was trying to figure out if I should yell at you, or if I should play nice."

"You called Dawn?" Flynn frowned. "I thought the hospital would have."

Dani turned to Flynn and furrowed her brows, "Why would they have called her?" she asked. "She's not on any of my emergency contacts."

"Isn't Greg?" Hayden asked.

Almost as if on cue, Greg burst into the room in a panic. His eyes first fell on Dawn, Hayden and Flynn.

"I've told her a hundred times never to drive when she was worked…"

Finally he noticed Dani, sitting on the bed, almost a perfect image of health aside from a few cuts and bruises on her face and upper body.

"What the hell happened?" he hissed.

"I didn't think they would call you," Dani told him. "I'm fine."

Greg scoffed, "Maybe the hospital thinks that the husband should be aware when their wife is going through a hard time."

"I get it, Greg," Dani frowned. "I know it won't help, but I'm sorry."

Hayden looked up, nudging Flynn, "So, the ceiling, huh?"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Flynn nodded.

Greg turned to the other three in the room, "Get out," he told them.

"Greg, just hear her out, okay?" Dawn said, but Greg pointed to the door.

"Mind your own business," he told her. "All of you get out."

Flynn stood up, one step behind Dawn and Hayden. Before leaving he turned to Greg.

"When you're done in here I want to have a talk about what you said to my wife," he said. "You're causing us a lot of trouble."

"Boo-hoo."

Flynn frowned, "Excuse me?"

"Just get out."

"My marriage was in jeopardy because of you," Flynn said. He closed the door behind him as he left.

When the room was empty Dani looked at her husband, "You showed up," she smiled. Greg glared hatefully.

"It looks like I didn't have to. I thought you tried to kill yourself."

"That happened once, get over it."

"I still worry," Greg frowned.

Dani smiled, "Do you still care?"

"I don't want to."

"But do you?"

"Shut up, Dani," Greg growled. "You have no right to ask me the questions. I'm the one who deserves the answers, not you."

"Sorry. Before you ask, this happened…"

"I didn't say I wanted to know," Greg interrupted. "You hurt me, Dani, what makes you think I want to know how this happened."

"Because you showed up," Dani whispered nervously.

"I thought you were dead."

"So?"

Greg shrugged, taking a moment to answer, "I might as well bury your body. Choose: the dumpster, or right outside?"

"Greg!"

"Am I really the one who's out of line, Dani? Is my cruel joke really that insensitive after what you did?"

"Okay, I guess I deserved it," Dani nodded. She couldn't argue his opinion. She agreed. She deserved everything he was giving her. She continued, "And I know I don't deserve you being here, but I do appreciate it."

"Good to know how you feel."

"I feel terrible," Dani said. "I hate myself right now. I hate what I did, I hate that I hurt you and I wish I wasn't so stupid. You deserve much better than me."

"Finally, I agree with you."

"But please give me a chance, Greg. I'll never make that mistake again. It's no excuse, but I was confused. Now you can know that I love you, though, because I came home to you. I choose you over Bryce, and over every other man on the face of the planet! I know what I have and I will never leave that again."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because we're not over, Greg," Dani said. "I know we're not done."

"I'm this close to calling it off."

"But you're not," Dani whispered. She hopped off the bed and took Greg's hands in hers, "You didn't call it off and I know you still care about me."

"Don't you dare…!"

"You showed up!" Dani shouted, "You thought something happened to me and you care enough to waste your time to come all the way here!"

"I should walk away," Greg growled quietly.

"You should," Dani nodded. "I love you Greg. I'd do anything for you. But if you really don't love me anymore, you'll turn around, walk away and never come back."

Greg looked down at Dani, contemplating his decision.


	183. Greg's Cardiomyopathy

Greg walked into the waiting room, finding Hayden and Flynn waiting for him. He marched straight over to them, wanting to get this over with.

"I know what I did," he told them. "It occurred to me on my way over. I'm really sorry."

"That's going to fix it?" Flynn asked Greg. "I feel for you, lad, I really do, but you could have destroyed two relationships."

"I know," Greg nodded, lowering his head. Hayden took Flynn's hand.

"Is it really his fault?" she asked. "Dani's the one who made the mistake… and I believed him. We should have known better."

"You were protecting Adeline," Flynn said. "I would have done the same. He's the one who planted the thoughts in your head."

"Flynn's right," Greg said to Hayden. He turned back to the Blue Ranger while pulling off his glasses, "You can punch me if you want."

Flynn made a fist, but gently punched his friend's arm.

"Normally I would have taken you up on that offer," Flynn said. "But I get it. Consider yourself lucky, golden boy."

Greg chuckled, "I can't say I do. Are you two okay?"

"We're still talking through some issues," Hayden nodded. "But I think we'll survive."

She paused for a moment, wondering if it was okay to ask about his relationship. She understood he was hurt. It wasn't an easy thing to deal with, betrayal. In a sense, Hayden had already lived through something similar. Back when they were fighting the Venjix, Flynn, Mike and her mother went behind her back and plotted her death. The reasoning behind it was different, but that didn't change the way Hayden felt.

She decided to play it safe, "You're probably with your parents, but if you need a place to stay…"

"Thanks."

"Just no talking to my wife in my absence," Flynn joked, though his expression made it seem like he was completely serious. He placed his hand on Greg's shoulder, grabbing it in a strong grip. "We don't want another misunderstanding."

"Not going to happen," Greg nodded.

"If you need me to talk some sense into Dani," Hayden said, "I know all her weak points. I can make her squirm."

"I think she's done enough squirming," Greg breathed, looking down at his shoes.

"If it helps, I think she's really sorry about what she did," Flynn said.

Hayden nodded, "I've never seen her like this. And I know Dani, if you let her, she can be extremely loyal."

"My parents said the same thing," Greg chuckled. "I've already made up my mind though."

"About… the future?"

"Yeah," Greg answered, "She gave me the choice to stay or walk."

"What did you choose?" Flynn asked.

Greg put his hands in his pockets, "I want a little more time before I tell people," he said. "Not to make them wait or anything… I just need to figure myself out and what I want, for a change. It'll be easier to do on my own. I know if I tell people I'll get a bunch of advice and mixed messages."

Flynn and Hayden exchanged looks before turning back to Greg with small, caring smiles. Hayden hugged him.

"Well, whatever you choose… as long as you think it's for the best, we support you."

Greg smiled back, "Thanks," he pulled out his wallet, "I've got to go to the cafeteria. I haven't eaten a proper meal in ages."

-Afterlife-

Ben pulled on his hat, making sure it was still on his head as a cold winter breeze blew. He shivered as he stood on a doorstep. He checked to make sure the address matched with the one on his paper before ringing the bell. After another moment of waiting in the cold, the door opened and a little pirate stood, looking up at him.

"Who are you?" Christian asked before Dustin walked up behind him. Ben recognised him and smiled, holding out his hand.

"Ben from the Underwater world," he said. "I came to see Kaylee. I've got some news for her."

Dustin nodded, stepping aside to let the man in. Samantha had told him and Kaylee all about what happened at Storm Chargers and how John seemed to be the only Underwater human who had a problem with the surface dwellers. He also knew that John's fate after the incident had been pending for a while now as Scott, Colonel Truman and Vasquez tried to find the right course of action to make sure that John received what was coming to him, but that there would be eternal peace between the two "nations".

Dustin led Ben into the living room where Christian had already returned to continue playing pirates with his mother. Kaylee was clearly dressed up as the captain, and the couch had been turned into a pirate ship.

Ben couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the sight. Kaylee hopped off the couch and shook his hand. She pulled off her hat.

"The only good thing about dying," she joked. "I get more time with my son."

"Glad we could help with that," Ben nodded. "I just wanted to update you guys on John, though you may have already heard the news."

Kaylee shook her head, "Uh, not really. Sam and Scott have been busy with the pregnancy and Engel, and I don't know where the hell my other daughter's been lately."

Christian tugged on his mother's pants, "C'mon, mommy! The landflubbers are coming!"

"Lubbers," Kaylee smiled. She lifted Christian up on the couch, "Take over for me, first mate. I've got business to deal with."

"I can't fight them by myself!"

Kaylee looked around the house for something to help Christian. Karly choose that moment to finally reappear inside the living room. Kaylee tossed her hat and it landed right on the cat's head. Karly looked up.

"This is why I stay away from humans," she breathed as Christian rushed over. He picked her up and carried her back to the couch.

"We're pirates," he told the cat. "We're sailing on the seven seas trying to find gold and the evil landflubbers are racing us to the gold. We have to make sure we get there first."

"I'm a cat," Karly said. "We don't like water."

"Too bad," Kaylee said. "Humour him for five minutes."

She turned back to Ben, "We only have three and a half minutes before she tries to eat him again. Make this quick."

"Your cat talks," Ben frowned.

"My cat's extremely independent and hateful towards the human species in general," Kaylee nodded. "She'll protect my kids like she would her own litter, but she will also claw them to death if they step over the boundaries. Chris makes a habit of it. So you were saying?" Kaylee rushed out, giving Ben the impression that she wasn't kidding about the cat eating the young boy.

"Well, the Commander's decided to put John to work," Ben said, "He'll be doing community service to help build the new city and he'll be under constant supervision."

"Community service?" Dustin frowned, "That's how you'll teach him a lesson? He doesn't care that your people killed Kaylee, and he threatened to snap my niece's neck!"

"And kidnapped our granddaughter," Kaylee added. She looked at Ben, "He's done a lot to our family… but I think this is the right call. Prison would probably only bring out the violence in him. It's probably for the best."

Dustin turned to Kaylee, "The best?"

"The best," she nodded. "I hate him as much as you do but in the long run, I think this is what's really going to help John."

"MOMMY! She's attacking me!"

Kaylee turned only to see Christian backing away from Karly as she black and white cat hissed. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm coming."

"Stupid humans," Karly muttered, shaking the hat off her head before striding off. "This is why I'm never home."

"Don't forget who leaves a bowl of food by the backdoor for when you get hungry," Kaylee called. Karly stopped in her tracks and turned around. "That can stop at anytime if you're such an independent kitty."

Karly rushed back to her owner and started rubbing her leg, "I love you, human. I really love you," she purred.

Kaylee laughed, "Cats."

-Afterlife-

Leanne paid for the drink in her hand before spotting Greg sitting alone in the cafeteria with two sandwiches at the table. She thanked the cashier before making her way over and sitting down.

"Dani's ready to go home," she told him, "If you're the one taking her home."

Greg looked up, "Don't you have a birth or surgery to get too?"

"In half an hour," she nodded. "Even superwoman takes a break every once in a while."

Greg laughed and shook his head, "You're not superwoman."

"Before you came along I was," Leanne smirked. "In fact, before you came along, your mother and I were the real geniuses of the family. Now I think we're giving you and Maddie the jobs. You've been smarter than me since day one, and Maddie's outsmarting me every morning."

"I heard she was NewTech's new genius."

"She's spending more time in Corinth," Leanne smiled, "ever since we signed her up in Corinth High. She spends more time in this city than she does home. Though there is a boy in the picture that could be why."

Greg stayed silent. He played with the one sandwich that was opened and hand a bit taken out of it. Leanne assumed that one was his. She wasn't sure about the other one though. He was a boy with an appetite, but it looked like he was barely able to really get started on the first, never mind think about starting a second. There had to of been a reason he had bought it if he was going to eat it.

"Well, seeing as I have a true genius with me, I think I might ask a few questions."

"If it's about Dani then you should know I'm not going to answer them," Greg answered automatically. He looked up suddenly, "Unless it's urgent."

"I was going to ask why you guys always turn up on my Corinth shifts," Leanne frowned. "But now that you mention it…"

"Is it urgent?"

"What happened?" Leanne ignored Greg's request. She was curious, not as Dani's doctor, but as her and Greg's Aunt. If something was troubling them, she wanted to know if she could help.

"It doesn't matter; I've made up my mind."

"You're staying with Dani, then?" Leanne asked. Greg's head shot up almost as soon as the words left her mouth. He stared at her.

"What makes you say that?" he frowned. Leanne shrugged.

"Just the feeling I've been getting," she said. "You're still here, even though you're mad at her, and you still care about her."

"Who says I do," Greg asked. He hated how people were constantly assuming that he still cared about Dani. She broke his heart.

"You showed up," Leanne shrugged, echoing Dani. Greg was floored. When the dust settled, he was going to have to make sure that his family didn't have a telepathic way of communicating. Hayden and Flynn were sounding like his parents, and Leanne was coping Dani word for word.

"I thought something happened to her," Greg breathed. "The hospital called and said she was here, and the lady at the desk told me she had been in an accident. I thought she was really hurt or dead. Turns out, it was another lie."

"Another lie?"

"She slept with another man," Greg said. "She cheated on me with a man in her class."

"That doesn't sound like Dani."

"She said she was confused."

"Okay, that's sounding a little more like Dani," Leanne laughed. Greg shot her a serious look. The laughter stopped.

"Right, you're suffering, my bad," she said. She looked at her nephew, "I'm not taking her side or anything but… is that it?"

Greg scoffed, "What?"

"Well, I mean, you're making out like the whole time you've been married she's been sleeping with this other man. It was just the one time, right?"

"As far as I know," Greg nodded. "She also kissed Flynn."

"I wouldn't be angry about that," Leanne said. "Cam kissed Tori once. It was more embarrassing for them than anything else. It's not like that would have meant something."

"Fine, whatever. But you don't sleep with someone without it meaning anything."

"It's called being a whore."

"So my wife's a whore?"

"She's one step closer than the rest of us," Leanne laughed. A moment of silence passed before Leanne placed her hand on Greg's, squeezing it gently, "Look, kid. I've had my heart broken too. I know what you're going through. But you guys aren't like every other nineteen year old couple. You two are married. Like it or not, you've made a commitment to each other to spend the rest of your lives together. The choice is yours, but do you want my honest opinion?"

"You're going to give it to me anyways," Greg shrugged.

"If you walk out on Dani you're the one breaking your vows," Leanne said. "The way I see it, she never stopped loving you. Better or worse, sickness and in health, she's always been by your side. You've had your fair share of hardships and Dani's always been there to pull you through. It was only a little while ago that you feel into your state of depression and that little 'whore' put up with your smelly, depressing ass for weeks. Now she's the one sinking. You owe it to her, yourself and your marriage to at least try and fix things before you even think about giving up. She was wrong to cheat and she knows it, but she also knows she's more than lucky to have you. I doubt she'll ever forget that."

Leanne caught a glance at her watch and stood up, grabbing her juice to drink it on the way back to the emergency wards.

Greg looked up, "Leanne," he called. She turned around, slowly walking backwards. He smiled at her, "I had already made up my mind… but thanks. You're right."

Leanne offered him a comforting smile. As she turned around, she whispered to herself, "One stress cardiomyopathy diagnosed and healed all while on break. I think I am superwoman!"


	184. Living With or Without

Dustin turned off the TV when he noticed Kaylee was starting to fall asleep. Christian had only gone to bed an hour ago, and it seemed Kaylee wasn't far behind. She had rested her head on Dustin's lap and started drifting off from there. Dustin tried worming his way out from underneath her without waking her up. If he were a few years younger he would have scooped her up and carried her upstairs, but he was starting to admit defeat. He didn't like it, but his body was getting older. He had to settle with leaving her on the couch until she was awake enough to drag herself up to bed. He could, however, make her comfortable.

He supported her head as he reached for a pillow before he gently inserted it between the cushion and Kaylee's head. He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and made sure it covered her feet before kissing her goodnight. She was out like a light.

Dustin wasn't ready for bed yet. Being a former Power Ranger, he needed to walk around the house and make sure everything was safe. He checked that the doors were locked; the windows were closed (and locked for those that could). He had to make sure nothing was left turned on and that both his wife and son were sleeping peacefully and safely.

With his bedtime inspection complete, Dustin could make his way to his bedroom. His feet dragged on the floor and he could feel his eyelids drooping, but he managed to crash on the bed before crashing into anything else. He was too lazy to sit up and change into his warm pyjamas, so he kicked off his socks and pants. He pulled up the blankets, stuffed himself underneath and sighed contently.

He reached over to the end table and grabbed the light so he could flick it off when his tired eyes noticed the little pharmacy that was Kaylee's medication. He kept it on his side so he could make sure she didn't forget to take anything, and so that Kaylee wouldn't take any medication while half asleep.

It was unfair, he always thought, since the day he had been told that his wife was dying. Kaylee had done so much for this earth. Sure, at one point she let it be destroyed, but never completely and unintentionally. And since then she had done a lot of good as ruler of the world. The job came with risks, though and Kaylee, being Kaylee, couldn't delegate the risks to anyone else. Corinth was her city, this was her planet. She was in charge of keeping everyone else safe. She couldn't ask her team to do anything she would do and that was now proven. She put her life on the line for her city and died (eventually).

Dustin couldn't help but think of the what-ifs. There was nothing he could do about Kaylee being chosen to be a Power Ranger over and over again, but when the Venjix started attacking the planet, he could have stepped in. He could have taken his role as the man and made sure nothing happened to his wife and daughter. He could have taken the burden off her shoulders and started running this city.

Maybe, just maybe, he would have been the one to go explore the waters. And maybe, just maybe, things would be different. He could be the one dying and Kaylee would be okay. He could carry this burden and this giant question that was "_how long?"_. He could let Kaylee live the long life she deserved, with a family that she loved, while he watched from heaven, or the spirit world, or whatever was still up there.

He knew the good died young but it wasn't fair. It felt like the world had been using her all this time. That she was only born to fight monsters, and now that that task was done, it didn't need her anymore. The Earth was throwing her away like she was a used napkin and there was nothing anyone could do to stop in. In this moment, Dustin could actually see the Earth getting ready to toss Kaylee into an enormous garbage bin, where she would join Master Engel and Master Guinn in the land of always missed, never truly remembered. If he was lucky, maybe Samantha would still remember how great she was.

At some point, while he was washed away in his thoughts, he had grabbed one of Kaylee's pill containers and he started playing with it. Twisting the childproof top around, and around, and flipping the entire container so the pills made that ticking-clicking sound when they hit the sides. It disgusted him. This was what her life was now. Different pills everyday so she could keep living. She had to live her last few years addicted to medicine that wouldn't do anything for her health except keep her heart pumping, her brain working and her lungs breathing for a little longer.

It made Dustin sick. His temper flared and he tossed the little contain across the room. It didn't smash against the wall, but it hit it rather roughly. Dustin was sure there was at least a crack in the container; his way of saying _"fuck you, world!"_

He was about to grab another container when he noticed the door was open. Kaylee, with her blanket draped over her shoulders, was awake and coming up to bed. Quietly, he put the container back down, hoping she hadn't seen or heard him throwing the first one.

If she had, Kaylee didn't let him know. She shed the blanket as she crawled up into the bed. She wormed her way in under the blankets, hit her pillow twice to fluff it, and rolled over so she was facing Dustin before cuddling up against him. Dustin smiled, wrapping his arm around her. He sunk back down slightly so his head was back on his pillow. He wrapped his other arm around her so he could hold her close as he gazed down at his wife. Her blonde locks were scattered across the side of her face, so he gently brushed them away. Beneath it, Kaylee's sleeping figure seemed as peaceful as ever. Dustin squeezed her gently, kissed her forehead, before shutting his eyes.

-Afterlife-

Greg walked into the Garage with a frying pan of eggs in his one hand, and a plate in the other. With his foot he gently shook Dani awake. She rolled over before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She looked over at Greg with a yawn.

Greg dumped the eggs on a plate before handing it to Dani, "I half expected you to be up before the alarm clock," he told her.

Dani checked the time, realising she had somehow slept through her 6:00 am wake up. She wanted to get up early and make breakfast for Greg.

"No…" she grumbled. "I wanted to do this for you."

Greg shrugged, "I was up a little earlier and turned off your alarm," he told her. "You needed to sleep and I was up already."

Dani looked down at her plate, feeling guilty. Greg wasn't supposed to be taking care of her. In fact, she was floored that he had let her back into the house. Although she was sleeping on the couch, that was her own doing. Even after everything she had done to him, he still offered to let her take the bed. It was either chivalry, which made Dani feel guilty, or he was trying to test her, which made Dani feel guilty. He shouldn't have had to do either. They should have been sleeping together.

Hell, she should have been outside in the freezing cold, on her knees, begging for Greg to open the front door.

"You didn't have to do this," she whispered. Greg handed her a fork.

"Well, most of me still wants us to live," he told her. "I doubt that was going to happen with you in the kitchen. If you didn't blow it up, something was going to be toxic."

"Just leave me in the kitchen and run," Dani muttered.

"Where's the fun in that?" Greg asked. "Before I let you take your own life, I want to see where we're going."

Dani took a few bites of the eggs before handing the plate back to Greg. She pulled on her sweater and got to her feet.

"I guess I'll look for a place… though it might be better if you move out," Dani turned back to Greg. "If I could, I would move the Garage and let you live here but that's just…"

"Dani, I've been thinking," Greg interrupted. He did kind of love that Dani was beating herself up, but he didn't want her to take it too far. "Leanne was right, yesterday. I owe you a chance to explain what happened. You never abandoned me."

"You never cheated on me."

"I nearly killed you," Greg muttered, looking down at the plate in his hands before placing it on the end table beside the couch. He sat next to his wife. "Twice, actually. Both times there was a Virus in the world I played a part in unleashing it. The first time you ran away with your parents and made it to NewTech before you were killed and the second time…"

"The Gold Ranger," Dani chuckled.

"I was him."

"You didn't control him, though," Dani said. "He just needed you. He was in control. He was making you do what you did. I can't let you take the blame for that."

"That's just it, Dani," Greg sighed. "You have this way of forgiving me _before_ I do something dangerous or stupid. I should at least try to forgive you after you apologize."

Greg took her hands, "I'm ready to listen," he told her. "What was your gold Ranger?"

"I was silver," Dani frowned.

Greg shook his head and sighed. Same old Dani.

"No, I mean, what was controlling you? How did the Gold Ranger make you want to cheat on me?"

Dani looked at her hands nervously. They were still intertwined with Greg's, "Oh… I… I don't know how to explain it."

"Yes you do," Greg said. "You can explain it and you will. Please, Dani, this forgiveness thing goes two ways. You have to let me forgive you."

"I never wanted to cheat on you," Dani started with a little hope that it would soften the blow. "I just got confused for a moment. I fell in love with you when I was fifteen. I had just turned eighteen when we got married. I know you're not that far ahead, but after the kiss with Flynn… I felt like something was off."

Greg bit his tongue; "Go ahead," he forced himself to say, even though this was really starting to sting.

"I met with Bryce at the store. We started flirting and… I liked it. I brought him home to help him with his project and things were already in the bedroom. That was where we were working."

"The sheets are burned," Greg nodded. "Keep going."

"He just started. At first I hesitated but… he talked me into it. We were right in the middle of it when I realised that something felt really off. I pushed him away, went and found my wedding ring, and told him I couldn't do this."

"He didn't know you were married?"

Dani shook her head, "At most I think he thought Flynn was my boyfriend. My ring fell off in my glove and I just never thought to put it back on."

"But he still knew you were attached and…"

"He didn't make the mistake, I did," Dani said. "I take full blame. I'm the married woman. His game was as fair as cheating teenagers can get. I played dirty… literally."

Greg looked away for a moment, "What made you remember?" he asked.

"It wasn't you," Dani finally looked at her husband. "I know it doesn't mean much, but the entire time I felt guilty. I knew what I was doing and I didn't want to do it… but I wanted to know if I did really love you."

"It's a stupid way of finding out."

"It is," Dani nodded. "If I could go back, I wouldn't do it. I would stop myself and I would talk to you about the way I was feeling instead. If I had one trip into the past…"

"Wow, you're choosing me over saving your Aunt," Greg chuckled, just jokingly. Dani took it seriously. She threw herself into his arms.

"Of course!" she cried. "I love you more than anything. I'll learn to live without Aunt Kaylee… even my parents when the time comes… but I already know I can't live without you."

Dani held onto Greg tight, like if she let go, even in the slightest, she would lose him. The tears were streaming down her face.

"I made a mistake. Of all the stupid things I've done, this was the stupidest. I want to take it all back, I really, really do. I wish it never happened and we could be married again. I'm really sorry."

Greg let out a deep breath. He struggled to get out of Dani's grasp, only so he could hold her properly and tell her everything was alright; that they would make it. Dani, however, thought he was pulling away from her. She thought he didn't like her excuse and he was going to leave. She crashed forward on the couch, her face pressed against the cushion as she sobbed loudly. She kicked and screamed, thinking this was the end. She couldn't feel that Greg was still on the couch, and her mind was playing tricks on her. She could hear him walking away. He was only a few steps from the door when she felt him grabbing her. He lifted her off the couch and pulled her into him, swallowing her in his arms.

"Shh," he hushed her gently while stroking her hair, "Dani, it's okay."

"No, it's not!" Dani shouted, trying to push Greg away. "It's stupid. It's a stupid excuse!"

"It was a stupid mistake," Greg assured her. He held her tight, "Dani, I'm not leaving. I'm hurt, angry, upset, feeling betrayed… but I'm not leaving. We'll work though this."

Dani shook her head but Greg placed his hands on the sides of her face. He looked her in the eyes.

"I've imagined myself leading that double life," he told her. "I've thought about going to bars to see what's out there. I know what you were going through."

"But I…"

"I never cheated," Greg nodded. "But we were young. Maybe we should have waited a little longer. But we can't go back. We're in this for life. We might as well make it work."

Dani hugged her husband, happy she could still call him that.

"I don't deserve you," she whispered in his ear.

"Then you'll appreciate this a lot more," he whispered back, kissing her cheek. "We're stuck together, Dan. You better get used to it."

"I will," she nodded. "I'll never hurt you again, I promise!"

-Afterlife-

Dustin was surprised that Kaylee was already up and dressed. She had taken Christian to school and made Dustin breakfast before he was awake.

"I turned off your alarm," Kaylee whispered when her husband joined her on the couch. "You seemed tired."

Dustin yawned, "I had a hard time falling asleep. When I finally did I didn't sleep well. The nightmares bothered me."

"Same ones?" Kaylee asked him. Dustin nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah."

"I've still got ten years," Kaylee told him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Dustin wrapped his arms around her.

"They'll only get worse," he kissed her cheek. "What are you doing up so early? You were exhausted last night. You crashed as soon as your head hit the pillow."

"I had a nightmare too," Kaylee whispered, "One long nightmare."

"About?"

"What might happen."

"It'll happen peacefully," Dustin said. "I'll make sure of it, Kayl. It'll be as painless as possible."

"Not that," Kaylee shook her head, "After. You and the kids don't cope. Poor Summer was so distressed she had a miscarriage."

Dustin frowned, "Kayl, her kid will be in school long before…"

"It's a nightmare, they don't follow logic. My brain just knows she pregnant now," Kaylee said.

"Samantha's baby?" Dustin asked hesitantly. He cared for Summer and her child, but Samantha was his real daughter.

"Brain didn't register that yet," Kaylee chuckled. "She's only a few months in."

"At least she's safe," Dustin smiled. Kaylee smiled back before her face returned to serious. She hugged Dustin.

"Promise me that when I do die, you and the kids will move on."

"Kayl…"

"I'm not asking you to forget me," Kaylee whispered. "Just… move on. Do what you would normally do. You can even go out and start dating if you want. Find Mrs. Almost-Right."

"I can't…"

"Just be happy," Kaylee said. "I want you, the kids and the grandkids to all be happy and never feel guilty, okay?"

Dustin hugged her, "Okay, I promise."

"Good," Kaylee smiled. She gently punched Dustin in the chest, "I was serious about the Mrs. _ALMOST_-Right, though. No replacing me."

"Never will," Dustin laughed, "Never thought about it."

Kaylee gasped, "You were just going to be lonely after I died? That's mean!" she punched him again, "I take that back, date anyone! Find the new Mrs. Right! Date my sister if you want!"

"You're sister's ma…"

"I'll take Blake with me!" Kaylee said before giggling, "Ooh…"

"No," Dustin frowned, shaking his head; "You're not killing Blake."

"Way to take the fun out of dying," Kaylee grumbled before cuddling up against her husband. "Just promise me you'll take care of everyone, including yourself, when I die."

"I promise," Dustin nodded. He kissed her, "You just focus on living."

"I will," Kaylee said. She kissed Dustin's cheek before jumping it, "Starting with my first dying Christmas. It'll be the most amazing Christmas ever! And we're going to host it right here!"

Dustin groaned, "Oh no."

"Yes! Every time, from Ninja Storm to RPM and all our friends and will be right in this very house on Christmas day!"

"Can't you just die like a normal person?"

Kaylee looked at her husband with a serious gaze, "No," she grabbed his arm, pulling him off the couch, "C'mon, lazy bones. We have decorations to buy and presents to wrap!"

Dustin could barely keep up with his wife, "Please, just take her now," he prayed, "before she really gets going."

Kaylee stopped in her tracks and turned to Dustin, eyes wide, "FIREWORKS!"

"No!"

"Yes! Green and Red fireworks!"

"We live in a dome!"

"Not my problem anymore!" Kaylee bounced to the front door, "Where's my credit card?"


	185. Kindness Is The Best Revenge

Samantha and Scott snickered happily as they laid on the bed with the blankets pulled up over their head. Samantha was being so loud that Scott had to cover her mouth for her.

"Shh," he giggled, "you don't want her to hear us, do you?"

Samantha whispered under his hand, "Sorry."

Suddenly, their bedroom door swung open and little Engel bounced happily around the room.

"SNOW!" she screaming but a giggle was evident in her voice. "Scotty! Mommy! SNOW!"

She bounced over to the window, trying to get another good look outside, "Look! SNOW! SNOW!"

She turned to her parent's bed and dashed over, hopping up before jumping on the bed. Underneath, Scott and Samantha had to pay really close attention so their daughter didn't jump on their legs.

"SNOW!" Engel screamed excitedly, "SNOW! It snowing out, mommy! SNOW!"

The lack of response finally reached Engel's ears and the bouncing stopped. She turned to the head of the bed. Her shoulders drooped forward and her lip started to quiver when she saw her parents weren't in bed. There were no heads on the pillows, and as far as she could tell, no bodies under the blankets.

"Mommy? Scotty?"

Under the blankets, Scott did a silent countdown with his fingers, holding them up so Samantha could see as well. As soon as his last finger dropped, both parents sprang up, throwing off the blankets.

"Boo!" they called out gently, so as not to scare Engel too much. Engel jumped backwards and fell onto her butt from the surprise. She looked at her parents in horror as the surprise registered. Her lip continued to quiver.

"Uh-oh," Scott frowned. He was about to reach for her when Engel jumped up.

"SNOW! It snowing out! Look! Look!"

Engel grabbed her step-father's already outstretched hand and crawled off the bed, pulling him with her. She guided him to the window and pointed.

"Snow!" she giggled.

Scott picked up her so she could have a better look at the snow covered city. Though she was a big girl, almost three years old, her head only just came under the windows in the house.

"I know," Scott smiled. "It came early this year, just for you!"

"Santa?" Engel asked. "He give me snow?"

Samantha got out of bed and walked over, joining her family by the window. She wrapped one arm around Scott's waist as she kissed Engel good morning.

"Not Santa," Scott smirked. "Someone very special, who loves you very much."

"DADDY!" Engel grinned, throwing her hands up. Samantha looked at Scott. He seemed disappointed.

"Not daddy," she laughed, resting her head on Scott's shoulder, "Someone else."

"Who?"

"Someone in this very room."

"Mommy?"

"Close."

Engel thought as she looked around the room, and Scott could have sworn she was doing this on purpose. He had wanted to surprise her with an early snowfall this year. Normally the snow didn't start falling in Corinth until the start of winter, right before Christmas. But this year he was in charge.

And this year was special. His wife was pregnant and his step-daughter was turning three in a matter of days. She was a big girl, and for the next few years the snow would be a cold blessing. Now that she was part of the big kids, she could get out there and enjoy it. She could build her first snowman, make her first snow angel and build her first snow fort.

Scott wanted to help with the latter. He remembered when he was three and on the first snowfall he and his brother had rushed outside, before breakfast, and they had made an amazing snow fort. He hoped he could do the same with Engel, but on her birthday.

Of course, there were still a few days until then, but Scott had ordered the snow a little early for another reason. Today was Dani's birthday. He doubted she really remembered with everything that had been going on with her.

It had been a crazy year for Dani and Greg. They survived amnesia, a wedding, the honeymoon from hell, Dani's racing career with a dirt bag named SPEED, a second computer virus that wanted to end the world and finally, the one Scott had just learned about through the grapevine, Dani cheating.

He figured they deserved a little something special, the two metallic Rangers. Hopefully this was what they needed.

-Afterlife-

With a breakfast tray resting on the bed beside him, Greg leaned over his wife and gently started blowing on her cheek. Dani eyes started moving under her eyelids, but she wasn't about to wake up. Greg blew again.

"Dani," he whispered, glancing over at the breakfast tray to make sure nothing had been knocked over. He turned back to Dani and blew on her cheek again, "Dan, wakey wakey."

Dani's hand was lifted before she started swatting him away, "Leave," she muttered. "Dani's trying to sleep."

Greg knew he was going to have to try harder. He lowered himself a little more and blew in her ear. Dani tried swatting him away again so Greg blew harder, almost to the point of spitting. Dani finally rolled over, opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

Greg smiled as he reached for the breakfast tray and presented it to her. Dani sat up and smiled.

"You didn't have to do this," she said.

"I can't celebrate my wife's birthday?" Greg smiled. He placed the tray on her lap, "What kind of a husband would I be if I didn't celebrate with you?"

"The kind that's just been cheated on," Dani suggested. She turned to Greg and kissed him, "Thank you, really… but I wasn't even going to celebrate."

"It's not every day you turn nineteen, Dani."

"But every year I do get a birthday. I don't mind if you want to go back to just trying to make this work."

"I'm not trying," Greg said. "You gave me breakfast in bed for my birthday… followed by a little more time in bed. This is the least I can do."

"You can do less."

Greg grabbed the toast and stuffed it in Dani's mouth, "Just eat," he laughed, kissing her cheek as she tried swallowing her food. "I worked hard. Appreciate it."

"I do," Dani nodded.

"That's what I like to hear," Greg laughed before bouncing out of bed. "When you're done, bring the tray to the garage. I've got a present for you."

"I didn't think you'd get me anything."

"I'm not a last minute shopper, Dani," Greg frowned. "You better be thankful for that. I got this before Bryce ever showed up."

With that said, Greg offered his wife one last smile before disappearing from the bedroom. Dani looked down at the tray on her lap and leaned her head back against the wall. Today shouldn't have been her birthday. Today should have been the day she continued to try and win Greg back.

Instead, he was still playing perfect husband. She hated him for it because it made her feel even guiltier. She loved that things worked out, but it was because they worked out that she was starting to really hate herself.

She looked in the mirror across from hers and Greg's bed and spotted the healing scars on her face and upper body. Even though she had suffered as a result of what she did, she felt she hadn't suffered enough.

Greg wasn't good for her, he was too good.

-Afterlife-

Dustin watched as his wife hung up decoration after decoration. They had been up all night, trying to get everything done inside the house before they got started on outside and the fireworks. Kaylee wanted her Christmas party before Christmas, so her guests could spend the actual holiday with their immediate families.

"You know, not only is sleep essential to a healthy body, but it's also vital to a sick body."

Kaylee pressed her hand to her forehead, "I don't feel sick. Am I warm?"

She walked over to Dustin, waiting for him to feel her head. Dustin shook his head.

"I didn't mean…" he paused when he looked at Kaylee and sighed, "Never mind. Maybe I'm the one getting sick."

"I told you and Christian to dress warmly yesterday, but you didn't listen."

"I didn't know it was the day before the first snowfall!"

"And it's because men don't know these that they get married. You need to trust out judgement."

Kaylee held out her hand, "I need another ball."

Dustin looked down at the bucket resting beside him.

"Um, red, green, yellow or blue?"

"Green," Kaylee said, without thinking. Dustin looked up.

"Dude, you've got like, three green balls in that one corner," he frowned, "Are you sure…?"

"Right, sorry. Twenty years and it's still my colour," Kaylee laughed. She looked up at the corner, "Um, do we have… damn, we don't have pink, do we?"

"Red, green, yellow or blue?" Dustin asked again.

"Fine, red," Kaylee frowned. Dustin held up the red ball and Kaylee took it from him. She glared at it, "Maybe if I bleach you…"

"Kayl, there's no pink in Christmas."

"There's no yellow or blue either, dirt boy," Kaylee pointed out. "We've just got too many primary coloured ornaments because we're freaking Power Rangers!"

Kaylee grumbled to herself, "Stupid career choice…"

Dustin scratched his head, "Dude, Christmas is like, Jesus, right?"

"Duh," Kaylee looked down at her husband as she climbed up the ladder to hand the final Christmas ball. "Where have you been living?"

"Well, Jesus was a boy. And don't we wrap boys in blue blankets."

"I don't think they worked that way back then."

"And didn't they live in like, desertville?" Dustin asked. "And sand is yellow."

"So?"

"So, my point is, yes, there is blue and yellow in Christmas."

Kaylee blinked as she leaned against the wall. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Dustin, nowadays, the only blue and yellow you'll see around Christmas is the temperature and snow piss."

"Or, I could get Tori and Lily to dance around you all night," Dustin chuckled. "You'll be seeing blue and yellow until you pass out."

Kaylee looked at her husband, "They wouldn't do that," her look turned into a look of worry, "You wouldn't make them do that, would you?"

Dustin shook his head as he stood up and walked over to Kaylee. He held his hand out to help her down the ladder.

"Of course not," he chuckled, "No yellow's going to dance around you but me."

Kaylee frowned before smacking Dustin in the chest, "Help me finish, will you."

Dustin looked around, "Dude, every corner of this house has been Christmasfied. There's no way you can fit anymore decorations… anywhere."

"There's still the tree."

"What?" Dustin frowned. He shook his head, "No, we're not decorating that without the girls."

Kaylee smiled, "I know. I'll get Hayden, Flynn and Addie if it's the last thing I do."

"Hopefully it's not."

"You work on Sam, Scott and Engel."

"They won't want to come over on the first snowfall. This is Addie's first winter and I doubt we'll be able to keep Engel inside."

Kaylee turned to her husband with a serious look. She was not amused by his refusal to cooperate with her Christmas planning.

"Tell them they have to help trim the tree, or I'm going to find something else to trim. And it won't be pretty."

Dustin saluted his wife, "On it, boss. Can we have breakfast and a nap first?"

Kaylee checked her watch and placed her hand on her stomach, "Good plan."

-Afterlife-

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, Dani's in the way," Flynn sang as he placed his foot on Dani's board and rolled her out of his way. Dani, who was lying on her back under a car, was surprised when she was suddenly staring up at the ceiling.

"I know my job well enough to know that's not what I should be fixing," she frowned before sitting up. She looked at Flynn, "Why are you bugging me?"

"That'll take hours to repair," Flynn smiled. He pointed over his shoulder, "This next customer's a lot easier and better to work with."

"But this is my repair," Dani frowned.

"And today is your birthday. You don't deserve oil leaks and faulty engines."

Dani got up and ripped her gloves off, "I can't suffer with Greg, I can't suffer at work. Where the hell do I have to go if I want to get my hand slapped?"

She approached the front counter and grabbed a clipboard. Without looking up, she greeted her customers, "What can I help you with today?"

"Really? He's got you working today?" the customer chuckled. Dani finally looked up and smiled at her cousin and niece.

"Sammy. What brings you in today?"

"Snow tires," Samantha laughed. "Winter started early."

"Tell your husband and Vasquez it's a good move," Dani smirked. "Greg and I are going to have a snowball fight out back after work. Hopefully he'll attack me with ice balls."

"SNOW!" Engel squealed and smiled. She looked up at her Aunt, "There snow!"

Dani nodded at her niece before turning back to Samantha. The Angel shook her head.

"I heard what you did."

"Please be mad at me," Dani begged, leaning against the counter, "Please! Greg was only mad at me for, like, two days! Now he's all '_I forgive you_' and stuff and it's driving me crazy! I don't want him to hurt but… it feels weird."

"He forgave you like that?" Samantha frowned. "If Scott cheated on me he'd be out the door."

"I know! My life sucks! His parents are still talking to me! Aunt Leanne convinced him to come back to me! He made me breakfast in bed!"

"Send him to visit Scott. Engel and I have a birthday coming up."

"Why do you want a happy husband? It sucks!" Dani cried out and dramatically dropped her head on the counter. Samantha laughed, patting her friend's head.

"I didn't cheat. I deserve a good breakfast. And I'm carrying his child."

"Congratulations," Dani smiled for a brief moment. "Now please, hit me, punch me, pull my hair. Yell at me, kill me, I really don't care."

Samantha and Engel exchanged looks. Samantha turned back to her cousin.

"Boy, you are desperate for someone to be mad."

"That rhyme," Engel nodded.

Dani grabbed Samantha by the shirt, "Please help me."

Samantha contemplated her decision for a moment before hugging her cousin, "I love you."

"Not like that!" Dani shouted, pulling away. "Be angry!"

"Why? You deserve to suffer."

"Exactly!"

"So I'm not going to let you get what you want," Samantha shrugged. She pointed to her car, "I can bring it inside so you don't have to work in the cold, and if you finish early, I'll give you a huge tip."

"I'll take my time."

Samantha stroked her chin and turned to her daughter, "Engel, what are you supposed to do around Christmas time to make other people happy."

"Love?"

"Another word. Starts with a 'G'…"

"Generation?"

"Uh, generous," Samantha corrected. She turned to Dani, "I'll give you a huge tip anyways. So, do you want the fifty in one bill, or can I give you tens and twenties?"

Dani dropped her head onto the counter again, but this time continued to hit it.

"I hate my family. I'm getting paid for sleeping with another man."

"Ew," Samantha frowned. She pointed to the paper work, "Just change the tires on my car, birthday girl. I need it done before this afternoon. Mom and Dad want us to decorate their tree."

Dani grabbed her toolbox, "I'll get working. I don't know why I should help you though; you're being nice to me."

"Call it friendly service," Samantha smiled. She looked at Engel, "See, squirt, always be nice to bad people. It kills them."


	186. Kaylee's Christmas Decorations

Engel hopped out of her mother's car as soon as Samantha hoped the door and let her out of her car seat. She pulled her hat on over her head and started hopping in the snow that had fallen the night before. There were still flurries coming down but the snow had stopped coming down a while ago. The snow easily reached Engel's knees. The little girl examined it carefully as she stood on the cleared driveway. The perks of living in a small domed city was that there were plenty city men and few residential houses. Not many citizens needed to worry about shovelling their driveway.

Samantha walked around the back of the car and opened the trunk. She knew she was helping her parents decorate the Christmas tree and decided to bring the Christmas presents for the family over earlier. She needed a hand, but Engel was still too young and distracted to do much aside from jump in the snow.

The little Angel took a giant leap and planted her feet right into the white fluffy snow. She giggled at the crunching noise the snow made as she crushed it with her boots. She kicked her legs up, lifted her knees as she ran around, making tracks. Finally, she stopped, held her arms out at the side and fell back into the snow. She kicked her legs from side to side and waved her arms up and down, creating a snow angel like she learned in preschool earlier that day.

She stood up carefully and pointed to her angel as she looked at her mother, "Mommy, look! Angel!"

Samantha lifted a stack of presents from the truck and cast a smile in her daughter's direction. She couldn't see the snow angel, but she didn't want Engel to know that.

"Great job," she praised. "Can you go knock on grandma and granddude's door for mommy please?"

Engel nodded and ran for her grandparent's front door, lifting her feet over the snow so she could make her way across the yard. When she reached the door she knocked and then stood on her tip-toes to see if she was tall enough to reach the door bell.

The door opened and Hayden stepped out, smiling at her niece.

"You're so close," she encouraged before helping Engel with the last few inches. The little girl smiled as the doorbell went off.

Hayden welcomed Engel inside and helped her take off her hat and boots. Flynn and Dustin walked out of the house after hearing the doorbell and went to assist Samantha with the presents.

"Are you sure you should be carrying that much?" Dustin asked his pregnant daughter.

Samantha giggled, "Don't worry, dad, I didn't get you much. It's not heavy, just inconvenient."

"I'm sad to hear that," Dustin smiled as he and Flynn helped take a load off. The three walked inside and Samantha was in awe as she looked around. There were Christmas lights suspended around the top of the walls, lining the ceiling all over the house. Red, Green, Yellow and Blue Christmas balls were dangling from the ceiling, as well as various paper snowflakes that Kaylee, Dustin and Christian had spent hours cutting out. Cotton was stuck onto the top and the edge of all the furniture to make it look like it had snowed inside the house (it seemed to fool Engel and Adeline who were still trying to eat it, even with Hayden doing her best to discourage it).

There were Christmas reefs hung on various doors, including the front door. Lights were wrapped around the staircase handrail and little snowmen figurines sat on every other step, just out of the way so no one would accidentally trip down the stairs.

Scattered on the table tops, counters and anywhere with a flat surface were little Santas, snowmen, reindeer and village people. On the coffee table, a little Christmas village had been set up, completing the décor.

"Wow," Samantha breathed as she set the presents down. "This is…"

"Sweet!" Flynn nodded, patting his sister in-law on the back, "Wait until you see the bedrooms!"

"You decorated the bedrooms?" Samantha asked her father. Dustin chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, your mother kinda went all out this year. All the bedrooms are roomed-sized versions of the house. Especially ours."

"I wanted you guys to wake up to Christmas Wonderland!" Kaylee chirped as she walked into the front hall to greet her daughter.

"Wake up?" Samantha frowned. "Don't tell me you decorated our place while we were out."

"That would be foolish," Kaylee shook her head. "You and your sister are invited to stay over, at least for tonight. Your father and I are having a Christmas party tomorrow and we'd really like to have the entire family here for as long as possible."

"Say yes," Dustin begged his daughter. "Hayden's only staying if you are, and Christian and I are tired of being her little elves."

"Literally," Christian frowned as he came down the stairs in his elf costume. He looked at his mother, "It itches."

"You'll get used to it," Kaylee smiled.

"Scott, Flynn and the kids are welcome to stay over," Dustin continued.

Kaylee smacked the back of his neck, "Duh, I did say the entire family, didn't I? In-laws included."

"Don't invite your dad!" Samantha said immediately to Flynn, her eyes wide. "I don't need another Scottish-Irish Accent war."

"It's scary enough mom knows how to do the Irish one," Hayden frowned, glancing over from the living room. "The longer she and Mr. McAllistair are in the same room together, the more I fear she's going to pick up on the accent and I'll be surrounded by it."

"She won't leave Adeline alone with me or dad too long," Flynn chuckled. "She's scared she'll have the Scottish Accent and she'll be the odd one out."

"I have nightmares," Hayden whispered, loud enough so everyone could hear her of course. "They started after Flynn made me eat haggis and I enjoyed it!"

Samantha wrinkled her nose in disgusted. Flynn scoffed playfully.

"Oi, I'll get you to try it next time you're over. We'll see if you still make that face."

"She'll throw up!" Hayden warned her husband. "She's pregnant and it's not exactly… appetizing."

Samantha held her stomach gently, "Thank you, baby."

Kaylee shook her head, "Enough Scottish talk! You've all got to help decorate the tree. Every last one of you," she clapped her hands, "C'mon, get to you. You too Adeline, I don't want to see you napping all day. You're almost a big girl!"

"I help!" Engel smiled, running to the box of tree ornaments. She pulled out an Angel, "Where this go?"

-Afterlife-

Greg tried sneaking in back home so Daniela wouldn't see he was carrying a box, but he was caught before he could get to the back rooms when his wife looked up from her paperwork.

"What do you have there?" she asked suspiciously. She was being spoiled today and she didn't like it. She was supposed to suffer for what she did, not get treated like royalty.

"Nothing," Greg chimed, keeping his gaze from making contact with Dani's. "Just a box."

"A box from the store," Dani frowned. She approached her husband and read the tag on top. "A cake?"

"A special cake for my special wife," Greg nodded. He kissed her, "I know homemade stuff is usually better, but you suck at baking and all I can make are those cake mix cakes stuff. So I went out and decided to treat you."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope."

"C'mon, Greg. Do you really have to do this? I told you, there's nothing about this birthday that we can't celebrate next year. So I'm nineteen? Big deal!"

"It is a big deal," Greg nodded as he walked to the fridge before the cake was ruined. "You're another year older and another year wiser. That means you'll make less mistakes."

"I'll still make some," Dani grumbled. She turned to her husband, "But I'll never make that one mistake again. Just be mad for one more night. Please!"

"I can't," Greg smiled. "I've forgiven. It's easy to do when you're genuinely sorry. And don't try to tell me you're not. Actions speak louder than words."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Dani frowned, crossing her arms. Greg laughed and nodded.

"It is fun," he said. "And by spoiling you, I get to spoil myself. Our parents are coming for dinner. Your mom's making your favourite and my mom's making mine. We're having this huge feast."

"For my birthday?" Dani gasped.

"Partly, yeah," Greg nodded, "And they were so happy to hear we weren't breaking up they wanted to celebrate."

Dani blinked and turned back to the counter. She leaned over, rested her head against the top and buried it under her arms.

"Just shoot me."

"Oh, and tomorrow we're going to your Aunt's," Greg said. "Apparently she's having a huge Christmas party. She's inviting everyone."

Dani shot up and turned back to her husband. She blinked repeatedly and gasped for breath before finally getting out a few words.

"Exsqueeze me?"

"Christmas Party at your Aunt Kaylee's," Greg said, shrugging his shoulders as he started cleaning off the table.

"We can't go there! I'm allergic to ginger!"

"So?"

"Gingerbread houses, gingerbread cookies! Ginger Ale for when we've eaten too much!"

Greg frowned and there was a silence for a moment, "You're not allergic to ginger."

"After last year's Christmas party I am," Dani said.

Greg rolled his eyes. His wife was a little crazy sometimes, but that's what he loved about her. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing himself against her back. Dani had gone back to her paperwork and made no move towards Greg.

"Don't," was all she said. Greg shook his head and kissed her neck.

"It's your birthday; you're not going to work all night. And it's a Friday night! C'mon, help me set the table."

"I should really be…"

"Good grief, Dani," Greg sighed, shaking his head as he pulled away from her. "You deserve to suffer, but you're really taking it to the extreme, aren't you?"

"Cheaters are douche bags," Dani nodded. "I've always thought that. They deserve the worse from the people who love them. Why should I change my ideas just because I'm in that position now?"

"Are we going to play this game?" Greg asked. He looked at Dani, "You made love to another man. You didn't love another man. Hell, from what I gathered you guys hardly made love. You had shitty ingredients and you kinda went loosy-goosy with the recipe. That kinda just makes a burnt blob of love."

"Don't justify it."

"I'm not!" Greg said. "I hate what you did, but I don't hate you. Not anymore. As long as you never do this again, we don't have any problems."

"I can't just forget this, though," Dani frowned.

"Neither can I," Greg nodded, "and you know what? I'll never let you forget this. That's your punishment though. Living with your mistakes and the fact that you hurt me in a way Alphabet Soup and Venjix never could."

"Don't hold back," Dani muttered.

Greg walked back to Dani and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I want you to suffer, especially now. But not this much. Can we act like a truly happy couple for the rest of your birthday? Please?"

"We're not happy?" Dani frowned. She wasn't surprised, but it still hurt.

"Not especially happy," Greg nodded. He pulled her into a hug, "But given the circumstances I think we're going great."

He picked up her paperwork and stuffed them in a drawer, "Forget about this. Forget about work. Just let life run its course. You'll get what you deserve, I promise, and you'll really suffer."

Dani held up her hand and stuck out her pinkie, "Pinkie promise?"

Greg chuckled. This was the oddest promise he was ever going to make to his wife.

"Pinkie promise."

Dani smiled and kissed him before running to the cupboards. She pulled out the plates so she could start setting the table. Greg watched her for a moment before grabbing the placemats. His parents and the Marks weren't going to expect anything fancy, but they did deserve something a little classier than a garage.

"By the way, you're not getting much cake," he told her, "One small slice, that's it. Then I'm stealing whatever else you're going for."

Dani laughed, "Sounds fair."

"And if anything is burnt, that's yours. I get the good stuff."

-Afterlife-

Hayden laid awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. All the Christmas lights in the house were still turned on and they made it seem like it was still midday in the bedroom.

Adeline had no trouble sleeping with all the lights. In fact, they had kept her quiet the entire night. She was intrigued by the glow and all the different colours.

Hayden and Flynn weren't so lucky.

"That's it," Hayden whispered as she threw off the blankets and got out of bed. "I'm unplugging them."

"Good luck," Flynn muttered, rolling over and sticking his head under his pillow. "I tried when I put Adeline down. All of your outlets are empty."

Hayden followed the string of lights around the room several times until she finally found the end. Unfortunately, the end led her to a small hole that had been drilled into the wall separating her bedroom from Samantha's. With a growl, she marched to the door and swung it open. She was halfway to her sister's room when she nearly bumped into Samantha. The two girls growled at each other.

"Unplug it!" they whispered angrily. They looked at each other for a moment. "Me? It leads to your room!"

They were locked in a staring contest for another moment before they both realised they had reached a dead end (or lack of one, really). Samantha suddenly tapped her sister's arm and pointed.

"Look," she whispered, "it leaves your room on that side and…"

She followed the string of lights with her eyes until she fell upon her parent's bedroom door.

"Mom and dad," the two sisters smiled. They crept to their parent's door and quietly opened it. The room was freakishly well lit for the middle of the night so Hayden and Samantha had no trouble seeing if their parents were still awake.

Dustin's snoring helped as well.

"Which outlet?" Hayden asked her sister as they quietly looked around the room.

"None of the ones I can see," Samantha answered, gazing over at her parents occasionally to make sure they were asleep. Dustin was still snoring and Kaylee was out like a light. It would take a hurricane to wake her up at this point.

"Sammy!" Hayden whispered, waving her sister over, "beside their bed."

Samantha hurried to her sister and the two looked down at the outlet, then to their mother.

"You unplug it," Hayden said, nudging her sister. Samantha shook her head.

"Why me?"

"You're older. First in, first out."

"Technically you were first in," Samantha said, "I'm dead."

"Then you have nothing to lose."

Samantha frowned, "Fine."

The eldest sister reached down to unplug the lights.

"I worked hard on those," they heard Kaylee say. Without another word, Hayden and Samantha were out of their bedroom. They closed the door and leaned against it, breathing deeply.

"How the hell did she do that?" Hayden asked, looking up at her sister. The curly blonde shrugged.

"I don't know, but it's freaky."

"So, goodnight, I guess," Hayden whispered. Samantha nodded.

"Yeah."

Still freaked out, the two girls rushed to their respective bedrooms and closed the door, the lights still shining brightly throughout the entire house, all connected to each other. The only way to turn them off was to get past Kaylee.

Their husbands were not going to believe this.


	187. Kaylee's Christmas Party Part I

Hayden watched in amazement and disgust as Flynn downed his third beer of the day, and it was only eleven in the morning. The party hadn't even started yet.

"Slow down," she laughed while Flynn gazed at the now empty bottle with sadness. "Save something for the party."

Flynn turned to his wife, "I'm Scottish and I'll be at a party with your family and friends. That includes your mother. I'm drinking."

Hayden chuckled and shook her head, "Fine, but don't drink too much. I'm still our babysitter for the evening," she motioned to Adeline, who she was bouncing on her knee, "I don't want to have to look after you all night too."

"I'll be good," Flynn chimed. Engel crawled into the room on her hands and knees. She was wearing an elf costume, similar to Christian's, but she was missing the hat.

The little Angel crawled around the corner of the couch before hiding behind her Aunt's legs. She poked her head between them and looked around. Hayden laughed as she glanced down.

"What are you doing, little elf?"

Engel hushed her Aunt by placing her finger over her mouth, "Hiding. Shh."

"Hiding from whom?" Flynn asked. Just then Kaylee stepped into the room, holding a little elf hat in her hand. She quickly scanned the room.

"Has anyone seen Engel?"

Engel closed her Aunt's legs and coward behind them. Hayden and Flynn both looked down before turning back to Kaylee and shaking their heads.

"Nope. Haven't seen her all morning, actually," Hayden answered. Kaylee's shoulders dropped in disappointment before she looked at Addie.

"Can I borrow your baby?"

"Why…?"

"She'd make the cutest little elf!" Kaylee squealed.

Suddenly, Engel crawled out from between her Aunt's legs. She stood up with a crossed look on her face. She crossed her little arms over her chest.

"No! I cutest!" she stated loudly. Kaylee smirked.

"Aha! There you are!" the grandmother picked up the little Angel and placed the hat on her head. "You're adorable. Just like Christian."

She set Engel down, who was now very proud of her little elf hat. So proud, in fact, that she wanted to show it off to her parents and Dustin.

Kaylee watched her leave before turning back to Flynn and Hayden, "I was serious, by the way."

Hayden held up her daughter, letting her mother take her, "Here you go. But I warn you, she poops floods. You'll be lucky if she keeps it clean."

Kaylee simply chuckled, "Please. I raised you, didn't I? I've got a handle on leaking poop."

Flynn tried to suppress a chuckle at his wife's expense as Kaylee left to change Adeline. Hayden turned to her husband and frowned before punching him in the shoulder.

"It's not my fault!"

"How long did you have a brown bum for?"

"Shut up!"

Scott entered the room with a drink in his hand. Like Flynn, he was going to have to put up with his wife's family and he needed to get a head start on the drinking. It was a female-dominated family, and he was sure most of the men were going to be half drunk before they arrived at the party. It was the only way to deal with the women in the Ranger family.

"What are we talking about?" he asked as he took a seat next to Hayden.

Flynn laughed, "Hayden's got the runs."

Scott inched away from his sister in-law. Hayden growled at her husband.

"I don't have the runs. My poop used to be leaky when I was a baby and sometimes my outfits wouldn't stay clean.

Scott held back a laugh, trying to keep his composure.

"You don't say," he smirked and Hayden could tell her was trying to be serious. She threw her arms up in the air as she got up.

"Go ahead; laugh," she said as she started to leave, "I'm going to help in the kitchen."

-Afterlife-

"Presents!" Christian shouted as he opened the door for Fran, Dominic and their son Nicolas who was about Jason's age minus a few years. Dominic laughed at his nephew as he handed him the lighter presents.

"There's one for you," he said, "But we're opening gifts later."

Christian pouted, his little elf hat dropping a little, "Fine."

"Nick, go help Christian put the presents under the tree," Fran told her son as Dominic handed the rest of the presents to the older boy. Nicolas nodded and followed his cousin into the living room. He didn't know Christian very well, because he lived in NewTech with his parents and didn't get much contact with his family in Corinth. He barely got any contact with his family in NewTech. He had taken after his parents with his love of reading and like his mother, considered books to be his friends. His parents were hoping this Christmas party would give him a chance to socialise with all the different kids.

With Nicolas gone, Fran and Dominic moved to the kitchen, where they could already here a few of the other guests had arrived. They weren't surprised to see most of the guests were from Corinth and had an easier travel.

Suddenly, Fran felt something tug on her pants. She looked down to see Engel, wearing an elf costume like her uncle.

"I cute," she stated as a fact and not an opinion. Fran laughed and nodded.

"Very cute, sweetie."

"She's been doing that to everyone," Theo said as he walked around the counter to greet his old friends. Both Fran and Dom smiled when they saw him. It had been too long.

Kaylee bounced over when she noticed her newest guests, "HI!" she exclaimed happily.

"Whoa, you're not drinking, are you hostess?" Dominic laughed. Kaylee shook her head and held out a tray of glasses for the couple.

"I can't. And I have to stay sober for the party. Dustin's drinking. He said he needed to in order to survive… whatever that means."

"You women are clueless," Dom smirked as he grabbed two glasses. Fran thought he was grabbing one for her and declined Kaylee's offer, but when Dom filled both glasses up he walked over to the other side of the kitchen, where most of the men were gathered, leaving Fran with nothing.

Kaylee held out the tray again, "Something tells me the men are trying to keep up."

"They'll need to drink a lot to keep up with you," Fran nodded.

"I told you, I'm sober."

"Exactly," Fran smirked before joining the women. Kaylee rolled her eyes before hearing the doorbell. She waited a moment to see if Christian was going to bolt to the door again but he didn't. As she went to answer it she peaked into the living room, where the second generation of Rangers and the kids were hanging out, having their own little party.

She opened the door for Lily and Casey who were just arriving with Heather, Ben and little Joey in tow. Hugs were exchanged (cuddles for Joey), before everyone split up to their own party. Kaylee gave Casey his drink and let him go with the men while she stayed to chat with Lily, her only little sister who she hadn't seen in a long time.

Lily noticed the tray of glasses was getting smaller. Given the number of people already at the party it was to be expected, but she could see that there weren't going to be enough glasses for the rest of the guests who had yet to arrive.

"I guess you were expecting less people," she smiled to Kaylee. "Who's at the party?"

"All people you know," Kaylee said. "Our Ranger family. The guys have just taken a few extra glasses. They said they were going to need it."

"I see. So you didn't open the party to neighbours?"

Kaylee frowned and shook her head, "Why would you think that? Did you not read the e-mail again?"

"I did," Lily said. "It's just when we got here there was a guy walking around the neighbourhood. He asked us when the party started."

"Creepy," Kaylee muttered. She shrugged her shoulders, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he knows about the party. Even after I was forced to retire, people still know my business. And there are a lot of familiar faces in this family. The Rangers, for starters, and Dani's got her racing career to look forward too."

"She's a household name in NewTech," Lily smiled. She was proud of her niece, all things considered. "Speaking of, is she here yet? Ronny wanted me to talk to her about… you know."

"Know what?" Kaylee asked. Lily looked at the blonde.

"Uh, you mean you don't know?"

Kaylee rolled her eyes, "Oh, right. No, the thing that I knew about! Yeah, I totally knew. I was just asking you because I was testing you, you see? I wanted to know if you knew what was going on with your own niece."

"Okay, okay," Lily laughed, "Did they slip you sarcasm pills?"

"Like I keep track," Kaylee shrugged. "Dustin does that for me. He's paranoid I'll forget. So, about Daniela."

Over in the living room the second generation of Rangers were getting reacquainted with their cousins. Even though it was a two-city world, it was hard for everyone to keep in touch and meet up, even on special occasions. They all tried on holidays, such as Christmas or X-Measter, but there was always someone who was busy.

This was the first holiday where every Ranger family member could make it. Everyone from the ninjas to the RPM and SPD Rangers were invited to Kaylee's Christmas parties and they had all confirmed they were coming. It was only a matter of time before the house was filled.

It would be a bag night to try anything in the Brooks residence. Even those who weren't Rangers, such as Leanne, David and Fran, were tough enough to take on any criminals or bad-intentioned people.

Aside from the Brooks kids and their husbands and kids, Heather and Ben were at the party as well as Daniela, Greg, the Bradley kids, Hannah, Madeline (who had gotten a ride with Jason and his family), the Boom-Twins, Nicolas, and Ziggy and Rebecca were all present.

Christian, Elena, Engel and Nicolas were sitting on the ground by the toy box, playing with some of Christian's toys. They would all occasionally glance over at the tree and the presents underneath.

While the kids were eyeing the presents, Heather was eyeing the little elves. Christian and Engel were cute as little elves, especially when they started playing together. They looked like they were Santa's elves testing toys for the little boys and girls of the world.

Adeline was cute in her little elf costume as well, especially when she tried to eat the collar.

"Where did you get the elf suits?" Heather asked as she picked up Adeline from Hayden's arms. She held up the little two-month old and smiled brightly, "There's adorable."

"Go ask mom for one," Hayden laughed. "She forced Chris and Engel into their suits. She's probably got a stash somewhere with all sizes."

"I'm scared she and dad might have their own version," Samantha said.

Hayden nodded, "Yeah, mom's a little scary right now. She's kinda got this third-eye-psychic thing going."

Samantha looked at Heather, "I dare you to unplug the Christmas lights."

Heather shook her head. She knew what her Aunt Kaylee was like and didn't want to tempt fate at all.

"I'm good. The lights are nice."

"Try sleeping with them on."

Engel stood up and dropped her toys. She walked over to the bigger kids and leaned against her mother's legs.

"When Santa coming?" she asked.

Samantha smiled, "Not for another few nights, Angel."

"My question is: when's dinner?" Ben asked. "I'm starved!"

"I think mom's going to start serving food once everyone's here," Hayden answered. Ben groaned, letting his head fall back.

"That'll take forever."

Heather smiled, "I've never wondered where Joey's appetite comes from. Who does Adeline take after most?"

Flynn took a look at his daughter, "Well, mostly Hayden but…"

Christian jumped up and screamed, "MAYDEN!"

He hurried over to his sister and jumped into her lap, hiding his face in her stomach. Over by the tree, Nicolas was glued to the window, looking outside, and Elena was right beside him, unable to look out, but she seemed to be asking questions.

"What happened?" Hayden asked, lifting her little brother onto her lap.

"There was a man outside!" Nicolas said, still peeking out the window. He turned to the older kids, "He was creeping inside and looking at us."

"Are you sure it wasn't an uncle?" Dani asked as she got up from the couch and walked to the window. She placed one hand on Nicolas' shoulder and the other on Elena's back as she glanced out. "Uncles are known for pulling some freaky pranks."

"It wasn't an uncle," Nicolas said. Elena reached for the window and cracked it open. She stuck her head out slightly, making Mike and Jason very nervous. If there was someone creeping around the house, this wasn't the best idea.

"Someone's still outside," Elena whispered as she pulled her head back in and turned into the direction of the Rangers. "I hear the snow crunching and breathing."

Dani looked back at her cousins as well and noticed Mike was already standing up. They both nodded and walked over to the front hallways to grab their hats and jackets.

"You guys keep talking," Mike said. "We'll walk around the house. Maybe we'll scare this guy off. What's he going to do to a house with forty-plus Rangers inside?"

Flynn, Ben, Scott and Greg looked at the pair, "Want us to come?"

Mike shook his head and placed his hand on Dani's shoulder, grasping it gently, "Naw. If too many of us are out there the 'rents will get suspicious."

"And if there's a creeper, I can be very persuasive," Dani smirked, cracking her knuckles.

"Don't sleep with him," Greg said to his wife. Dani glared at him for a moment, then realised this was part of her "punishment". Greg was going to continue to jab at her for her mistake, probably for the rest of her life. She needed to learn to accept them. After all, they couldn't hurt as much as her mistake.

"I won't."

Heather frowned and turned to Greg, "Explain."

Dani and Mike exchanged a look before they stepped out into the cold, only to run into Kira, Conner, Hunter, Sam and Ryan. Without alerting them of suspicious behaviour around the house, they said their hellos and exchanged a few hugs and handshakes before lying about running to the store for milk.

When everyone was safely inside, Dani and Mike looked around the front yard. There was no one in sight, but Mike quickly noticed a strange set of footprints in the snow. It could have easily been one of the kids running around, but the tracks seemed to straightforward for Mike's liking. He figured it was best to trust his instinct. He pointed out the suspicious tracks to Dani.

"They do go to the window," Dani nodded. She followed them to the window, "Look, they go around the house."

Mike took the lead this time as he rushed around the corner, glancing down the side of the house. It seemed whoever was sneaking around the Brooks property heard him coming due to the snow and was spooked. He tried hopping the fence into the next yard, but he was too slow. Mike saw him sitting on the fence and shouted.

"Hey!" he took after the suspicious figure and Dani quickly bolted after him. When Mike hopped the fence, Dani realised they were going to lose a lot of ground. By the time Mike made it over, the sneak would have had the time to choose a direction or a hiding place, making it a little harder to track. Not to mention the neighbours had kids, making it impossible to figure out which footprints in their backyard would belong to the figure.

She skidded to a stop, getting snow in her boots, and ran back to the front yard. She kept her eyes on the neighbours' front yards, waiting for anyone to creep out anywhere in the distance. There was a one in three shot he came out in this direction, but Dani lived for risks and chances.

Fortunately, the figure did choose to escape via the front yard. Dani spotted him almost immediately and called out to Mike before taking off. She ran at normal speed at first, hoping she would catch up, but the man was fast as well. The Speedster decided to kick it up a notch and the next thing the figure knew, he was on the ground with Dani sitting on top of him.

"What the hell, dude?" Dani asked. She was sitting on his back and couldn't see his face, "You think it's funny to creep around houses and peek at little kids."

Dani sat up a little bit so she wasn't on top of the suspicious man. It was at this point that Mike finally caught up.

"You got him," he smiled. He shook his head at the man, "I've got to admit, you've got balls. That's a house full of Rangers, you know that."

"Of course I know that!" the man shouted. With the little room he had he rolled over, showing his face. Dani clasped her hand over her mouth and got to her feet, taking a few steps back. She grabbed Mike's arm. The man stood up and brushed the snow off, "I was looking for her."


	188. Kaylee's Christmas Party Part II

Kira gazed around her best friend's house once more before looking at the blonde and shaking her head. Kaylee frowned at Kira.

"What?"

"Are you excited for Christmas or what?" Kira asked. Kaylee looked at her for a moment before shrugging.

"No more than usual, why?"

"It's a freaking Christmas village in here, Kayl," Kira laughed. "I don't know whether I want to jump for joy or vomit in disgust."

"It's pretty," Kaylee pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "There are lights and snowmen and Santa and cookies!"

"You're going to have a hell of a time taking all this down," Tori laughed as she came over, joining her sister and friend. She looked at Kaylee, "It'll take twice as long to take down as it did to put it all up."

"Nope, I refuse to believe that. Because no one is leaving here on Christmas day without helping."

"I thought this was the Christmas party," Kira frowned. "Conner, the girls and I have plans on Christmas that, surprisingly enough, don't involve you, Kayl Whale."

Kaylee pointed and furrowed her brows, "Not a whale. I'm a leopard."

"It's your nickname and you'll like it," Tori stated firmly as she gently swatted the cotton ball on the end of her sister's Christmas hat. "Anyways, Ronny and Rose were just telling me about Dani and Greg, have you guys heard?"

Kira shook her head while Kaylee nodded. Tori assumed it was going to be common knowledge soon enough and started to tell Kira the story between the young couple.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Greg and was a little worried about his wife being gone for so long. He was sure she was safe with Mike, but this was generally a circumstance where the men of the family would go out to defend their house, not the women. And even though Dani was probably much scarier than he was when faced with an intruder, he still felt a little wimpy for letting her go. And he couldn't help but not trust her out of his sight for so long given what had happened last time he turned his back.

"Maybe I should go check up on them," he stated as he pushed himself up from the couch. He looked at Vanessa, "You said they were a few houses down when you arrived, right?"

"I'm sure they're fine, Greg," Vanessa said, waving off Greg's concerns. "When I saw them they were standing around talking to some guy. I thought maybe they knew him from somewhere. I realise Mike had a life before me."

"Well, I don't trust a guy who was creeping around the house," Greg said. "If he knew Mike and Dani, he could have knocked on the door, like every other human being on this planet."

"If you're really worried…"

"I'm not worried, I'm just…" Greg interrupted. He ran his hand through his hair, "Well, I'm not worried for the reason you think I'm worried."

"Dani cheated," Dawn said, as if it was old news. Vanessa turned to Greg and looked at him for a moment before letting out a laugh.

"You think she'll cheat again?" Vanessa asked. "Wow, I mean, Dani's not smart but she's not exactly stupid."

"Yeah, and the kids saw someone creeping around," Scott shrugged. "She wouldn't make them lie just so she could have her way with Mike."

"Mike would never do that anyways," Hayden added.

"And if there is someone out there, what would Dani do with Mike around?" Scott continued. "We're just as loyal to you as we are to her. If he saw her doing something she shouldn't do, he would tell you about it."

"And we would kick her ass," Samantha finished.

"And forget the idea of a threesome," Summer added. She looked around the room nervously, "I'm just saying, there is that chance," she looked back at Greg, "It's a very slim chance though… like, thinner than Dani's brain if she were to cheat again, but she wouldn't."

"That hole would be easier to dig with a shovel, Sum," Ryan laughed. "There's one out back if you want."

"I'm just examining all sides to Greg's crazy idea," Summer defended herself.

Ryan laughed and shook his head, "That's what you think you're doing."

Summer frowned at her brother in-law before turning to Greg, "Anyways, you know what they say about when you assume."

"Last time I didn't assume anything and she still made an ass out of both of us," Greg said. "I've got nothing to…"

The front door opened and the living room fell silent. All the guests had arrived at this point, so the only reasonable possibility was that Dani and Mike were finally back from their intruder chase.

Dani calmly stepped into the living room and immediately turned her attention to Greg. With a smile she pointed over her shoulder.

"You're never going to believe who I brought home for Christmas," she said.

Greg turned to Dani, "Who?"

"He's with Mike," Dani smiled. She grabbed Greg's hand and pulled him forward, "C'mon, I promise you'll love this!"

The red head pulled her husband into the front hall, where Greg noticed there was a man standing with Mike, looking nervous and fearful as ever. Mike hand his hand clasped firmly on this man's shoulder, keeping him from going anywhere.

Dani let go of Greg and took a few steps forward, "Ta-da! Meet the man who took my… second virginity? Whatever you want to call it. Meet Bryce."

Without a second thought Greg rushed over to Bryce and within moments his fist collided with his face, knocking him back into the door. Bryce slumped to the ground, holding his face in his hands as everyone who heard the thump ran over to see what happened.

Kaylee was the first to see someone had been injured at her Christmas party and she frowned. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to her niece and nephews.

"That's a little mean, guys," she pouted, "Where's your Christmas spirit?"

Bridge cleared his throat from somewhere in the large crowd of people. Kaylee corrected herself quickly.

"Holiday Spirit!"

Dani turned to her family and pointed to the man, "That's Bryce," she said. She was a little surprised at the number of jaws that had dropped in the older generation of Rangers. Apparently news spread quickly. There were only a handful of people who didn't know just yet.

Scott worked his way through the crowd and helped Bryce to his feet. He looked at the younger man for a moment.

"What were you doing here?" he asked. As Commander, it was his job to keep everyone safe. At this point, he wasn't very worried about Dani, Greg or the others. Bryce was the one challenging all the Rangers.

"I know Dani's married but…"

"I said no," Dani snapped as she backed into her husband. He wrapped his arms around her protectively. The last person he was going to give her up to was Bryce. Dani turned around in Greg's arms, "He wants a second shot, but I turned him down. I don't want to…"

"I believe you," Greg smiled at her.

Bryce scoffed, shaking his head, "Wow, is that really… are you really going to fall for that marriage crap?"

"Crap?" Dani frowned, turning back to Bryce. "Marriage isn't crap!"

"You made me believe it was!" Bryce shouted. He held his head in his hands as he tried to think. "I'm spent the last few days going over what happened. You loved me until you showed me the ring. Obviously there's something faulty about marriage if you can forget about it long enough to put yourself out there."

Dani's cheeks turned red. Even if the room already knew what had happened, she hated discussing this in public, with her parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles, and cousins listening.

Bryce looked at Dani, "Say you don't want me and mean it."

"I don't want you," Dani said, without hesitating. She was committed to Greg, and nothing was going to change that.

Bryce shook his head, "I don't think you mean that," he said. "I want to talk to you alone, where you'll tell me the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth," Dani insisted, "I don't feel anything for you. I never did."

Bryce tried to make a move forward but Scott and Mike grabbed him, holding him back. Dani pulled away instinctively. Greg let out a deep breath before pushing her forward gently.

"Just go," he whispered to her. Dani turned around, eyes wide in terror. She wasn't sure what he meant by that.

"Greg…"

Greg took Dani by the arms and looked her in the eyes, "The only way he'll leave us alone is if he thinks you're telling the truth. We might as well get this over with."

"I am telling the truth."

"Greg, you don't have to do this to yourself," Scott said. "I can have him removed in less than five minutes."

"I want the truth just as much as he does," Greg said as he motioned to Bryce with a look. Dani turned for a moment to look at Bryce, then back at Greg. "You'll tell him the truth, okay?"

Dani lowered her head sadly before nodding. Greg kissed her forehead before letting her go. Scott opened the door for Bryce and Dani and the two stepped outside. For privacy, Greg had everyone go back to what they were doing before Bryce showed up. Of course, the new topic of conversation was going to be Dani's decision.

"She's staying," RJ stated. There was no doubt in his voice. He wasn't just stating what he wanted to happen. He seemed to strongly believe that Dani was going to come back to Greg.

"Why did you let her go?" Mack asked his son. He pulled Greg away from the crowd to talk with him. "She might tell him what you don't want to hear, and then come back in here. You'll have no way of finding out the truth."

"I want her to be honest with herself," Greg said. "If she's alone and she still tells Bryce she loves me, then we'll have nothing to worry about. But if she can't say it, then we're over."

"But the thing is: how will you know?" Mack asked. "You can't ask her. You can't ask Bryce. Either way, you'll hear what you want to hear."

"I know," Greg sighed. "But I'll find out the truth one day."

"One day too late," Mack said. He pat his shoulder on the shoulder, "Today's your day to find out the truth."

"I want to trust Dani, again," Greg told his father. "How do I expect to trust her later, if I don't let her do this? I know her better than anyone and she'll be honest to someone. Herself, me, or Bryce. I just hope she makes the right choice before it's too late."

Hannah, who had been getting herself a drink from the kitchen, overheard the conversation between Greg and Mack. She understood that Mack had a point. Greg wasn't helping himself at all. He hoped he could trust Dani, but she had already broken that trust by putting herself in this situation. Someone aside from Dani and Bryce needed to know the truth.

She rushed over to her mother and handed Kelly the glass in her hand, "Can you hold this for a minute, mom?"

"Sure, where are you…?" Kelly never got to ask her daughter as Hannah rushed off to the back of the house. The young wolf opened the back door and looked around. She had to be subtle if she wanted to make it to the front yard without alerting anyone. The kids were already vigilant enough to notice Bryce sneaking around.

But the wolf had one advantage that Bryce didn't. Her father was a Pai Zhuq Master. He had been born and raised by the Pai Zhuq and so had she. Silence was almost her middle name. If it had been up to her Aunt Kaylee, it would have. When Hannah had been born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, choking her. Unlike everyone of her cousins, she hadn't made a sound in her first few moments of life.

There was a tree in Kaylee and Dustin's backyard that nearly touched the house with a few branches. If Hannah could climb that, she could get onto the roof and she could look down on Dani and Bryce. It would be hard to hear them, unless they shouted, of course, but Hannah only needed to see one thing to know if Dani was telling the truth.

Before the Venjix, Kaylee and Dustin used to live near a forest. Whenever Hannah would go visit, she and Hayden would go into the forest and climb trees. Thankfully, Hannah never lost that skill.

The only problem was that the tree was bare. There were no leaves to shield her, and the house had three windows on the main floor that looked out at the back yard. Hannah was going to have to be fast.

She jumped and caught the first branch, quickly pulling herself up. She tried to stay on the far side of the tree for as long as possible, hoping to hide as much movement as possible. She also needed to make sure the tree wouldn't move. There was snow balancing on the branches, and it would leave traces on the ground if it fell.

Hannah finally reached the top of the tree and carefully made her way as far out as she could. She would have to jump to catch the roof of the house, and then she would have to be careful not to make any noise while she was on the roof. There was a crowd of Ninjas and Kung Fu Masters under the roof, and they could detect almost any sound. Surely someone was going to hear her.

The blonde breathed in deeply before jumping across the gap. She wasn't going to land on the roof, she knew that the moment her feet left the branches, but she was hoping she could catch the drainpipe and pull herself up.

She reached out with her hands, as far as she could, and kept her focus on the drainpipe, fearing that if she took her eyes off it for a moment; she would fail to catch it. Her plan worked, if only slightly, as she caught the edge of the drainpipe with her fingers. She forgot to wear gloves (and a jacket while we're at it) and the edge of the drainpipe cut her fingers, but the little wolf held on tight. Her body collided with the side of the house and Hannah quickly pressed her feet against the wall for more support and power as she pulled herself up. Her weight was a little too heavy for the drainpipe as and she did all this it started to pull away from the side of the house.

When Hannah was up on the roof she took a moment to calm down. She held one hand over her heart and took a few deep breaths. Her peace didn't last long, though, because she heard the back door opening. She noticed the drainpipe was sticking out, and if someone had heard noise from the roof, they would look up and notice it.

She laid on her stomach and reached for the side of the drainpipe closest to the house and pulled it back in, for a moment making it look like it was still properly connected. She hid herself by staying as low as possible.

When she heard the backdoor close again she let go of the drain pipe and slowly stood up. She tip-toed over to the other side of the roof and when she reached the end, she knelt down and watched the scene between Bryce and Dani.

The first thing she noticed was that the "couple" were no longer on the front step. In fact, they were down the path. Thankfully they were too wrapped up in their own business to notice the figure on the roof, as Hannah would be easy to spot from where they were standing.

Suddenly, Hannah saw Bryce shove Dani and the red head fell right into the snow. He went to kick her, but Dani rolled out of the way, forcing him to kick the ground and snow next to her. Bryce didn't stop there. Hannah could tell that Dani said something that upset him (a good sign for Greg), because he continued to kick at Dani. He missed every time thanks to Dani rolling out of the way, but Dani was being showered in cold snow. She couldn't see very well, much less defend herself.

Hannah had seen enough. If the truth had been what Bryce wanted to hear, he wouldn't be doing this. The wolf reached out, grabbing a handful of snow from the roof. With her bleeding hands, she packed the snow into a ball. Dani would be fine for the next few moments as Hannah created more and more snowballs. The blonde was too busy watching Bryce and creating balls to notice that the snowballs were traced with red. She felt her hands were sore, but she still had no idea they were bleeding.

When she had enough ammunition she collected them in her arms and stood up. She grabbed a snowball and chucked it right at Bryce. The snowball hit its target: the side of Bryce's face.

Bryce stopped his kicked once the cold, hard snowball hit his face and he looked around to see where it had come from. Suddenly, another snowball hit him, this time on the top of her head. He looked up and finally noticed a figure on the roof.

"Holy shit!" he shouted, backing away. Hannah threw another snowball. This time, Bryce saw it coming, but as much as he tried to dodge it, the snowball still hit, this time in the chest.

Hannah continued to throw and Bryce tried to dodge, but no matter what he did, the snowballs made contact and exploded. Around him, Bryce couldn't help but notice there were a few red traces in the snow.

"Shit!" he shouted. Thinking it was his blood, he finally shielding himself and Hannah threw snowball after snowball. She was starting to run low on ammunition, but Bryce thought the attack was never going to end.

With her last snowball, Hannah cried out, "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Before it could hit Bryce, the man took off running. Hannah watched sadly as her final snowfall hit the ground of snow pathetically.

"Seriously? I don't get a perfect score?" she whined as she dropped onto her butt, still on the roof. "Merry fucking Christmas to me."

Dani stood up and brushed the snow off herself and her face as she looked up. She shielded her eyes from the sun and shook her head.

"Hannah? What the hell are you doing up there? How did you get up there?"

Hannah looked down at her older cousin. She shrugged her shoulders, "Kung Fu?"

Dani pointed to the ground, "Get down here before you fall and hurt yourself."

"I'm a wolf!" Hannah giggled. "We don't fall and hurt ourselves! We stand tall and proud!"

To prove her point, Hannah stood up again and placed her hands on her hips. She stood in a heroic stance for a moment before her foot slipped on a patch of ice that had been uncovered when Hannah collected snow for her snowball attack. Less than gracefully, Hannah slipped right off the roof and crashed in a pile of snow that had been formed near the side of the house as a result of Dustin and Christian shovelling the driveway.

Dani rushed over to the pile of snow and dug out her cousin. As she pulled Hannah from the snow, she laughed.

"Too bad you didn't inherit the spirit of the big cat," she said. "You could have landed on your feet."

"Shut up."

Dani brushed some of the snow off Hannah, "So, what were you doing up there?"

"Someone needs to know the truth," Hannah said. She looked at Dani, "You chose Greg, right?"

Dani smiled. She noticed Hannah wasn't wearing anything more than a sweater and the smile fell quickly. She shook her head and changed the topic.

"How about we get you inside before you get sick and my dad and Aunt Leah have to go back to the hospital to treat you."

Hannah nodded and looked at her hands, "They might have too," she turned her hands so Dani could see the cuts on her fingers. Like a toddler, she whined, "Owie."

"How did you…?" Dani trailed off before shaking her head, "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"Hopefully they won't want to either," Hannah said. "Greg didn't want anyone spying on you. He had his reasons, but someone needed to know if he was going to hurt himself by doing this."

"Someone did get hurt."

Hannah smiled and nodded, "Yeah, but it's not going to be him," she looked back at Dani, "Right?"

"You really needed to spy on me to find that out?" Dani playfully shoved the seventeen year old, "It's like you don't know me!"


	189. The Christmas Gift

When Dani and Hannah walked back into the house together, a lot of questions were raised. Most questions were people asking Dani what had happened between her and Bryce, and there were a few questions asking Hannah where she had been and why she had been outside with Dani (the latter technically answering the former).

Greg refused to have any questions answered except his own. He asked Dani if she wanted to stay with him and she said yes. Hugs were exchanged between the couple and their parents, who were relieved their kids were still going to be married.

Finally, after everything between Dani, Bryce and Greg, the party was back on. Everyone was here to celebrate and the food was being served. The Rangers, former Rangers, allies and friends, all gathered around, finding anywhere they could to sit (adult table, kiddie table or floor). The house was littered with people, all laughing and smiling. Every once in a while, someone would ask to have something passed to them, and buns, salt and pepper shakers would fly threw the air. More delicate items, like glasses, drinks and the giant turkey, were passed down the line of people until it reached its destination.

When the food was done and the plates were cleared, everyone gathered in the living room. The kids, young and old, sat around the tree, searching for their Christmas presents from family members.

Little Engel didn't know how to read yet. She found the biggest present under the tree and pulled it over to her mother, struggling due to the massive size.

"Mine?" she asked. Samantha read the tag and shook her head.

"Sorry sweetie, that's not yours, it's Grandma Kaylee's."

Engel pouted as she pushed the present back under the tree, but Kaylee grinned happily and bounced in her seat.

"Ha, mine's the biggest!" she cheered. Tori, who was sitting close to the tree to help Elena find her presents, peeked over at the other name tags. With a smile on her face, she turned to Kaylee.

"Sorry, brat, yours may be the biggest, but it's the only one for you," she said. Like the kids, Kaylee rushed to the tree and grabbed her present. Engel pouted as she looked at her grandmother. She was still at the age where the biggest gift was the best. Her attention shifted though when her mother placed a present in her hands.

Kaylee grabbed the large box and tried to see who had given her the present, but there was no name on the tag. Only hers. She turned to her party guests.

"Okay, who didn't buy me a gift?" she asked, before realising there were easily forty or more people who could have bought her the one present. "Wait, who bought me this gift?"

Kaylee looked around the room, hoping someone would raise their hand and take credit for the present. To her surprise there were no hands raised.

She decided to go with her first question, "Um, okay, who didn't get me a gift?"

Again, no hands were raised. Instead, curious looks were exchanged between everyone. The young kids, the older kids and the adults. Kaylee turned to the box and poked it.

"So, no one bought me a present?" she asked, her expression dropping for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, "SANTA!"

Tori face-palmed, "Oh no."

Kaylee tapped her sister repeatedly on the arm, "No, he's real! He's really real! No one bought me a gift, and no one's taking or stealing credit for it! We can't all be honest people, right? The only logical explanation is that Santa came early!"

"Santa?" Engel and Christian asked their parents. Samantha shook her head while Dustin leaned over, whispering something to Christian. The boy nodded and pulled away from his dad with a smile on his face. He then turned to Engel.

"Santa doesn't come early," he told her. He looked back at his dad and winked.

Mike pulled Engel into a loose embrace and whispered into her ear as well. Engel nodded and clapped her hands. She looked at her grandma Kaylee, "Secret, shh!"

"You're mean," Kaylee teased the very-soon-to-be-three-year-old. Engel smiled back at her grandmother.

"Shh."

"How about we let the kids open their presents first?" Hunter suggested as he pulled a little presents from under the tree and handed it to Heather, "We'll start with the two youngest. This is from all of us in NewTech, to Joey."

Kelly pulled out another present, "And this is to Adeline, from all of us in Corinth," she said as she handed it to Hayden

Ben and Flynn looked over their wife's shoulders as the mothers of the young children unwrapped the presents. Ben chuckled slightly.

"It better be expensive," he teased. "These presents are tiny. I don't want some cheap, dollar store present that everyone paid three cents for."

Heather stopped unwrapping for a moment and punched Ben in the chest, "Be nice or that's what I'll tell them to do for you next year."

Ben smirked and cleared his throat, "Uh, I mean, whatever it is, it's nice! I love it."

Heather's brief pause gave Hayden more time to unwrap Adeline's present. As the pink Ranger got the wrapping paper off the small box, she gasped. Flynn's eyes were wide as he watched Hayden open the box. Inside was a small necklace with a beautiful pink and blue rock, with the colours swirled together.

Heather and Ben's reaction was the same as Hayden and Flynn's as they pulled out a similar necklace for Joey, only his rock was swirled with black and silver.

"Holy shit!" Ben gasped as he gently took the necklace from his wife, "It is nice! I love it."

"And thankfully your Ranger colours man it up a little," Hunter chuckled. He motioned to the necklace, "The cord's guaranteed to survive anything when he gets older. We were told it shouldn't break or snap at all. We thought that would come in handy for our big, strong little Ranger."

Kelly shrugged, "Addie's got a little chain. Nothing's really more solid than that necklace wise."

Engel shook her present, "Me turn?" she asked. Samantha nodded and kissed her cheek.

"It's your turn, Angel. Go ahead and open it!"

Engel tore the wrapping paper off her present, again, a present from all her great aunts and uncles. There were so many that they couldn't all buy individual presents for the kids without spoiling them, so they pooled their money together to get something truly special.

Engel's eyes gleamed with joy as she unveiled her present, "Ooh! A box!" she squealed while jumping up and down. She hugged her box, "A box! A box!"

She lifted the present and waddled over to her parents, "Look! A box! A box!"

"Easy to please," Vanessa laughed. "I think Mrs. Clause is going to love that."

Samantha looked at Vanessa, "She does. Apparently the elves had an easy time finding her presents."

"Santa's gonna happy too," Scott smirked, "We bought super special cookies for him!"

Engel carried her box around the room, showing it to everybody, "Look! A box! I got box!" she put her box down to hug it. "I love box!"

Finally, Christian came in to ruin the fun. He walked over to Engel and took the box, "No, your present's inside!"

He pulled the top of the box open and Engel screamed. She grabbed his hand and yanked it away, almost throwing him to the ground.

"No!"

Christian crossed his arms, "Your present's even better than a box! Look inside!"

Engel glared at her "uncle" for a moment before finally taking a peek inside the box. She jumped with joy again as she pulled out a stuffed leopard toy. She hugged it and bounced around.

"CAT!" she said. She rushed to her mother, "Kitty! Mommy, I got spotty kitty!"

"A leopard," Samantha gasped, hugging her daughter. She looked at her family, "She doesn't have one."

"We kinda figured that out," Casey laughed. "It struck us as odd that the Great Master Engel didn't own some kind of leopard."

"She's got a little fox figurine somewhere in her room," Mike said as he looked at Samantha with a smile. She smiled back, "But we never thought about getting her a leopard."

"Well, think no more… or don't start," Theo smirked.

Before getting permission, Christian started ripping over his present. By the time anyone noticed he had started, it was already unwrapped.

"Sweet!" he shoulder, holding up a box. Unlike Engel, that wasn't what excited him. He turned the box around to show his parents, "It's a remote control helicopter!"

"This one shoots darts!" Blake explained to his nephew excitedly. He turned to Kaylee and Dustin, "Uh, the suction cup kind. Not the sharp ones."

"Yahuh," Kaylee frowned. "It better. I plan on living out my ten years."

"Mom," Hayden growled. Kaylee turned to her daughter.

"What?"

Hayden shook her head, "Please, its Christmas."

Tori cut the tension by handing Elena her present, "Your turn sweetheart," she said. Elena took the box and sat in her mother's lap so Tori could help and announce what the present was if Elena couldn't figure it out on her own.

The opening of presents went on for hours, as everyone had at least one present they needed to open. The turns continued to travel from youngest to oldest and the little kids were getting bored. Most of their older siblings (or parents in Engel's case) were getting things that were more practical than fun. Samantha and Summer had gotten a baby blanket for their unborn children, as well as a few boxes of diapers each. Needless to say, it didn't take long for the younger kids to rush off to play with their toys.

There were only two jumps in the line. One out of confusion between Sam Jr. and Summer due to them being twins. Sam had opened her present before Summer just before Dillon realised that the woman opening her present wasn't his wife. Though they were twins, Sam Jr. had been born first and that meant she was technically older.

The other jump was over Kaylee. After Ethan's turn, she tried to go for her present but Kira jumped in the way, snatching her own gifts and opening them. Kaylee had voiced the unfairness, but Tori silenced her. Kaylee thought that she would go after Kira, but then Conner took his presents. Kaylee couldn't find the time to take her turn. She felt like her friends and family were squeezing her out on purpose.

When it was Tori's turn, Kaylee hid one of her presents, hoping to stop the line so she could take her turn, but Tori glared at her sister and poked her in the ribs. Kaylee doubled over and Tori reached to snatch the present. Kaylee quickly sat back up and pushed her sister to the ground.

"It's so my turn like… ages ago!" she said.

Kelly and Tommy pulled the two girls apart and Tommy handed Tori her final present, coincidentally enough, it was from Kaylee. He turned to his former student and shook his head. "You're so thick. Don't you realise you're going last?"

"You bastards," Kaylee muttered. She hugged her giant box, "You're officially my only friend."

The blond remained quiet for the rest of the gift exchanged out of rebellion. She watched as her older family members all opened their presents, claimed to really love it and hugged whoever had given them the present.

Finally, there were no more presents under the tree except for Kaylee's present from "Santa". Everyone turned to Kaylee, thinking she would be jumping with excitement as she opened her present, but Kaylee stayed still and silent.

"Babe," Dustin called sweetly, "If your turn."

"I'm on strike," Kaylee said. She crossed her arms, "We had a deal. Youngest to oldest. You all skipped me on purpose."

"Are you seriously doing this?" Tori asked. She knew her little sister was going to love her present. Everyone did. It was why they saved her for the very last. "C'mon Kayl, you're not two anymore."

"Two?" Conner laughed. "She was doing this at eighteen."

"She was twenty-two when we knew her like this," RJ smiled.

"Ha-ha-ha," Kaylee snapped. Her anger was obviously fake, everyone could see that, but it made it all the more fun to mess with her.

Tori reached over and grabbed the giant box, "Alright, well if you're not going to open it, then I guess it's only fair that the present go to your flesh and blood."

"We agree!" Hayden and Samantha grinned, holding their hands out. Tori turned to her nieces.

"Good," she pulled the present in closer, "So, should I open it here, or when I get home?"

"Hey!" Sammy called. "You're less flesh and blood than we are!"

"Yeah, she carried us!" Hayden nodded. "I was actually covered in her blood!"

"It's rightfully ours if mom doesn't want it."

"Says who?" Tori asked.

"Mom's will, right mom?" Samantha turned to her mother. "You have it handy, don't you? Go right it down, right now!"

"Hey!" Kaylee frowned. She stole the box from Tori. "This is my present! I'm keeping it!"

"Then open it," Tori said. Kaylee glared at her until Tori's eyebrows shot up. Kaylee jumped back, as if her older sister's eyebrows had just shot her. She hid behind the box.

"Okay, okay, I'll open it."

"Wait!" Dax called. He ran to the stairs, "Kids! It's time!"

"Time?" Kaylee choked. She looked at the big present, "Oh no! It's a bomb? You guys are getting this over with? I'm too young to die!"

"Uh, we agree, Kayl, that why that's not a bomb," Rose laughed. "You're safe."

"And if it were a bomb, we would be out of here," RJ nodded as the kids gathered into the living room. Kaylee glanced around once more, noting the knowing expressions on everyone's faces. Even Addie and Joey seemed to know what was in the box.

Kaylee decided to put herself, and everyone else out of her misery. She ripped the wrapping paper off, revealing a big brown box. She knew that wasn't the present, but she couldn't help but poke fun at her granddaughter.

"A box!" she screamed happily. "Yes! WHOO! I love it!"

Engel cheered, throwing her hands up, "YAY! Box!"

Samantha laughed and hugged her daughter. She really wished she had filmed that moment for future reference. It would be fun to show on Engel's wedding day.

"Open the box, Kayl-Whale," Leanne smirked. Kaylee nodded at her former Sensei and opened the box. One thing that didn't get past her was that the box was surprisingly light for its size and Kaylee realised that was because it was jam packed with packing peanuts. She would have made a comment that she had been ripped off, but she had noticed something sticking out from the peanuts. She pulled on it, revealing a picture book, much like she one she kept in her desk while she was the RPM mentor.

"Terrible re-gifting, guys," she smirked as she examined the cover of the blue picture book, "You're supposed to re-gift something you guys own, not something I own."

Tori smiled, "Open it, brat."

"Again," Kaylee groaned but the smile on her face didn't fall until she did. Right on the first page was a picture of herself and Tori when they were very young. Tori was about a year old and Kaylee was only a few months. The picture had been taken the first time Tori had been allowed to hold her little sister.

Kaylee flipped through the pages, quickly examining all the pictures of her and Tori from their childhood.

"I thought these were destroyed with The Venjix," Kaylee said as she looked at her sister. Tori smiled.

"I thought so too," she said, "But you'll be surprise at the stuff us Rangers can find again thanks to technology."

"Ironically enough," Bridge laughed.

Tori motioned back to the box, "There's still more," she said. "We're not so mean that we'll wrap one picture book inside a box almost as big as Jason."

Kaylee looked into the box and moved the packing peanuts around. To her surprise there were several other picture books, in different colours, all containing different pictures of her and another member of her Ranger family, going from the day they met, up until as recently as possible.

"It's a bit of a selfish present," Kelly admitted as Kaylee continued to pull out book after book. "We all know you're going to die before most of us and we wanted something to remember you. When you die, we're each going to take back our own books."

"But until then, we figured you could keep them and do whatever you wanted," Mack added. "Add pictures or comment on the ones inside. You know, something Kaylee-like. And we'll only look at it again after you die."

"Creepy," Kaylee said as she unloaded the last of the books and hugged them. There was a pile sitting around her. She rocked happily, her smile going from ear to ear, "This is amazing guys! And I know exactly what I'm going to do with each and every book!"

"You'll have to hide Dustin and Christian's," Cam pointed out, "They live with you. They can easily peek."

"Like hell I'm going to stare at the past when it's frozen in time for me already," Dustin said as he sat next to her wife and pulled her into his arms. He was happy she loved her present. It was a combination of his and Tori's idea. They hated the fact that this was one of Kaylee's last Christmases and they needed to do something special with it. They knew this was going to be the gift that would hopefully keep her alive forever. Dustin kissed Kaylee, "I'll be too busy enjoying every moment we have together."

"Oh, ew, dad, keep it in the bedroom, please!" Samantha frowned, turning her eyes away.

"Gross!" Hayden commented. She grabbed Christian and shielded his eyes. "You guys are too old to enjoy moments!"

Kaylee frowned at her daughter, "I hope Adeline gets married at eighteen and knocked up at nineteen! We'll see how you feel when you're a grandmother before you hit forty!"

"She's never getting married," Flynn said as he held his daughter, "I don't trust anyone with her."

"I want grandkids," Hayden frowned. "She's so getting married and pregnant!"

Blake cleared his throat, before everyone was too far off topic, "Merry Christmas, Kayl. Was it worth going last?"

Kaylee nodded, "It was worth every minute. It's the most selfless-selfish gift I've ever received. And that includes Tori buying me Ducky so she wouldn't have to save me anymore when I drowned."

"I did it once," Tori smirked. "I didn't want to have to do it again."

"Really, guys, thank you," Kaylee said. "It almost makes dying worth it. You guys have no idea what it means to me."

"When I die, you all better do something like this for me," Conner teased. "I expect nothing less."

"You'll be lucky if we actually get around to burying you," Kira smirked. She pat her husband on the cheek, "There's only so long I can put up with you. I might not be a free woman after you're murdered."

Conner face fell and Kaylee chuckled. She threw her hands up.

"Merry Early Christmas!"


	190. The Year's Winding Down

Long after Christmas had passed, Kaylee and Dustin's home was still filled with Rangers. Many had gone back to their own families or other friends to celebrate the holidays, but a few had stayed. The entire RPM team was enjoying spending the holidays together; they decided to cancel all other plans until January (much to Kira and Conner's dismay that they weren't going to spend Christmas with Summer).

Tori, Blake, Jason and Elena decided to stay with Kaylee and Dustin as well. Mike had already opted to stay, so they figured it was probably best that Christmas was spent with extended family instead of the immediate family minus one. At least everyone was present this way.

Aside from the Rangers, all those who lived in NewTech wanted to go home. They had left the morning after the Christmas party, because it had gone on so late. The older kids had gotten their hands on Kaylee's picture book from her childhood and Ranger days, and they had many questions about their predecessors and their parents. One of the questions that kept popping up was Dr. O's history. They all knew he was a legend, and at one point he taught the Dino Team, but they had never seen pictures of him as an actual High School Teacher.

Kaylee had a blast showing all her kids the pictures and telling the stories, much to Dr. O's embarrassment.

But, as it always did, Christmas quickly passed, before anyone was done celebrating. Really, it had passed before the partying began. More of Kaylee's guests started to return home until there were only down to the Rangers, the Brooks and the Bradleys.

There were only a few days until the New Year. 2030 was turning into a big deal around Corinth and NewTech. It marked the end of the Decade, which was now being labelled the Venjix Years, and it would forever be remembered as the decade the world almost came to an end. Had it not been for the Power Rangers of Corinth city, and the Rangers in NewTech, no one would have lived to see the turn of the decade.

Kaylee remembered everything, from the moment it started. She was only about 7 when the first monster attack hit the United States. Back then, there were countries and continents, and everyone was separated, scattered all over the planet. It was a huge world compared to today, but news travelled fast. Kaylee knew of the monster attacks all the way in Angel Grove when they happened, but she hadn't seen her first real monster until she was seventeen, when her sister, husband and Shane received their Wind Morphers to defend the planet against Sensei Watanabe's evil twin brother Kiya, or as he was known then, Lothor. Not long after, Kaylee received her first morpher. But she wouldn't call that the year her life changed.

In fact, it wouldn't be the Dino year either: the year she attended school at Reefside High and met her very best friend Kira, Kira's husband Conner, Ethan, Dr. O (who fought in those monster attacks when Kaylee was only a little girl) and Trent. She receive a morpher then too, and her first ever Zord, but that didn't mark the huge change in her life.

Nor was it the year she was team leader for the Operation Overdrive Rangers. It was a significant step up from simply being as Ranger, and she had grown considerably from the added responsibility of mentoring and coaching a team of Rangers, but that didn't change her life and turn her into the person she was now.

It was what happened afterwards. She had been so irresponsible that she lost her first daughter, Samantha. Everyone told her it wasn't her fault, and she couldn't have possibly known, but she had life growing inside of her. How could someone not know, in some ways, that there's a little baby inside of you, and how could you not do everything in your power to make sure it stands a chance at life?

While training and studying the ways of the Pai Zhuq, Kaylee lost Samantha. It was an accident, but it turned her life upside down and forever changed who she was.

After that, she nearly lost her husband to the Jungle Fury Ranger's arch foe, Dai Shi. He decided to take Dustin as a host body and forced him to fight against Kaylee and the Jungles. It was then Kaylee learned that if she wanted to truly be a hero, she had to do anything she could to defend the planet and save the people she loved. Even if that meant sacrificing herself, or someone she loved. The lives of millions were worth more than the life of one.

Kaylee was a lot more focused after her time as a Jungle Ranger. She learned to accept the loss of Samantha (made easier thanks to Master Engel who reunited mother and daughter for a brief moment and promised to return Samantha when she was ready), and Kaylee learned that now was the time to let go of the child she once was and grow up.

This time, she became a mother, and one year ago, almost to the day, that baby girl that she gave birth to left home with her husband, and never came back. Some would say that it meant that Kaylee and Dustin succeeded in raising her properly. Hayden could stand on her own two feet, and no matter what challenges she faced, she could overcome them. She knew when to ask for help, and she knew when she had to face her challenges alone.

Kaylee saw it as a horrible, horrible failure. Hayden was her baby. She needed to stay home forever and live with her until one of them died. But, she knew that leaving the nest was the best thing she could let her daughter do.

It was the best thing, but at no point was it easy. Before long, one of Kaylee's old foes came back, seeking revenge for something Kaylee had done to his brother, and he decided the best way to get back at Kaylee was to go after her daughters.

Thankfully, Hayden survived that.

Then there was the rat infestation. That should have been the first sign that there was still life outside the two domed cities of Corinth and NewTech. The rats had invaded Flynn and Dani's garage and threatened to invade the rest of Corinth city if Kaylee and the Rangers didn't act fast.

Thankfully, Hayden and the other Rangers, as well as the city, survived that, and somewhere, someone still had an ugly little rat in a lab.

Trouble didn't end there for Kaylee and the Rangers, though. Engel had to suffer the consequences of a past she still didn't, and never would remember, when an evil being called the Beast, returned and master Guinn, Engel's sister, sacrificed herself to protect Engel and everyone else from the Beast.

Dani and Greg's wedding marked an important event for Kaylee. That was the day Hayden and Flynn conceived Adeline Kaie McAllister. The little girl who brought trouble for her family before she was even born. Not long after Hayden and Flynn learned they were expecting, they also learned that the Garage was struggling to bring in enough money to support a family. In fact, it was hardly bringing money in at all. For the first time, Hayden wanted to turn to her parents for help. Thankfully, though, with a little help from Kaylee and Dustin, as well as some help from Kelly, Hannah and co-operation from RJ, the Garage started making more and more money and things were finally financially stable.

One of the biggest challenges everyone faced in the year was the discovery of the mutants, and the war against them that lasted way too long for anyone's liking. Mamello, Takeo, Caleb, Austin and Olivier were Humanities biggest foes, with the intention of destroying all those who played a hand in locking them out and turning them into mutants. But with a little talking, a lot of fighting, and some understanding, they turned into Corinth and NewTech's biggest allies. Mamello and Austin even lost their lives to defend the humans they had formerly been trying to destroy.

Afterwards, Corinth city suffered quite a few months of disaster when the weather systems went out of control, the Command Center fell and another virus threatened to take over the world. They were hit with tragedy after tragedy.

But all the Rangers came out alive.

They even managed to survive what could have been another war for humanity when the Underwater surfaced after believing for six years that humans had been wiped out and they were the only survivors.

2029 had been a crazy year. It was finally over, as well as the decade. Kaylee only hoped that life could go back to normal.

As normal as it could get living inside a domed city.

But things were progressing for humanity. Scott and his Eagle Squad were flying out into the wastelands daily in search of life nearby. Thanks to NewTech, technology was coming along that would help them scan for life in ways they couldn't do before.

The new city was really starting to come along as well in the Wastelands. The Racetracks had been completely, but it would still be a while before the city would be done. Ronny and David were debating over whether or not they should move out once houses were up. Corinth still needed David in their hospitals, but David figured that if he did like Leanne was doing, traveling between two cities, he could move, Corinth's hospital could run smoothly, the new city's hospital would have one of the great doctors working there (one who understood genetic mutations, which was becoming more and more important), and Ronny could live near her racetrack.

Either way, Daniela and Greg were seriously considering moving. Daniela's racing career was going to take her out there someday, and Greg worked for himself. He could easily sell his little office building and work from home in the new city. It would be hard saying goodbye to Corinth, but they weren't going to be the only ones moving.

Scott was only supposed to be Commander of Corinth until he thought Hayden was ready to take up the position again, but Corinth loved him, and Scott loved the responsibilities and he enjoyed going into work every day and seeing his father. Being Commander also meant he could make his own schedule. He could make enough time for work, Samantha and Engel, and his new child once he or she was born. He didn't want to give up his position, even if it was to his sister in-law, but he didn't want to keep Hayden from doing what she did best.

So, with Kira's permission, he offered Hayden the position of Commander in the new, still unnamed, city. Hayden would have to move to the city to live there, which caused a little conflict because of the Garage. Flynn still wanted to work as a mechanic, it was something he loved doing, and he could get paid for it. But he also loved being a father and a husband. He had considered living in Corinth during the workweek and coming home on weekends, but that was less than ideal. That meant Hayden would be a single mother for five days of the week, and her position as Commander wouldn't be accommodating for that. She could take Adeline to work, but she doubted there were many people who would be able to work, or focus, with a crying baby in the room.

But Dani and Greg reminded Flynn that they were planning on moving out of the Garage, meaning there was basically a house up for sale. With Flynn's father getting married to his fiancée in the start of the New Year, it would be a perfect gift Flynn could offer his father and step-mother. A place of their own. Flynn's father loved helping out in the Garage after Adeline was born, and he had always told Flynn he would love it if, once all the wedding business was over, he could settle down and get a job working as a mechanic.

If Flynn's father said yes, Flynn would offer him the Garage. It would still be in Flynn and Dani's name, so his father would only be an employee working for Flynn, but he would manage that Garage on his own, while Flynn worked on building a new one in the new city. With a racetrack as the main attraction, Flynn was certain he would have an easier time getting this new Garage started.

With everything they had done over the year, it was no surprise that the Rangers managed to make these plans in the span of a week. Kaylee was sad to see her family truly splitting up, but she was also happy. This world was, in a way, her baby. Though she didn't like the idea of having family in three different cities, she was thrilled to see that people were starting to scatter around the planet again, even if it was only three cities.

Hayden had been watching her mother for a while now. Kaylee had been staring into the living room, just staring at the Rangers, her kids. The former pink Ranger tilted her head and smiled.

"Earth to mother, do you read me, mother?"

Kaylee shook her head as she was pulled from her thoughts. She smiled.

"Uh, yeah, I was just wondering what you guys wanted to eat for dinner," she answered. "I think we've all had enough Chinese take-out and pizza."

"Uncle RJ would smack you if he was still here," Elena laughed. "He says you can never have enough pizza."

"He also owns a pizza parlour," Kaylee smirked, poking her niece's nose. "He's a little biased, don't you think?"

"Seafood platter!" Ziggy smiled, rubbing his stomach. Tori turned to him.

"Can't; allergies," she said. "And even if I wasn't allergic, I wouldn't eat fish."

"You do realise dolphins are actually mammals, not fish," Rebecca told the older blue Ranger. Tori frowned while nodding her head.

"I do realise that, but I have the power of water. What lives in the water? Fish! They're part of me."

"All animals and plants need water to sustain life," Rebecca pointed out. "Are you saying you refuse to eat fish because you share a connection to them that you would share with every other animal on the planet?"

"Yeah, Aunt Tor, what makes them so special?" Hayden laughed. "How much are the fish paying you?"

"What? Nothing?"

Kaylee rubbed her temples, "Bec, what's the word you used that the other Rangers fell in love with for like, a week?"

"Moot?"

"Yeah, the cow nose that means this is pointless," Kaylee said. She looked at the Rangers, "It doesn't matter if the fish are paying Tori, she's allergic and I don't feel like killing her tonight. Find something else. Something easy to replicate, please?"

"Breakfast," Jason suggested, "Breakfast for dinner. You know, with bacon and toast and eggs. Lots and lots of eggs, so this place smells of… OW!"

Samantha and Summer both threw their pillows at Jason's head, before he make them throw up. Jason grabbed the pillows, rubbed his head and turned to his cousins with a smirk. He had a plan in mind, and it involved watching two pregnant women running to a bathroom and fighting over who got to throw up first.

"If you guys don't agree on something for dinner, then I'll make something I like, and we'll see if I don't _accidentally_ burn everything."

Requests were thrown into the air from everybody and none of them matched. Thankfully, in Kaylee's house, it wasn't a democracy. She and Dustin had the final say.

Kaylee groaned and picked up the phone, "Fine, you know what, we're having Thai. I'll have Dustin pick it up on his way home."

Kaylee returned to the kitchen, called Dustin, placed her dinner request and set down the phone. Most of the presents were still stacked in the kitchen, on the table. She had been meaning to ask her kids to put their presents away where they belonged, but with guests still in the house, she never got around to it.

She also never got around to putting all her picture books away. They were still stashed away in the box they had been wrapped in. With no dinner to cook, Kaylee had some spare time.

All her guests, or rather, family members, were in the other room, giving Kaylee the perfect opportunity to start her special gift from the beyond. She smiled as she reached into the box, grabbing a book at random. She smiled when she saw the colour of the cover, and her smile widened considerably when she saw who the picture book belonged to. She flipped through the pages, admiring the pictures again, before looking up and focusing her attention on the person the book belonged to.

The year had been crazy; her life had been crazy. She had done what most people considered impossible. She fought long and hard to save the world numerous times from people and monsters who wanted to destroy it. She had met many people along the way who she now considered family. She had created her own family with a man she still loved dearly to this very day, and she had extended that family. Her arms were always open to people who needed her love.

But they didn't need her as much as she needed all of them. Everyone who had given her a picture book had an influence on her life, and without each and every one of them, she would not be the person she currently was. Without their love and support, Kaylee would still be the child she was way back when, still trying to find her place in this world.

"Not looking!" Hayden smiled as she walked into the kitchen and covered her eyes. Kaylee smiled and laughed as she looked at her daughter and granddaughter.

"It's not your book," she said. "You're okay. And eyes open at all times when you're holding that sweet, precious little baby."

Kaylee took Adeline from Hayden's arms and bounced her gently. Hayden smiled and took a quick peek at the book to figure out who it belonged to. Kaylee swatted her daughter away.

"Oi, I said you were okay, I didn't say you could peek," she laughed. Hayden pouted for a moment.

"Fine," she crossed her arms, "Um, we were all thinking of going to the park to get Chris, Elena and Engel out of the house. We were wondering if you wanted to come along with us."

Kaylee wanted nothing more, but right now she needed to focus on her present. She wrapped her arms around Adeline and shook her head.

"You guys go, have fun," she smiled. "I've got an idea and I don't want to lose it."

Hayden nodded, "If you're sure. Do you mind watching Addie then?" she asked. "Sam wants to play with Engel, and I think her other parents want to do the same. Someone's got to run around with Chris."

"Get Jason to do it," Kaylee shrugged. "He loves his little cousin, and Tori and Blake should be watching Elena."

Hayden rolled her eyes and with a smile she looked at her mother, "Okay, you caught me," she laughed. "I want to spend time with my little brother and I don't want Adeline to distract me."

Kaylee gleamed as she jumped up and hugged her daughter. It was the sweetest thing she had ever heard. Hayden was never raised with a sibling, and by the time Christian came around, Hayden was too old to _spend time with her brother_. She was usually babysitting or keeping an eye on him. This was the first time Kaylee saw her two children playing together and it warmed her heart.

"Okay, just because that's so cute, I'll babysit your daughter for you. But only because I think that was adorable. Not because I love you or Adeline or anything… you know, because I don't."

Hayden frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. She glared at her mother, "I want both you and Adeline in this house when I get home," she said sternly. "No kidnapping my daughter while I'm away."

Kaylee groaned, "Damn, what gave it away."

Hayden smirked. She kissed her mother's cheek before leaving for the door with the rest of the group. Kaylee sat back down in her chair and sat Adeline down on her lap. The child looked at the book before her before slapping her hands down on the table. A smile lit up her face as she tried to grab the book. Kaylee held it, just out of reach, and handed her granddaughter a pen so she could play with.

"You can't read, can you, brat?" Kaylee asked. Adeline, with the pen in her mouth, looked up at her grandmother. Kaylee nodded her head, "Good, thankfully you're not a big girl yet."

Putting pen to paper, Kaylee started writing a letter at the end of Adeline's picture book. So far, it wasn't very full, but Kaylee hoped she could continue to take pictures of herself and Adeline so she could add them to the book.

Her time was coming to an end; that idea weight on Kaylee's mind every day. She could only hope she would make it to see the end of the 2030s. Leanne and David had given her 7-10 years, but the fact that she ignored was that it was her maximum number of years. Even with her medication, the radiation was slowly poisoning her entire body.

She kissed her granddaughter on the cheek, "You're not going to forget me, are you?" she asked Adeline before tickling her stomach. Adeline smiled before opening her mouth wide and letting out a giggle. Kaylee beamed with joy as she listened to her little girl squeal with delight. Carefully, without disturbing or distracting Adeline, Kaylee reached out to grab the camera. She tickled her granddaughter again and snapped a picture with the camera.

As she looked at the picture, with the intention of printing it off later, Kaylee hugged her granddaughter.

"I'll never forget you," she smiled. "You're my little girl."

In Adeline's ear, she whispered, "You'll take care of my family for me after I die, won't you? You'll be the new Kaylee."

Adeline squealed and clapped her hands. Kaylee just had to reward that with a kiss and a hug before putting her pen down so she could spend some quality time with her baby girl.


	191. End of A Decade Start of an Age

"Okay, after a lot of whining and begging, we finally got the kids to sleep," Dustin announced as he returned to his living room, where his family and the RPM team were gathered and waiting for the countdown to the New Year. Of course, Adeline, Engel and Christian were still too young to stay up until midnight so Kaylee and Dustin had volunteered to put them to bed.

"Engel wasn't much trouble, was she?" Samantha asked her father.

"She normally goes down easily," Scott added.

Dustin looked at his daughter and son in-law curiously before understanding what they were getting at. He laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry, that's my fault. I was talking about Kaylee," Dustin pointed over his shoulder as Kaylee walked into the room, sulking like a toddler.

"You promised five minutes, I only got four and a half," she pouted. "You owe me ten seconds of quality time with each kid."

"You can get up with them tomorrow morning," Hayden chuckled. She thought it would turn her mother's attention away from the kids. Christian was getting better about sleeping in, but Adeline and Engel were still up long before the sun and given that tonight Kaylee would be awake all night, Hayden assumed she would want some beauty sleep.

"Promise?" Kaylee smiled. Hayden rolled her eyes.

"Right…, sure, mom."

Kaylee perked up immediately and clapped her hands together as Ziggy brought out a dish to serve to everyone. Jason dove for it before it was even set on the coffee table. He was a growing boy, and he would eat anything.

After swallowing a few mouthfuls, he looked up at Ziggy, "What is this?" he asked.

Ziggy shrugged, "Not too sure. I saw something in the fridge and heated it up."

"It might kill you," Mike teased his brother. Jason looked at the tray and touched his stomach. Elena leaned over the table.

"It smells good," she smiled, turning in her brother's direction. "I'm sure you're safe. Uncle Dustin does most of the cooking here."

"But what if Aunt Kaylee made it?" Jason asked. Suddenly, he felt someone strike him on the back of the head.

"Don't you dare turn on me, boy," Kaylee growled. "You're the only one who loves my cooking. I remember babysitting you kids for a week…"

"We had pizza dinner four nights out of seven," Mike nodded. He licked his lips, "Good times. Uncle RJ was happy."

"The other two nights I cooked," Dustin said to Kaylee. Kaylee turned to him and shook her head.

"Four plus two is six. There was one night I cooked, and Jason said, very sweetly: 'Aunt Kaywee', he couldn't say 'L's properly yet, 'This food is better than my mommy's'," Kaylee smiled at her sister before sticking her tongue out.

Tori didn't seem offended at all. Instead, she smiled back, "What did you make?" she asked Kaylee.

The younger sister shrugged, "I don't quite remember. It was something like…"

"Grilled cheese," Hayden said to her Aunt. "Mom made grilled cheese and she put ham inside."

Tori grinned, "Thought so. Easy recipe and I taught you how to make that when you were fifteen. The credit is still mine."

Kaylee's smile fell right off her face, "Oi! It's not as easy as you think! Sometimes, the cheese doesn't melt right… or the pan isn't big enough so I have to make all the sandwiches individually! It was hard work feeing three kids, a husband and a picky baby who spat out everything from her mouth."

"I'm not picky!" Elena shouted, crossing her arms. "I try everything that doesn't feel weird or smell like it came from Jason's bedroom!"

"Oh, you were picky," Blake laughed, ruffling his daughter's hair. Mike nodded in agreement.

"At only a few weeks old, you had milk preferences," he said, "And you didn't prefer mom's."

Elena's face wrinkled, "I didn't?"

Tori shook her head and hissed, "To put it kindly…. No"

"To tell you the honest truth, you screamed," Jason said. He looked at his brother who was nodding in agreement.

"I remember mom and dad considered getting a wet-nurse," Mike laughed.

"Can we please change the topic?" Summer asked. "I'm already feeling nauseous. I don't want to remember that conversation."

Samantha looked from her cousin to the rest of her family, "Summer remembers that conversation?" she asked. "Boy, nothing was kept a secret in this family, was it?"

Summer looked at Sammy, "Do you want to know how old Sam and I were when we got the talk from your mother?"

"Do you want to know how old I was?" Hayden asked her sister. Samantha plugged her ears and shook her head.

"No."

"I was only a few days old," Summer said.

"The moment mom put me in my crib for the first time," Hayden said. "She decided to warn me about all the dangers of being alive, including boys."

"Actually, your father warned you about boys," Kaylee smirked. "I just warned you about what they did."

Kaylee made a circle with her thumb and index finger, and stuck her other finger threw the circle. The room fell silent for a moment.

Dillon felt the need to break the silence, "Awk-ward."

"Very," Blake nodded. He grabbed the now empty tray of food, "Anyone want anything from the kitchen?"

All together, the room of people shook their heads, "No!"

When Blake was gone, Kaylee walked over to her sister. She sat down beside the older blonde and smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

"Do you know what my New Year's wish is?" she asked. Tori nervously shook her head.

"No, what?"

"That Blake goes into that kitchen, and someone else comes out."

Before anyone could react, Tori grabbed a pillow and smacked Kaylee in the face before beating her. It was playful fighting, but Tori's face looked serious as ever. Only Kaylee could see the small smile on her sister's lips.

"Okay, okay!" Kaylee called, shielding herself with her arms, "I give! I give! You can have Sir-Sucks-A-Lot!"

The pillow beating ceased and Tori took her seat back. She looked at her sister while tucking her hair back behind her ears.

"I thought you gave that up," she said. "I could have sworn you and Blake made-up years ago."

"It's called lying," Kaylee smirked. "Like how you lied about you-know-who?"

"Who?" Tori asked. Kaylee crossed her arms.

"I can't say it because of the K-I-D."

"I can spell," Elena pointed out.

Kaylee cursed under her breath and muttered, "Damn, she can't read, not spell."

"I can read," Elena said, surprising Kaylee who had also forgotten that due to Elena's blindness, her ears were like a bat's. "I just read Braille."

"I just read Braille," Kaylee mocked. She threw her pillow at Elena. The young girl squealed, but caught the pillow before it hit her face.

Kaylee groaned loudly. She couldn't win. Her niece's senses were sharp! And she was smart!

Elena started to laugh, "If you're talking about Santa, I already know," she said. "My parents told me a few years ago."

"Well, your parents only told me this Christmas," Kaylee pouted. She glared at Tori. "For almost forty-four years your mother's been lying to me about Santa Clause."

"Mom and Dad told you when they told me," Tori laughed. "You've known since you were ten!"

Kaylee was about to answer when everyone heard a ding coming from Greg's watch. He checked the time and looked up at his family.

"New Year's resolution and wishes," he announced.

Blake rushed into the room, having heard the ding from the kitchen. He traded seats with Kaylee and pulled Elena onto his lap so she could have a place to sit.

Kaylee took a spot on the couch beside Dustin and Gem.

"Youngest to oldest!" Elena called out; clapping her hands to make sure everyone was paying attention to her. Kaylee shook her head.

"We're not playing that game again!" she said. "I remember how it turned out for me last time."

"Youngest, to oldest, to Kaylee," Dustin smirked as he snuggled in closer to his wife, enjoying her company, as he always did. But for some reason he'd been craving it a lot more lately. He knew it had something to do with her being sick and the clock over her head, but he just knew there was more to it.

"Deal," Mike smiled, accepting Dustin's suggestion, thought it wasn't really one. Like at Christmas, he wanted to save his Aunt Kaylee for last. It still seemed appropriate they end with her. He also didn't want his wish to be outshined by Kaylee's. He was only a few steps down from her.

Elena smiled, "This year, I'm not going to be a brat to mommy, daddy and Jason," she said. "I'm going to be independent and I'll only ask for help when I need it."

"And your wish?" Dustin asked.

"That mommy doesn't have any more heart attacks," Elena turned in her mother's direction. Tori touched her daughter's cheek.

"Aw, that's sweet, Elle," she whispered softly.

Jason's turn: "This year… I'm going to ask Madeline on a real date," he blushed and hid his face in the couch as his Aunt, mother and female cousins and Rangers awed at the cuteness that was Jason and Madeline. They all knew from Tori and Blake that the two had been seeing more of each other, and had gone out on "dates", but it seemed that Jason now wanted to make it official. He tried waving off the attention, "Yeah, yeah, I'm cute."

"What's your wish?" Summer asked him.

"She says yes," Jason shrugged before hiding from another round of _Awws_. Subtly, though he looked up and the sight of his Aunt Kaylee's smile made the announcement worth it.

Ziggy nudged his wife, "Your turn."

Rebecca sighed deeply, "This year I'm going to try and be nicer when Dillon runs away from home and comes to stay with us."

Dillon pumped his fist in the air and smiled. Summer could only shake her head.

Rebecca continued, "And my wish is that he never has to show up."

"Can I wish that too?" Summer smirked.

Dani smacked her cousin, "My turn. You're down the line," When Summer was quite Dani started, "This year I'm not going to try and deal with things on my own when they involve other people who might get hurt… and I'm going to win first place in all my races once mom opens up the track."

"Typical Dani," Greg smiled before kissing her.

Dani bounced, "Oh, and I wish for what I have now," she looked at Greg and smiled.

"Gag," Dillon frowned. He looked at Greg, "Please tell me you wish for something serious."

"This year I'm not going to take part in any way in a virus taking over the world," Greg laughed. "I almost had a two year streak going until the stupid Deleto-Virus came along. And I wish for world peace."

"Good wish, Little Miss Corinth," Samantha laughed. "Hayden, what do you wish for?"

Hayden shrugged, "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "You're wishing it too."

"What about a resolution?" Samantha asked gently, patting her sister's leg.

"This year, I'm going to laugh when you and Summer give birth and it hurts."

Samantha swatted her sister, "NEXT!"

"I wish Hayden a world of hurt," Summer growled. "This year, I'm going to make sure it happens."

Summer and Hayden were locked in a staring contest before Ziggy pulled them away from each other. He smiled brightly.

"This year, I'm going to try and get all the kids currently in the orphanage a nice place to live with people who love them," he said. "And I wish Becca would up our kissing limit to seven a day."

Rebecca bit her lower lip. She had come a long way in personal relationships, but she still had a long way to go. It wasn't that she didn't like being intimate with Ziggy. She just didn't see the need to constantly show her affection. Ziggy, however, had different needs. That was why she placed the daily limit. It was her way of compromise. Ziggy was patient with her, but a man had needs.

"We'll talk," she said.

"Babe," Mike smiled at his new bride.

Vanessa kept it simple, "This year I'm going to be a good wife. It's my first full year."

"A wish," Hayden called.

"And I wish Mike and I happiness," Vanessa shrugged, "I don't know… something like that I guess."

"It's cute," Mike said as he kissed her cheek, "This year I'm going to spoil Adeline and my new nieces or nephews rotten, and I wish to be favourite Uncle!"

"We're all standing right here," Gem pointed out. Mike smirked.

"It's only fair I warn you guys. I'm going to be favourite."

"How about you focus on favourite dad?" Samantha suggested. "You do have competition there, remember?"

Scott waved at Mike. The D-Green Ranger scowled teasingly.

The Boom Twins started bouncing in their seats when they realised it was their turn.

"This year we're going to find as many people outside the dome as possible and we're going to bring them back to civilisation!" Gemma started.

"And we wish to blow more things up!" Gem finished before the two added their famous boom noises.

Dillon waited for them to finish before he took his turn, "This year, I'm going to be a dad."

Summer nudged him, "Um, you have to make a promise of something you plan on doing in the New Year."

"I did. Can you really picture the old me being a father?"

"Well, she's pregnant, so she probably did," Mike shrugged.

"I wish I was still the old me so I could punch you in the face," Dillon smirked. He clapped his hands and leaned back into the couch, "There done."

"Romantic," Summer rolled her eyes, "Sorry Becca, you might not be getting your wish this year."

"This year," Samantha started, "I'm going to be a good mom to Engel, even after junior's born. Last thing I want to do to Engel is make her feel like mommy's not paying attention to her."

"And you wish for…?" Vanessa asked.

Samantha glanced at her sister and nodded before turning back to the group, "A healthy baby."

"I'll take that one too," Summer added in.

"Ditto," Scott nodded, "And this year I'm going to make sure the twins don't accidentally blow up some of the people we're trying to save."

"Good one," Kaylee laughed.

Flynn's turn: "This year, I'm going to work as hard as I can to be a good dad, and to make sure the new Garage brings in tons of money so we don't get another financial scare."

"Good plan," Hayden smiled, "You do that."

"And I wish myself luck," Flynn finished with a smirk.

Tori had to think long and hard about her promise and wish. All the good ones were already taken, and she didn't have anything funny or witty. She decided to just be honest.

"This year I'm going to hang out with my family a little more," she said. "And I wish the same thing Hayden and Sammy are wishing."

Blake nodded, "I guess I'll wish and promise the same," he said. "Mine wasn't far from that anyways."

Dustin shrugged, "C'mon. Mine should really be obvious. Do I have to say it?"

"Please don't," Hayden frowned. "I'm still trying to get the image out of my mind from the last time."

Finally it was Kaylee's turn. She hesitated for a moment, knowing everyone was waiting for her announce her wish and promise.

Suddenly, Greg's watch chimed again, signalling the start of the New Year. Together, everyone jumped up from the couches, shouted "Happy New Year," and hugged or kissed the members of their family.

When Kaylee had Dustin, Hayden and Samantha wrapped in her arms, she smiled and whispered, just to them.

"This year, I'm going to stick with you guys. And I wish to fulfill that promise as many times as possible."

She hugged and squeezed them all lovingly before going to wish everyone else a happy New Year and a happy new start to the rest of their lives. Hopefully, it would be more peaceful and filled with a lot more happiness than the previous years.

After all, it's what life was all about. Constantly doing your best to try and improve what you already had.

-Afterlife-

_Author's Note: Umm, I don't know how to say it. The End?_

_Yes, I'm ending Afterlife here, before the next drama happens. Though I'm sure with everyone striving to live long and happy lives, it'll be a while before they run into trouble._

_There's still one more story I have in mind, but it definitely won't be anywhere near as long as Afterlife. So, I want to take this time to thank everybody again for all your support. I wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for you readers, reviewers and anyone who's had a part in helping with the Kaylee Series. Any and all feedback was greatly appreciated and played a huge role in creating this massive series and I hope you'll all continue to help and inspire me._

_Happy New Year to everyone. It's a little early, but hey. I wish you guys the best for 2011 (or 2030)._

_Don't forget to keep an eye out for the last instalment of the Kaylee Series._


End file.
